Double Date (18 page)

“Hello, hello,” Jack said as he and his wife entered the room.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Beth said a bit breathlessly. She was dressed in riding clothes and her cheeks were flushed.

“I'll bet you've been out with those beautiful horses,” Bryn said.

Beth grinned. “You'd win that bet.”

“Sorry to make you drive all the way out here for this.” Jack sat down behind the big antique desk. “I'm getting ready to fly to LA and I wanted to see you kids face-to-face before I left.”

“No problem,” Jason said easily. “What's up?”

“First of all, we heard wonderful things about your assembly last week,” Beth said graciously. “Kudos to both of you.”

“Yes.” Jack picked up a pen, balancing it in his fingers. “Mr. Worthington and I played golf on Saturday and he was quite impressed with what you kids have put together. Although he did ask me to verify the prizes for him.” He chuckled. “Poor guy—he couldn't quite believe it. But I assured him the prizes are in earnest.”

“Oh . . . good.” Jason nodded.

“Mr. Worthington had some concerns with how the contest
would be judged. He wants to make sure that it's fair. As I'm sure you do too.”

“Absolutely,” Bryn assured him.

“So Beth and I have offered to handle the judging. Is that acceptable to you?”

“Of course,” Jason agreed.

“That sounds perfect,” Bryn told him.

“We might select a panel to help us,” Beth told them. “If you don't mind.”

“That would be wonderful,” Bryn confessed. “In fact, it takes the pressure off of us.”

“Oh, good.” Beth made a relieved smile. “I was worried that you might feel we were being overly involved. Normally we like to be more hands-off. But we do care about Northwood, and we want this event to be a success. So as long as the committee chairs are not opposed, we'll proceed in this direction.”

“Which means we'll be attending your dance.” Jack laid down the pen, pushing his chair back.

“Only the first part of the dance,” Beth assured them. “Don't worry, we won't make pests of ourselves.”

“You'd be welcome for the whole thing,” Bryn told her. “I hope you'll stay as long as you like.”

“Well, it will be fun to see all the sleighs—to see what the kids have managed to put together. Such a good cause.” Beth shrugged. “That's all we wanted to speak to you about.” She looked at Jack. “I know you need to be heading to the airport soon.”

He stood. “Thanks for coming out here on such short notice.”

They all shook hands, and soon Bryn and Jason were out on the road again. “Well, that's a relief,” Bryn said as she turned onto the main highway. “Whew.”

Jason laughed. “Yeah, I didn't really think they were pulling the plug. But you never know.”

“They're such nice people.”

“Yeah, for rich folks, they're not so bad.”

“You say that like your parents aren't wealthy too, Jason.”

“Trust me, there's a big difference.”

“Right.” This simply reminded her there was a big difference between her own family's circumstances and Jason's. In fact, Amanda's family would be more in Jason's category of wealth than Bryn's. Thinking this just made Bryn feel more determined to secure a date with this guy. Still, she didn't want to be the one to bring it up. She couldn't let him know how desperate she was feeling.

As they got closer to the school, she got more nervous. They had talked about everything in regard to the dance and the promotions and the contest and the prizes and everything—everything except for who they were going with. Now they were at the school and he was getting out of her car, and she knew it was too late.

“Jason,” she called as she got out of her car.

“Yeah?”

She stood by the driver's door, looking at him over the roof of her car. “I, um, I'm just curious about something.”

“What?” He leaned his elbows on the roof of her car, studying her.

“Is it true you're taking Amanda to the dance?”

He looked puzzled.

“She mentioned your ultimatum.”

“Ultimatum?”

“You know . . .”

He cocked his head to one side. “Huh?”

“She said you were taking her to the dance if I turned you down.”

He shrugged. “I guess I said something like that.”

“Oh . . .” She just nodded. “Okay.”

“So did you turn me down?” he asked.

She smiled brightly. “Did you
really
ask me? I mean in a sincere and proper sort of way?”

His brow creased. “Huh?”

“Oh, well . . . never mind.” She ducked her head down, getting back into her car. As she slid into the driver's seat, Jason got back in on the passenger's side.

“Okay, Miss Bryn Jacobs, will you honor me by going to the Christmas ball with me?” He gave a genuine-looking smile. “Please?”

She returned his smile. “Certainly.”

Then, to her surprise, he leaned over the console and kissed her—right on the lips. “Cool.” Without saying another word, he hopped out of her car and, waving happily, trotted over to a muddy red Jeep parked several rows away. As she restarted her car, she felt uncertain about everything—especially about the kiss. What did this mean? What had she gotten herself into? Then she remembered how comfortable he seemed with the Hartfords . . . impressive. And this, combined with her desperation not to remain dateless, made her decide it was all good. Before she drove away, she quickly texted the good news to her friends. Including Amanda.

F
or the past couple of days, Abby had kept her mouth shut over Bryn's decision to go to the dance with Jason, but beneath her tolerant veneer, she believed Bryn was making a big mistake. Still, she knew Bryn wouldn't listen to her concerns. Especially after Bryn had lashed into Devon when she'd expressed her opinion yesterday. That's when Abby decided to simply keep her mouth shut altogether. She consoled herself that they'd be on a double date, so it wasn't like Jason could pull some crazy stunt with Bryn. Not with Abby and Kent around. Plus, as Bryn kept claiming, maybe Jason did respect her more than he'd respected Devon.

Even so, Abby felt like Bryn was changing. Bryn had always been a lot more materialistic than Abby, but it seemed like she was becoming more shallow recently. She kept talking about the Hartfords and how rich they were. She even seemed to esteem Jason more highly just because his family was wealthy. Then there was the way she treated Amanda and Sienna—like they were more significant than her old friends. Abby had
sort of understood when Bryn had catered to Amanda this week. Especially since Amanda was in such a snit over the news about Jason. Bryn had practically bent over backward to make amends with Amanda, doling out compliments and pleasantries until Abby thought she was going to gag. Fortunately Amanda had finally decided to ask a Northwood alumnus to accompany her.

“Can you guys meet at Costello's after school today?” Bryn asked the rest of the DG at lunch on Wednesday.

“What for?” Devon asked.

“To make plans for the dance. As you know, tomorrow's Thanksgiving, and I don't know about you girls, but I'm going to do some serious shopping on Black Friday.”

“You mean you're shopping for Project Santa Sleigh?” Abby asked eagerly. She'd been hoping to get Bryn more on board for this. “I've started making a list and—”

“No. I mean I'm shopping for formals. I saw that Nordstrom's is having a big sale and—”

“I'm going to FRW for my dress,” Emma announced.

“FRW?” Bryn frowned. “Huh?”

“Formal Rental Wear,” Emma reminded her. “The ones who loaned you and Amanda the dresses for the assembly last week.”

“You're going to
rent
a formal?” Bryn looked disgusted.

“Why not?” Cassidy chimed in. “Why put out so much money for a dress you'll wear only once?”

“Seriously?” Amanda frowned. “I mean, it was okay for the assembly, but for the Christmas ball?”

“It's a great idea.” Felicia nodded at Emma. “I'm going to FRW too.”

Now the girls became almost equally divided and the argument was on. Emma, Felicia, and Cassidy refused to back down from their frugal plans and were already agreeing to get a jump start by going rental gown shopping right after school that day.
Meanwhile Bryn, Amanda, Sienna, and Devon all agreed that rental gowns would be shoddy and cheap as well as smelly. Abby kept her mouth closed as she watched in dismay.

“That's right!” Amanda exclaimed. “The dress I wore for the assembly stunk like BO.”

“We'll make sure to smell our dresses before we rent them,” Emma retorted.

“The money we save can be put toward Project Santa Sleigh,” Felicia added.

Bryn rolled her eyes. “Well, you'll find me shopping for a lovely
non-smelly
formal on Saturday morning.” She looked at the others. “You guys care to join me?” Amanda and Sienna quickly agreed, and now Bryn pointed at Abby. “What about you?” She frowned when Abby shook her head. “Please, don't tell me you're going to wear a rented gown too?”

Abby gave her an uneasy smile. “Actually, I promised my mom that I'd go dress shopping with her. Otherwise my dad won't pay for it. Not after the dress I got for the homecoming dance. Remember?”

“Hmm . . .” Bryn's forehead creased. “Well, I'd really hoped the DG could coordinate our dresses. You know, since the theme is red, white, and green. I was hoping we wouldn't all show up in the same color and—”

“Instead of focusing on our dresses, maybe we should focus on Project Santa Sleigh,” Abby declared with irritation.

“Yeah!” Felicia eagerly agreed.

Bryn blinked. “There's plenty of time to do—”

“It's a little more than two weeks before the dance,” Abby told her. “That means only two weekends, Bryn. That's
not
a whole lot of time.”

“She's right,” Emma added. “Felicia and the guys and I plan to get together this weekend to do something for our kids. We're taking this thing seriously.”

“I plan on spending Saturday with Kent at the FAC,” Abby told her. “What are you and Jason going to contribute?”

Bryn frowned. “Make the sleigh?”

Abby nodded briskly then stood. “Fine. Do that.” As she walked away, she felt the resentment simmering inside of her. Why had she agreed to partner with Bryn? Never mind that they were supposed to be best friends. At least they used to be. Bryn was steadily becoming someone else . . . someone Abby didn't respect very much. The idea of being on a double date with Bryn and Jason—well, that was just too much!

Cassidy hadn't really planned on getting her dress from the rental place, but it wasn't like she really cared either. After all, she'd never been very style conscious. Plus, like Felicia had pointed out, this would leave her more money to use for Project Santa Sleigh. All in all, it just made sense. She didn't mind that it had rubbed Bryn the wrong way either. In Cassidy's opinion, Bryn was getting a little too full of herself lately. Too obsessed with things like fashion, status, and money. Cassidy felt this was partly because of Amanda's influence and she still wished that they'd never allowed Amanda into the DG. Not that there was much to be done about that now. In all fairness, Sienna seemed pretty nice.

“Ready to shop till we drop?” Felicia said as they walked toward Cassidy's car in the school parking lot.

“Trust me, I'll be the first one to drop,” Cassidy assured her. “Emma can attest to the fact that I'm not very good at this.”

“For sure,” Emma agreed a little too heartily. “Cassidy is probably the most fashion-challenged of the DG.”

“You mean
before
I joined,” Felicia said. “Never mind the fiasco I made of myself before Tristin made me into a total joke. I got rid of my, uh,
inappropriate
wardrobe, but I'm still not really getting it.”

“Bryn's the fashionista,” Cassidy told her. “She's the one who helped us with our makeovers.”

“And Devon too,” Emma added.

“Too bad Bryn didn't want to come with us,” Felicia said.

“We should probably be relieved,” Emma told her. “Bryn would probably just turn it into a big joke.”

“Hang on.” Cassidy held up her phone. “What about Devon?”

“She didn't want a rental dress,” Emma reminded her.

“Yeah. But she might be willing to help us. I think she was getting a ride home with Amanda or Bryn.”

“She probably wouldn't want them to know she was going with us,” Emma pointed out.

“I'll figure out a way to get her to come.” Cassidy hit Devon's number and quickly explained. “I need your expertise, Devon. You know how clueless I am about fashion.”

“That's true. But . . .”

Cassidy knew that Devon was with the others and embarrassed to let on what she was considering. “Just tell them you're working with your partner—on something for the dance. That's true enough.”

“Okay,” Devon chirped. “Meet you at your car in a few minutes.”

As Cassidy drove the four of them toward the strip mall, she wasn't sure whether Devon would be helpful or not. Based on some of Devon's sarcastic comments as she pulled into the parking lot, it seemed even more doubtful. But after they'd looked around the really huge store for just a few minutes, Devon started to change her tune.

“Some of these dresses are brand-new,” she pointed out. “And there are some impressive names here too.” She held up a dress. “Bryn loves this designer.”

“Maybe you'll want to pick something out too,” Cassidy encouraged her. “Save yourself a few bucks.”

It took a couple of hours for them to make up their minds, but the money they were ultimately saving was well worth the time spent. Not only that, but the woman helping them also made sure that each dress would fit perfectly because the rental price included alterations.

“What a great place!” Felicia exclaimed as she gave a twirl in the sparkly red cocktail-length dress she'd chosen, making the skirt flare out prettily.

Cassidy gave her fitted emerald-green gown one last look in the mirror. “You guys really think this is okay?” she asked uncertainly. “This satiny fabric's not too over the top? The neckline's not too low?”

“It's absolutely gorgeous on you,” Emma assured her. “You'll knock Lane's eyeballs out.”

“And that mint green is luscious on you,” Felicia told Emma. “So soft and pretty.”

“You think mint green is Christmassy enough?” Emma asked them.

“The dance is supposed to be red, white, and green,” Cassidy told her. “That's mint
green
.”

“The length is okay?” Emma asked. “I know Bryn and the others are probably going for floor-length gowns.”

“I think you petite girls look better in the shorter dresses,” the saleswoman assured Felicia and Emma. “You looked a bit buried in those longer gowns.”

“I have to admit that all three of your dresses look really good,” Devon told them. “No one would guess you'd rented them.”

“What about you?” Cassidy asked. “That white sequined gown was pretty stunning.”

“I don't look good in white.”

“Is it the rental thing that's still bugging you?” Emma asked quietly.

Devon shrugged.

“You can always change your mind,” Cassidy told her. “Sneak in here by yourself and rent a dress and no one has to even know about it.” She laughed. “If that makes you feel better.”

Devon wrinkled her nose, but Cassidy could tell she'd hit a nerve. Cassidy felt sorry for Devon. Her alliance with Bryn and the others could end up costing her, and Devon—perhaps even more than the others—probably couldn't afford to be extravagant.

Cassidy dropped Felicia and Emma at home first, then as she was driving Devon to Emma's grandmother's house, she reminded her about Project Santa Sleigh. “I've been making some lists and stuff. Lane and I plan to get together this weekend and get things rolling. Do you and Harris want to join us?”

“I promised Bryn I'd go shopping with her on Black Friday. Maybe on Saturday I can help. I'll text Harris and see what he's up to. And Grandma Betty has offered to help both me and Emma with some homemade jams and things to put in the sleigh.”

“Speaking of the sleigh, we need to make a plan for that too.”

“Let the guys handle it,” Devon told her as Cassidy pulled into the driveway.

“I just want it to be nice,” Cassidy said.

Devon made a sly grin. “You want to win?”

Cassidy shrugged. “I don't know. I'm not really into that red carpet stuff. But I'd like it to be nice for the kids.”

“Well, I'd like it to be nice for them too. But now that I think about it, I wouldn't mind winning either.” She winked. “Okay, I'll put my full effort into this, Cass. I promise.”

“Maybe we can get together on Friday afternoon. After you're done shopping with Bryn and the others.”

“It's a date.” Devon made a finger wave then slammed the door.

Although it was somewhat reassuring that Devon seemed to care about Project Santa Sleigh and that she actually wanted to win, Cassidy wasn't convinced that she was going to make the best partner. She knew Devon didn't have the same level of enthusiasm that Emma had—for the kids. But maybe Cassidy could be a good influence on her.