Pride & Popularity (25 page)

He stopped, right in the middle of the floor with everyone watching. “Really?”

I grinned and nodded and pulled his mouth down to my own. And then he did it. Taylor Anderson kissed me speechless.

For the rest of the night we mingled mostly with Collin, Madison, Zack, Alyssa, Ethan, and Cass in between songs. Madison and Alyssa looked amazing, by the way. Maddi was in a gorgeous white dress that was slim and hugged her figure until it flared out at the bottom. Seriously, she looked like a movie star. And Alyssa’s dress was soft blue, as beautiful and feminine as any dress I had ever seen. She even wore a small tiara in her hair. Honestly, she looked just like a princess.

I don’t think either of my friends—or I, for that matter— had ever received so many compliments in one day before. We were instant celebrities. Madison and Alyssa handled it like pros. But none of us enjoyed the attention as much as Collin did. For my part, I decided it wasn’t so bad. I mean, a little bit of me really liked to hear the gossip that surrounded Taylor and me, but only because I knew who the real Taylor was. And he was mine.

I slipped my arm around his waist next to me as he chatted to some of his adoring fans. I felt his arm slide possessively around my shoulders, and I rested my head contentedly against the side of his chest.

I wonder if Kylie Russell is here?
I thought suddenly. I would’ve stood on my tiptoes to search for her, but then I found I didn’t care enough to break Taylor’s hold on me. In the end, I guess I wasn’t too surprised to learn it was Kylie behind the phone calls that broke up Taylor’s relationship with Anne at the beginning of the year. Anyone could see Kylie was obsessed with the guy. When Taylor told me she had admitted to calling Anne—which Kylie confessed to in a last-ditch effort to keep him—it was Anne I really felt sorry for. She obviously didn’t know Taylor any better than I did at the time.

I had often wondered lately how many girls who had gone out with him had ever actually
seen
Taylor. I mean, sure they saw the guy with the killer smile, the guy who had a nice sports car and a totally awesome house. And I’m positive they relished the status that followed him wherever he went. But did any of those girls really see the guy underneath all of that, the Taylor that loved his family and community and helped people all around him?

“Hey, beautiful.” Taylor kissed the top of my curls.

“Hmm?” I lifted my head a bit and peeked up at him.

“I have something for you.”

I didn’t think I would ever get used to his gorgeous eyes. “You do?”

Taylor grinned. “Well, its two things, actually.”

“Two?” I pulled a bit away from him. “Taylor, are you kidding me?”

He chuckled. “Nope. Come on, I’ll show you.” Taylor tugged on my hand and pulled me through a door that led outside and away from onlookers.

I giggled. “Taylor, I swear if you’ve bought me something else. I’m gonna—”

“You’re gonna what?” he challenged.

“I’m—uh . . . I’ll think of something,” I finished lamely.

“Well, to ease your mind, it’s nothing big. But the other thing I have for you is some news.”

“News?”

“I’ll tell you in a minute. First, I wanted to add this to your charm bracelet.”

I gasped as Taylor pulled out the most adorable miniature silver ballet slippers from his tuxedo jacket pocket. “Oh, Taylor! They’re perfect. Thank you.”

He held up my hand and began to fasten the slippers to the chain. “It wouldn’t have been a perfect charm bracelet without your dancing shoes, especially now that you’ve been accepted to Arizona State University.”

“Well, thanks to Ms. Chavez. I owe her so much.” I smiled and dangled the charms. I loved the clinking sound they made when they touched each other. It sounded like quiet little bells.

“Which leads me to my news,” Taylor said.

“Oh? My ballet dancing has led you to news?” I teased.

His eyes twinkled in the moonlight. “Actually, it has. Well, I didn’t tell anyone until I knew for certain, but about three months ago I applied for a school in Tempe.”

“Tempe? As in Arizona?” My head jerked up.

“I found out there was this amazing specialty graphic design school in Tempe called Collins College. Anyway, I didn’t want to say anything to you just in case I didn’t make it. But I got the acceptance letter this afternoon, and I am so in.”

“Are you kidding me?” My jaw dropped.

“Uh, nope. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

“Taylor! We’re going to be living in the same city!” I squealed and threw my arms around him.

“And the best part is our campuses are only two and a half miles away from each other.”

“No way.” I laughed. “We could walk if we wanted to.”

“When you didn’t buy my fan-club nonsense all those years ago, I knew you were unique. I’m completely serious when I say I fell in love with you right then, because I knew if you ever loved me, it would be because you loved me for who I am and not what I am.”

“I love you, Taylor.” I smiled. “I love you, I love you, I love you!” By the second “I love you,” Taylor had me scooped back in his arms.

Jenni James is a busy mom of seven children who is married to a totally hot Air Force recruiter. When she isn’t busy chasing her kids around the house, she’s dreaming of new romantic books to write.
Pride & Popularity
is the first book in Jenni’s series, The Jane Austen Diaries. The second book in the series,
Northanger Alibi,
will be released by Inkberry Press in November 2011.

To find out more about The JaneAusten Diaries or Jenni’s other projects, please visit her website, authorjennijames. com, or her Facebook page, The Jane Austen Diaries. Jenni loves to hear from her readers and may be contacted at [email protected] authorjennijames.com.

“Are you kidding?” I gasped as I bounced on my family’s multicolored striped couch. “You want to take me? Me? To Seattle? Are you sure?”

“Yep.” The older woman across from me grinned. “That is, if your parents say you can go.” She smiled the sweetest smile I’d ever seen toward my mom and dad, who were perched nervously on the matching loveseat.

I couldn’t believe one of my mom’s best friends just asked me to go with her and her husband on his business trip this summer—to Seattle, of all places! Seattle was only my favorite dreamiest vacation spot ever.

“You really want Claire to come with you?” Mom asked, clearly hedging. She had that deer-in-the-headlights look on her face—you know, the one that reads, “Dang. Now what am I going to do?” She knew Washington was my favorite state and that I would totally give my right arm to go. I had only whined and pleaded every day for the last three years for my parents to take us on a road trip up there.

My mom’s problem was letting her baby go. And why she still considered me her baby, I’ll never know.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t be happier taking Cassidy?” she asked Darlene.

Cass? Are you kidding me?
“Mo–om.”
What planet of Totally Unfair did she come from, anyway?

Darlene shook her head. “Actually, I was really hoping for a younger girl, since the president of Seattle’s Northwest Academy—where most of the meetings will be held—has a couple of children in high school. Cassidy is older than that, right? I promised them the next time I came, I’d bring children their age.”

Two things in that little speech stuck out at me—two things I’m sure were meant to excite me but that somehow dampened my whole outlook on the trip: “children” and “promised to bring children.”

Yeah, that didn’t sit well with me. But surprisingly, it seemed to perk Mom up. “Oh, so there’ll be another family there with children Claire’s age?” she asked. “She’ll have friends?”

“Oh, yes,” Darlene said. “They will be so grateful to have her there, you have no idea. They are practically desperate for friends.”

“D–desperate for f–friends?”
Um, can we say warning flag, anyone? Great. If they’re
that
worried about having friends, maybe this whole going-to-Seattle-thing wasn’t the greatest idea after all . . .

“And you’ll be gone for . . . how long?” Mom really must’ve been warming up to the idea.

Darlene shrugged and smiled. “I don’t know. It all depends on how quickly Roger can pick up the training he needs. It could take anywhere from three to four weeks all the way up to eleven or twelve weeks. Claire could be in Washington the whole summer.”

The whole summer? Never mind the weirdo high-schoolage children. I am
so
going! A whole summer in Seattle is worth enduring anything—anything at all.

“Wow! The whole summer?” Mom gasped. “That’s a long time. What do you think, Dave?” My mom turned a bit to study my dad’s face, which was a massively good sign. She only asked my dad his opinion if she wasn’t willing to say no herself, and the chances of my dad saying no were slim.

“I think we should let her go.” He smiled over at me, and my heart soared. “Who knows when another opportunity like this will come around?”

“Did you know Washington is one of the places Claire has always wished she could go?” my dad asked Darlene.

“Really? Isn’t this your lucky day then? When I was a girl, I always wanted to visit somewhere exotic, like Hawaii. I’ll never forget the moment I learned my husband had arranged our honeymoon there.” She leaned back and laughed softly. “Oh, I shrieked and shrieked and danced around the room. My poor fiancé didn’t know what to do with me.” She glanced back over at my parents. “I’ll bring Roger over later. Maybe we’ll treat you guys to dinner or something—we’ll see. But I promise we’ll definitely get together so we can work out the details. I hope you know you can completely trust us.”

“Oh, no. I’m not worried, honestly,” Mom said. “I would trust you with anyone. It’s just I’m not used to being away from Claire that long.”

Oh, brother.
I rolled my eyes and willed myself not to freak out about her extremely overprotective nature.
As if I would ever do anything wrong. We’re talking me here, the good daughter.
My mind wandered back a few years to the day my sister Cassidy nearly caused my parents to have heart attacks when she agreed to meet this crazy guy in secret. Thank goodness our older sister Chloe and her boyfriend Taylor found her in time. In that moment, life at the Hart house changed, and my mom has been completely over-the-top protective of us ever since. It’s like she never trusts us anymore. Not that I blame her. I mean, we all thought Blake was pretty cool until he tried to disappear with Cass. Then we got a bit freaked out.
Why is it that all it takes is one evil person to ruin everything?