He shrugs. “Haven’t gotten around to it yet.” Then he swings his tray in front of me, so I get an eyeful of the spread of toast and diced tomato. “Care for some bruschetta?”
I wrinkle my nose and shake my head. “I’ll pass. Thank you.”
When I turn away, Rose is walking through the foyer toward me. “There you are. Katrina, you look stunning.” She gives me a long once-over then places a quick kiss on my cheek. “Happy birthday, dear.” She leans in and whispers into my ear, “I know you’re still upset with me, but today is a very important day. I hope you’ll put aside your frustration and enjoy it. Will you?” She looks so hopeful waiting for my response.
After a moment of stubborn pause, I nod.
She smiles back brightly. “Oh, good. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way. I have something for you.” She holds up a headpiece made from branches and white wildflowers then places it on my head without asking permission. She leans back, admiring my appearance. “Perfect.”
Rose ushers me into the great room, where the majority of the crowd is gathered. As she does, I can’t help noticing how vibrant she looks in her white short-sleeved dress with a sash made from the same cloth draped diagonally across one shoulder and down to her hip.
“Oh, dear,” Rose says, her eyes on something over on the other side of the room. “I’ll be right back. Mingle, eat, have fun.” Her eyes twinkle before she walks away, and I’m left standing by myself at my own party, among a group of people I know nothing about. Awkward.
A gray-haired woman in a long white gown with a brown belt and wearing a grandiose smile is the first to approach. “You must be the birthday girl. Rose has told us so much about you.” She places her hands on my shoulders, pulling me forward slightly to touch my cheek with her lips. My body jerks toward her. “I’m Darla French, and this is my husband, Darryl.”
I peek over her shoulder to find a man with glittery gold face paint around his eyes.
Peeling myself away from the strong woman, I smile at them. “It’s nice to meet you both.”
Darryl takes my hand, raising it to his mouth to plant a light kiss on the back. “Welcome to Apollo Beach. I’m sorry we haven’t had a chance to come by to see you before now.”
I’m not sure how to respond to that, so I go with something different. “How do you know my grandmother?”
“We work together at Enchantment Theater on Summer Island.” She’s so animated when she speaks. “I suppose you haven’t been there yet, but we’ve worked together for years, dear. Practically since the beginning. Darryl here works at the energy plant where your father and grandfather used to work.”
I raise my brows, feigning excitement, but to hear someone I don’t know speak about my father is beyond awkward.
Darla doesn’t seem to notice because she’s still talking. “I’m what people here like to call an Elder. Darryl, too, of course.”
Turns out she’s not the only Elder in the room. It seems everyone here plays some grand role in the community. I keep hearing buzzwords and phrases like unrestricted improvements, renewable energy sources, future installments, and the values that govern our society. Keeping up with all of the lingo is exhausting, but at least I try for the first part of the morning.
In an effort to tune out the town politics for a while, I sneak away to the back corner of the room, where the white grand piano sits. I duck behind it and take a seat on a bench, eager for a break from the celebration.
One thing that lingers in my mind is how everyone I’ve come across boasts about Rose and her overwhelming contributions to the town. It’s hard not to be mesmerized by how she floats around the room, too, never losing her sincerity and grace. The way her laughter sounds like it’s tickling the white flower petals that sit atop the piano, she truly is infectious when she’s in her environment.
“Do I finally have the privilege of speaking with the Katrina Summer?”
My shoulders stiffen at the familiar voice, but I can’t ignore the way my heart skips a beat too. I look to my left and find Alec taking a seat beside me on the bench. He stares back at me, his emerald-green eyes swirled with flecks of gold. A flutter builds in my stomach.
“Alec,” I say, unable to hide the nerves that work their way into my voice. He may be one of the only familiar faces in the room, but I’m still humiliated that he only asked me to hang out that night because of my grandma. If Iris and Ava ever found out about that, they would spread that rumor around town so fast. “What are you doing here?”
He doesn’t hesitate, despite my rudeness. “I guess I crashed your party. My parents received an invitation, though.” He looks around. “And apparently, so did the rest of the neighborhood.” When he turns back to look at me, he smiles. “I hope you don’t mind that I’m here.”
Should I admit that I might actually be starting to enjoy my party now? “I guess I’m just confused as to why you’re here, if I’m being honest.”
He takes in a deep breath and frowns. “I’m sorry for hurting you, but if you think I wanted to hang out with you just because Rose asked me to, you’re so wrong. If anything, she gave me the push to do what I already wanted to do. I like you, Kat. And I wanted to be here today to tell you that.” He smiles again, this time unleashing a flock of flutters in my chest. “And to tell you happy birthday.”
His shoulder brushes my arm, and the way the touch heats my body, he might as well have kissed me. “Thank you.” In an effort to distract my emotions, I take a slow sweeping gaze around the room.
“So,” Alec says. “Summer solstice celebration, eh?”
A light laugh escapes me. “Now you know I’m not full of it. I told you, Rose is into this stuff.” Leaning closer to him, I drop my voice to a whisper. “Maybe Rose will perform some of her witchcraft for us.” I give him a wink. My growing boldness doesn’t cease to amaze me.
Alec’s face twists apologetically. “Man, I’ve really been coming off like a jerk since we met, huh?”
I shrug jokingly. “A little bit, yeah.”
He looks at me now, eyes curious, as if waiting for me to say something more, but Charlotte approaches us. She looks stunning in her gold-and-silver-glittered facemask. Her sky-blue dress is long and flowy. Her short blond hair frames her face in an angled bob. If I didn’t know better, I would swear she was sculpted from porcelain.
“Kat, there you are. You disappeared.”
I smile up at her. “Yeah, I was starting to fall asleep.”
She laughs, then her curious eyes scan Alec. “I don’t believe we’ve properly met.” She sticks out a hand. “Alec, is it?”
He takes it while brightening with his charming smile. “That’s me. And you’re Charlotte.”
She nods, looking pleased that he knows. “And your parents are…” She taps a finger to her lips while she searches the party. “There. The professor and his wife. Charlie and Brenda.” She snaps as if she’s proud of her memory.
“That’s them.”
“Well,” Charlotte says while looking between us. “I’ll leave you two to enjoy yourself.” She leaves me with a questioning glance before turning and walking away, and I know it’s because she’s confused at seeing Alec and me together.