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Authors: Catherine Clark

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SCENE THREE: THE AFTER-PARTY

We all went back to the condo for an after-party.

Well, five of us anyway.

After-party consisted of changing out of stuffy clothes and into swimsuits, and going to condo’s heated outdoor pool.

Love being in a pool, looking at snow and stars.

We made plans to see friends in Denver tomorrow: Beth, who’s FINALLY coming home from Italy, and Jane, and some of Grant’s friends, and Shawna might stay for a night or two—as a
friend
—and we’re going skiing, and—

“Uh, Courtney. Where are we going to do all this?” asked Grant as I listed all my ideas.

“Isn’t it obvious? Since Mom and Sterling will be in Maui, we’ll be using our house for party central for the next two weeks,” Bryan said.

“OK,” I said. “But do you think Oscar will be able to handle it?”

“Well, at least he won’t feel abandoned. And that’s another thing,” said Grant. “What was with you that day we brought him to class?”

“I’d rather not talk about it right now,” I said. “Or ever. If that’s OK.”

“Fine. But if you’re going to try to save the animals, like you used to, you can’t be so rude about rats and ferrets.”

“Does
every
animal need to be saved?” I asked.

1/1 MOST ROMANTIC NEW YEAR’S EVE EVER

Grant picked me up from home and said we had to go up to Fort Collins to feed roommate Cody’s cat. I never knew Cody had a cat, but he said he had adopted it right before Thanksgiving. I actually hadn’t been to Grant’s house in a long time; what did I know?

On the way, Grant drove up to the Smoothie Stop. “Check it out,” he said, pointing at the door.

CLOSED
, it read.

No surprise there. “It’s New Year’s Eve,” I reminded him.

“Keep reading,” he said.

“UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!” I read out loud. “Yes!”

Apparently, Grant had read about the store closing in the
Coloradoan
but had saved it as a surprise for me. He’d helped alert people to the fact that Guy was buying cheapo ice cream at Shop & Shop, like the day I saw him there, and apparently Guy was also several thousand dollars in debt. So maybe in the end, I had nothing to do with Smoothie Stop going under, but I still felt proud. Maybe I’d saved Truth or Dairy.

When we got to Grant’s house, it was decorated all in white: white flowers, other snowy things. Grant had bought chocolate soy milk that he heated for hot chocolate. Then he got me this white square of chocolate and held it in front of me, offering it up as if it were a jewelry box.

“I have something to ask you,” he said. “Would you—”

This whole setup. It could only be leading to one thing. I felt my heart tense up. I couldn’t breathe. “We’re too young—” I started to say.

“—like to go see the polar bears?” asked Grant.

I let all the air out of my lungs. Phew. “You mean, go to the zoo tomorrow? Sure.”

He shook his head. “No. Go see the polar bears in Alaska. Next summer.”

“Seriously?” I smiled. “Thought you’d never ask.”

“Are you kidding?”

“Pretty much. Do you really mean it? You’re inviting me to go to Alaska? For real?”

He nodded. “It’s a cruise—”

That wasn’t exactly how I’d pictured it, but OK.

“—with my grandmother and parents.”

That was definitely not how I’d pictured it. “OK . . .”

“Well, seriously, do you think I could afford it on my own? They said I could bring a friend.”

I looked up at him and crinkled my nose. “
Are
we friends?”

“Well. Kind of.” He leaned toward me and kissed me on the cheek. “We’re very close friends.”

He pulled back and played with a strand of my hair, twisting it around his finger, then curling it back behind my ear. I thought I was going to die of anticipation. If Oscar weren’t lying on my feet, I would have tackled Grant on the sofa right then.

“But, Courtney. The thing is . . . there are these tiny cabins on the ship, and you sort of have to have two people to a cabin, so . . .”

I started to get this sexy yet cheap feeling, but then I realized what he was talking about. “I have to room with your grandmother, don’t I?”

“Yeah.” He smiled, a little sheepishly. “She doesn’t snore . . . much. I mean, it’s not as romantic as maybe you’d want it to be—”

“No,” I said, scooting closer to kiss him again. “It’s perfect.”

Well, that’s it. The whole scoop.

Snow White I’m not. But I’m happy to be me, in my situation, and not keeled over after a poisoned apple waiting for a magical kiss from someone I barely know.

I wouldn’t want to live in a castle, anyway. Drafty. Probably full of mice. No decent vegetarian meals.

No more boyfriend drama. Just me and Grant, back to normal for now, and maybe for a long time.

I won’t say ever after. That would be a jinxing thing.

ALSO BY CATHERINE CLARK

Picture Perfect

Banana Splitsville

Better Latte Than Never

Wish You Were Here

So Inn Love

Icing on the Lake

Maine Squeeze

Frozen Rodeo

The Alison Rules

Love and Other Things I’m Bad At

Rocky Road Trip

Sundae My Prince Will Come

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Library of Congress catalog card number: 2009941831

ISBN 978-0-06-177863-6

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FIRST EDITION

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