The Secret Diamond Sisters (15 page)

“Stanford,” Madison replied quickly.

“Wow.” Savannah felt more intimidated by Madison than before. “My sister Courtney wants to go there, too. That’s a good school.”

“It is,” Madison said, as though she had already been admitted. Then she brightened, her blue eyes sparkling. “Oh, look who’s here.”

Savannah looked to the front of the gym and saw Damien walking in as if he owned the place. She nearly lost her balance on the stair stepper. He grabbed a towel from the rack and swung it over his shoulders, walking toward Savannah and Madison. Savannah focused on breathing steadily so she wouldn’t sound like she was gasping for air when she talked to him.

“Hi, girls,” he said when he reached them. “Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all.” Savannah tried to stay calm as he got onto the stair stepper on her other side. This was what she’d wanted—for him to show up at the gym. She had to relax. He liked her—he had made that clear last night. She just wished she didn’t get so nervous and freeze up around him.

“You know how much I love your company,” Madison purred.

“Not nearly as much as I love yours,” Damien teased.

Was Madison flirting with Damien? And was he flirting back? Savannah picked up the pace on her machine and focused on the screen.

“How did you meet Madison?” Damien asked Savannah. At least he was acknowledging her presence. “I was going to introduce you after the fireworks last night, but Madison disappeared before I had a chance.” At that he refocused on Madison. “Where did you run off to, Mads?”

“I had a headache.” She shrugged. “Called it an early night.” She didn’t elaborate, and the whirring of the machines was the only sound in the room for a few seconds.

“Madison and I just met,” Savannah answered Damien’s question. “A few minutes before you got here.”

“Am I interrupting girl bonding time?”

“No.” Savannah shook her head. “I’m glad you’re here. I had fun with you last night.” After she said it, she realized it might have been too forward. Madison probably thought she was a pathetic loser.

“Likewise.” That was what she needed to hear. Savannah’s hands shook, and she held tighter to the handles on the machine so she didn’t lose her balance.

Madison pressed a button on her phone, looking bored, like she wanted to get out of there. Damien glanced at Madison, and he looked hurt for a second.

Was Damien interested in Madison and not Savannah? Had last night been a game to him—see how far he could get with the new girl?

Her lungs constricted, and she felt trapped, as if the walls of the gym were closing in on her. If Damien
was
interested in Madison, Savannah didn’t stand a chance. This was going to be an Evie situation all over again, with Savannah doomed to be second best. It was so stupid of her to think she could remake her personality in less than a day.

“So, Savannah,” Damien said. “What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow night?” She wished she had plans so he wouldn’t think she was always available. “Not sure yet. Why?”

“I wondered if you were interested in going to Luxe at the Gates.”

“Is that a club?”

“Yep. So, do you want to go?”

Was he asking her to go
with
him? As in, on a date? She wanted to ask, but she had to play it cool. “Sure.” Her head spun as she thought about the awesome possibilities that could happen between her and Damien tomorrow night at Luxe. It sounded enchanting, full of magic and excitement, especially with Damien at her side. “I would like that.”

“Good,” he said. She must have been paranoid in suspecting he had feelings for Madison. If he did, he wouldn’t have asked her out.

The three of them continued to talk while working out. Damien and Madison told her all about the places they frequented in Vegas—their favorite restaurants, lounges, hotels and clubs. They also told her about the people at Goodman, specifically their group of friends, so she would get an idea of who to hang out with once school started. Their group had been friends since elementary school, so Savannah imagined it would be hard to break in, but Damien seemed happy to help. It was sweet how willing he was to include her. She had obviously been overthinking things that morning when she’d worried about not hearing from him.

She had to find the perfect outfit to wear to Luxe. Damien was the hottest guy who’d ever noticed her, and after her transformation at the spa tomorrow, he wouldn’t know what hit him when he saw her. It would be like an old nineties movie, when the girl walks down the steps after getting a makeover and the gorgeous, popular guy she’s interested in falls instantly in love with her and realizes she’s the only one for him.

One thing was for sure—after working out, it was time to do some serious shopping.

chapter 14:

The morning after the Fourth of July, Courtney woke up late—around 9:30 a.m. Savannah and Peyton were still sleeping, so she passed the time by reading. Once it was eleven-thirty—Grandma’s lunch break—she called her, pacing around the room in anticipation of how this conversation would go. She picked up after the second ring.

“Hi, Grandma,” Courtney said.

“Courtney.” She could hear the smile in her grandma’s voice, and Courtney’s eyes prickled with tears at how she wouldn’t be able to move back home for a year. “How are you and the girls settling in?”

“Everything here is very nice.” Courtney’s body tensed at the reminder of the secrets that had been kept from her, but she tried to remain calm. “As I’m sure you knew it would be. Why didn’t you ever tell us who our father is?” Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t stop the anger that leaked into her tone.

“I’m sorry, sweetie.” She spoke slowly, and Courtney knew she meant it. “But I had an obligation—to your mother and to the safety of you and your sisters—to keep quiet until your father decided he was ready to tell you. I’m just glad he was willing to have you live with him now, given the situation with your mom.”

“How’s Mom doing?” She pressed the phone closer to her ear, hoping for good news.

“Her doctors want her to have personal reflection time, so they’re sticking with their decision that she’s not allowed to communicate with anyone outside of the facility,” Grandma said. “They told me she’s not happy to be in rehab, but she’s not trying to leave, either. I suppose it’s a start.”

“I suppose so.” Courtney sighed. Her mom had always yelled at anyone who mentioned rehab in her presence, as if it was a dirty word. If the state hadn’t threatened to punish her severely for drunk driving unless she went to rehab, she probably wouldn’t be there now. But it was better than nothing, and for that Courtney was grateful. “Adrian told us he bought you a new place, so you’ll be better able to take care of Aunt Sophie and have Mom move in with you when she’s ready. We could have stayed with you, too, you know.”

“Yes, he did.” Grandma clucked her tongue in disapproval. “I don’t like it, but I have to do what’s best for Aunt Sophie and your mom. The move will be rough for Aunt Sophie, and I’m worried about how she’ll adjust to your mom moving in with us.” She said what Courtney knew was true. “But as much as I would love for you and your sisters to move in, I don’t think Aunt Sophie would be able to handle it. I’ve been holding off telling you, because I didn’t want to worry you, but her cancer is getting worse. The doctors predict she has a year, tops, if she’s lucky.”

“Oh, Grandma,” Courtney said, the news not taking her by surprise. Aunt Sophie’s cancer was untreatable, but she hadn’t realized it could progress so quickly. Courtney couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to have a terminally ill sister, and Aunt Sophie was Grandma’s twin. The bond the two must share was something Courtney would never be able to understand. “That’s more reason why we should be home, or at least close enough to visit.”

“I appreciate it, Courtney,” Grandma said. “But I don’t want to burden you girls. I’m tough, and I’ll get through this. For now, your father wants to be in your lives, and I’m not going to take that opportunity away from you. You deserve the chance to explore other possibilities for your future. It’s going to be hard to be far away from you all, but despite the possible dangers in Las Vegas, I know this is the right decision.”

“Adrian talked with us last night about the kidnapping when I was a baby,” Courtney said. “It’s a lot to process.”

Grandma gasped. “He told you everything?”

Courtney repeated what he had told them at dinner. When she finished, Grandma sighed in what Courtney thought was relief. As if she thought there would be more.

What had she expected Adrian to tell them?

“We’re all grateful you were returned safely,” Grandma said. “That’s what’s important. Now, I only have a few minutes left before I have to get back to work. Are Peyton and Savannah around?”

“Let me check.” Courtney walked out of her room, trying to be quiet. Peyton’s light was off, so she was still sleeping, and Savannah had left a note on the foyer table that she was at the gym. Strange, since Savannah usually didn’t work out until she had to get ready for volleyball season.

Courtney returned to her room and relayed the information to Grandma. “I’ll tell them to call when you get back home,” she said. “I’m sorry to call while you’re at work, but I needed to talk to someone.”

“Don’t apologize,” Grandma said. “You know I always want to hear from you. I love you.”

“Love you, too, Grandma.” Her throat tightened with homesickness, and she hung up, staring at the phone in her hand for a few seconds.

With Savannah at the gym and Peyton sleeping, it was a good time for Courtney to go to the coffee shop downstairs and see if they were accepting job applications. She freshened up, threw on jeans and a T-shirt and headed out of the condo. Teddy and Jackson were standing outside keeping guard.

“Good morning, Ms. Diamond,” Teddy greeted her. He had a funny name for a bodyguard, especially since, with his large frame, he reminded her more of a grizzly than a teddy bear.

“Good morning, Teddy,” she said. “You can call me Courtney, you know.”

He nodded, and Peyton’s bodyguard—Jackson—flinched and shook his head, as if he disapproved of the informality.

“Were you out here all night?” Courtney asked Teddy as they walked down the hall. Surely he had to sleep at some point.

“No, I wasn’t.” He laughed. “The night guards take over while you and your sisters are asleep. I only returned to my post about an hour ago.”

“That makes sense,” Courtney said. Would he say anything about how she’d left the party last night to go with Brett to Red Rocks? She hoped not. They entered the elevator, and she pressed the floor for the lobby. “Would you mind leading me to the coffee shop? I saw it yesterday, but I don’t quite remember how to get there.”

“Of course, Ms. Courtney,” he said, apparently not understanding that the “Ms.” before her name was unnecessary. Courtney didn’t bother correcting him.

The elevator dropped them off at the lobby, and he led her to the coffee shop, the Diamond Café. It was sleek—elegant light fixtures hung from the ceiling, and modern, colorful mosaics covered the walls, but it still had that familiar coffeehouse vibe. Courtney took a deep breath and smiled, the delicious smell of freshly roasted coffee beans making her feel at home.

“I trust you can take it from here,” Teddy said. “The next you’ll see of me will be the elevator ride back to the condo.”

“Thanks, Teddy.” It would be an adjustment to have him watching her all the time, but he seemed nice enough. Plus, he hadn’t mentioned the journey to Red Rocks, which led Courtney to believe he really wasn’t there to babysit.

She waited her turn in line and ordered a skinny vanilla latte. The girl at the cash register looked friendly—perhaps a year or two older than Courtney, although the freckles on her face and two short braids in her hair could make her look younger than her actual age.

“I know summer already started, but is there any way I could fill out a job application?” Courtney asked once she’d paid for her drink—with her own cash, not Adrian’s fancy credit card. “I just moved here, and I worked at Starbucks in my old town, so I have experience.”

“One of my coworkers just gave her notice, so you’re in luck,” the girl said with a smile. She removed a piece of paper from a drawer beneath the register and handed it to Courtney, along with a pen. “I’m Rachel. You can fill out the application at one of the tables and bring it back to me when you’re done.”

“Thanks, Rachel,” Courtney said, returning her warm smile.

She filled out the application while enjoying her latte. The questions were straightforward, and she had no problem answering them. The only one she wasn’t sure of was her address. They didn’t want her address in California, and she hadn’t paid attention to the address of the hotel, but Rachel could probably help her out with that.

After triple-checking her responses, she brought the application back to the counter. “All done,” she told Rachel.

“Great,” she said, smiling brightly. She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I hope you get it. Most people here are in their mid-or upper-twenties, so it will be nice to have someone close to my age around.”

“Thanks,” Courtney said, hopeful for the first time that morning. Could she have just made her first friend in Vegas? “I hope I get it, too. The only thing I wasn’t sure of is my address, since I moved here yesterday. What’s the address for the Diamond Residences?”

Rachel leaned back, a skeptical look crossing her eyes. “You live in the Diamond Residences?”

“Yeah.” Courtney bit at her thumbnail.

“You can’t be...” Rachel didn’t finish her sentence, instead looking down at Courtney’s application. She sucked in a quick breath and looked up again, her eyes wide. “You are. You’re one of Adrian Diamond’s daughters.”

Courtney nodded slowly and pushed her hair behind her ears. Rachel was looking at her like she was a celebrity, and her cheeks flushed at how conspicuous she felt. Maybe she should have applied somewhere else. But that would have been silly, since the Diamond Café was so conveniently located to her condo.

“Is this some kind of joke?” Rachel took a step back, hurt and confusion replacing the friendliness that had been in her eyes a minute before. “Like,
The Simple Life 7,
or whatever season they’re on now? There are probably cameramen hidden around here. Or you’re using the eyes in the sky. Well, you can forget it, because I’m not signing any releases.”

“This isn’t a joke.” Courtney looked around, and wrapped her arms around herself. People were staring. She wanted to run out of there, but instead she swallowed, lowered her arms to her sides and pushed her shoulders back. She had to set Rachel straight. “Yes, Adrian Diamond is my father. I moved here yesterday from a small town in California.” Rachel looked like she was about to interrupt, but Courtney continued, “I don’t know what
The Simple Life
is. I was raised like everyone else, and I’ve always worked. That’s not going to change now that I’m here.” She pushed the application in Rachel’s direction and looked at her straight-on. “I’m qualified, I’m a hard worker and I want this job. So I would appreciate it if you would consider my application.”

Rachel studied her for a few seconds. Finally she nodded. “Okay. I suppose I believe you. I’ll show your application to the manager. In the meantime, take this form and get it signed by a parent or legal guardian.” She removed another piece of paper from under the register and handed it to Courtney. “It’s a permission form. Since you’re a minor you’ll need it signed to work here.”

Courtney folded the form and slid it into the back pocket of her jeans. Her mom had signed something similar for her when she’d gotten her first job. “Thanks, Rachel,” she said. “And I meant what I said—I hope I get the job. At my old job everyone was older than me, too, so it would be nice to work with someone closer to my age.”

“See you around, Courtney.” Rachel wasn’t as friendly as she’d been at first, but she didn’t seem as suspicious, either.

When Courtney got back to the condo, Savannah was still at the gym and Peyton was still sleeping, so she read some more. She loved having a room to herself. The white settee she sat on reminded her of the type ladies at court sat in centuries ago, and she was so comfortable she could stay there all day. Every so often she looked guiltily at the huge SAT prep book on her nightstand, but the book she was reading was so good that she needed to know what would happen next.

She finished a few more pages, and then the doorbell rang. She reluctantly slid her bookmark inside the book and went to see who was at the door. Peyton plodded behind her, looking hungover—her hair was a mess and she had bags under her eyes. What had happened to her last night? She would have to ask later.

Courtney opened the door, expecting to see the housekeeper with the huge cart of cleaning supplies, but it wasn’t the housekeeper at the door.

It was her father.

“Good afternoon, girls,” Adrian greeted them as he walked through the foyer, his hands clasped behind his back. The top two buttons on his white shirt were undone, giving him a more casual look than last night, and his pinstriped suit had obviously been tailored specifically for him.

“Hi.” Courtney’s throat went dry, and she looked down at her feet. She still had no idea what to say to him.

“I enjoyed spending time with the three of you at dinner,” he said. Despite her mixed feelings about Adrian, Courtney was glad he thought their first dinner together had gone well. She supposed they had to start somewhere. “I trust you’ve gotten settled in?” His eyes were approving when they met Courtney’s, but not so much for Peyton, who had mascara smeared under her eyes and looked like she was about to throw up.

“Yes,” Courtney said, wanting to keep his attention away from Peyton. “Thank you for the computers. And the condo is beautiful.”

That earned a smile. “I’m glad you like it. I figured you would need the computers once you started at Goodman.” He glanced around the living room. “Is Savannah around?”