Snow Queen (17 page)

“Yes,” she said, forcing herself to look him in the eye. “I’m sure.” Grayson looked so hurt that Aubrey felt a surge of regret. But it was always better to be the dumper than the dumpee. And besides, he was the one who had refused to listen to her. Her pride was still smarting from that.

“Look, I think it’s better if we just be friends,” Aubrey said.

Grayson looked up at her, his eyebrows raised. “Friends,” he repeated.

“Yeah.”

He blew out a breath through his nose and looked at the floor. When he glanced up again, there was an almost amused light in his eyes. Similar to the amusement she had seen that first morning on the ice. But this time, it was tinged
with sadness. What did all of this mean? Had he expected her to apologize all over again? Was he amused that she didn’t seem to feel the need? Where was
her
apology?

“Well, then, as your friend, can I make one suggestion?” he asked.

Aubrey hesitated. Where was this going, exactly? “Sure.”

“Scrap the singing,” he said. “It’s not that I don’t think you’re good, it’s just…you should do something you really love. Something you’re comfortable doing. Something that makes you happy. If the judges see you all lit up from the inside, you can’t lose.”

A lump formed in Aubrey’s throat. There was nothing she could do that made her light up from the inside. “Like what?” she asked finally.

Grayson smirked. “You’ll figure it out.” He tapped his hand against the doorjamb and reached into the hall. “You…uh…left this on the ice last night,” he said, holding up her hockey stick. He placed it against the wall inside the door and leaned it there. “Wanted to return it to you.”

The lump in Aubrey’s throat widened and
tears stung her eyes as she recalled in vivid detail all the humiliation of the competition.

“Thanks,” she managed to say, the word but a croak.

“No problem,” Grayson said.

Then he smiled one last time, closed the door, and was gone.

“I
f everyone would please be seated for a moment, we have a special guest who would like to make an announcement!”

Aubrey glanced at Christie as Fabrizia stepped aside and welcomed Mrs. Chamberlain onto the stage from the wings. All the snow princesses sat down dutifully on the floor as the benefactress of their pageant strode in front of them, her black high heels clacking against the floorboards. Out in the audience, Rose loitered along with several parents, all of them cold and some of them visibly irritated, having arrived fifteen minutes ago to drive their daughters home. Rehearsal had already gone late, and now there was this added delay. Aubrey felt a rush of foreboding down her spine. For some reason she had a feeling that Mrs. Chamberlain’s unexpected
presence did not mean good things. A glance at Layla confirmed it. The girl was grinning like the cat who’d just gulped down the canary
and
all the canary’s eggs. If Layla was happy about whatever was coming, Aubrey knew she would hate it.

“Good afternoon, everyone. I’ll make this brief,” Mrs. Chamberlain announced, tugging the lapels of her fur coat closer to her neck. “We have decided to start a new tradition this year. For the Winter Ball tomorrow night, all pageant contestants will be required to wear white gowns.”

“What?” Dana blurted.

There was a murmur among the parents in the audience. A few of the girls gasped in glee, and Aubrey heard Rebecca make a comment about how chic it would be, all of them dressed somewhat alike and set apart from the rest of the crowd. Aubrey, meanwhile, started to panic. She didn’t have a white dress and neither did Christie. Did all these other girls have dozens of gowns of every color just waiting to be trotted out?

“Mrs. Chamberlain, is that really necessary?”
one of the moms in the audience called out.

Apparently not
, Aubrey thought.

Mrs. Chamberlain’s lips screwed into a sour pucker before she turned around. She looked down at the audience and sighed. “My event, Joyce, my rules,” she said. “Of course, if you’d like to withdraw your daughter from the pageant—”

“No! Mom!” one of the girls wailed. “You can’t do that!”

Joyce, who reminded Aubrey a bit of her own mother with her short brown hair and modest clothing, narrowed her eyes at Mrs. Chamberlain. “It’s fine. We’ll figure something out.”

“That’s all, girls! Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow night!” Mrs. Chamberlain said brightly.

Everyone started chatting as they rose to their feet. Aubrey grabbed Christie and pulled her toward the front of the stage. “What are we going to do?” she whispered. “We don’t have white dresses.”

“I know,” Christie said, looking ill. She tugged her hat on over her forehead as she
scurried down the steps. “I can’t believe they’re doing this at the last minute.”

“Well, it
is
her event,” Aubrey said under her breath. “
Her
rules.”

Rose stood up from her seat and gave the girls a dubious smile as they approached up the aisle. All around them, other girls were finding their moms or dads and talking about this new requirement. Already Aubrey heard a group of girls planning a shopping trip to the mall that night.

“Unbelievable,” Aubrey whispered. “Do they all have endless amounts of money?”

The cash her mother had sent her to spend on the pageant was already gone—spent on makeup and shoes and jewelry and the costume for the opening number—and she wasn’t about to ask for more. Already this thing had cost her family hundreds of dollars, all for something she hadn’t really wanted to do in the first place.

“This is the biggest event of the year for these girls,” Rose replied with a shrug. “I suppose their parents are willing to pay through the nose for it.”

“What are we going to do, Rose?” Christie
said, wringing her gloved hands together. “Aubrey and I are toast.”

“Luckily I happen to have a white gown back home. I wore it to my coming-out party back in Atlanta,” Rose said. “It’s vintage by this point, but I think if I make a few adjustments it’ll do for one of you.”

“Really?” Christie breathed. Then she glanced at Aubrey. “But which one of us?”

“You should take it, Christie,” Aubrey said. “I don’t want to steal your grandmother’s dress out from under you.”

“But what will you wear?” Christie asked.

Aubrey took a deep breath and glanced down the aisle at Layla and Grayson, who were obviously listening in on their conversation. All at once, she felt utterly defeated. Maybe it was time for her to call it quits. She had never let anyone run her out of a competition before in her life, and the thought made her feel nauseous, but there was a first time for everything. Besides, Christie would be okay without her. She had come this far.

“Christie, I hate to say it, but maybe it’s time for me to back out,” she said.

“No!” Christie wailed, grabbing Aubrey’s hand. “You can’t leave me now!”

“I don’t think I have a choice,” Aubrey said.

From the corner of her eye, Aubrey saw Layla walking toward them, leaving Grayson behind in the aisle. Her whole body stiffened, anticipating Layla’s triumphant smile. But she could take it. All she had to do was stand there and not say anything, and soon it would all be over.

“Aubrey, hey,” Layla said, her hands behind her back. Aubrey blinked. Was it just her, or did that sound tentative? It certainly didn’t sound like an evil victory laugh.

“Um, hi,” Aubrey said warily.

Layla and Grayson exchanged a look, then Grayson quickly distracted himself with something on his clipboard. What the heck was this about?

“Listen…we couldn’t help overhearing your…dilemma, and I think I can help,” Layla said.

Aubrey snorted a laugh. She couldn’t help it. It was a knee-jerk reaction. Rose gave her a little nudge with her elbow to quiet her and Aubrey cleared her throat, standing up straight.

“I’m sorry,
you
want to help
me
?” Aubrey said.

“I have a white gown you can use,” Layla said, lifting a shoulder. “It was my prom dress last year, but I think it’ll look really pretty on you. If you’re interested. Consider it a peace offering.”

“Oh my God! Yes! Yes! She is
totally
interested!” Christie trilled, jumping up on her toes.

“Christie!” Aubrey admonished.

A cold wind whipped Aubrey’s hair back from her face and she felt as if it was a sign from the universe. A sign telling her not to trust this girl.

“A peace offering,” Aubrey repeated dubiously.

Layla rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m sorry if I’ve been overly competitive,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s just…this is my family’s thing, and all I’ve ever wanted is to win it. But someone has convinced me that the only way to win right is to compete against the best people,” she added, glancing over at her brother, who was deliberately looking in the other direction. “And you two are the people to beat. So I
don’t want you to drop out, okay?”

Aubrey blinked, confused by a rush of understanding. Layla was doing this because Grayson had convinced her to. He was trying to help her. But why? He knew she didn’t really care about being in the pageant. Unless he really didn’t believe that anymore. He had said as much that morning they had argued in the hallway. Did he actually think she wanted to win this thing now? Part of her wanted to turn Layla down and just walk away, just to prove to him that she didn’t care. But then Christie was clinging to her hand, staring at her hopefully. And Layla was basically challenging her to stay in the competition and try to beat her. It was all too much for her to take.

“All right, fine,” she said. “I’ll take the dress.”

“Yay!” Christie cheered.

“I’ll drop it off tomorrow morning,” Layla said with a smile.

“Thanks,” Aubrey said with some difficulty.

She glanced over at Grayson as Layla walked away, hoping to shoot him a silent thank-you as well, but he had already turned his back on her and was headed down the aisle toward the stage.

Friday morning, Aubrey awoke with a start. The room was bathed in sunlight, and Christie was snoozing away in the next bed. For a moment, her heart was all in a panic, wondering why the alarm hadn’t gone off, and then she remembered: no rehearsal today. The first morning since arriving in Vermont that she didn’t have to be up early to get her butt to the Chamberlain for hours of prancing and strutting and singing. She took a deep breath, leaned back into her pillows, and sighed.

There was a light rap on the door. Aubrey glanced at Christie, who blinked herself awake. They regarded each other for a moment, confused. Then Rose stuck her head inside the room and smiled apologetically.

“Sorry if I woke you girls, but Aubrey, I thought you’d want to get a look at this as soon as possible.” She stepped over the threshold with a white gown wrapped in a clear plastic bag. “Layla just dropped it off.”

“Let’s see!” Christie trilled, suddenly more than awake. She jumped out of bed and rushed over to her grandmother, grabbing for the bag’s
zipper. Before Aubrey’s feet had even hit the cold wood floor, Christie had extricated the dress and was holding it up against her own body.

“Oh my God, Aubrey! It’s gorgeous!”

“Beautiful,” Rose added with a nod, taking a step back to check it out. “What do you think, Aubrey?”

“I think it’s amazing,” Aubrey replied. She was, in fact, stunned.

The bodice of the dress was strapless and looked as if it was made out of dozens of grosgrain and satin ribbons, crisscrossing the front and tucked in all over, but this was the only detailing. The skirt was plain silk and fell in an A-line to the floor, with just a slight train in the back.

“Try it on so we can see if we need to make any adjustments,” Rose suggested, nudging Aubrey forward.

Christie handed the dress over and Aubrey took it into the bathroom to change. The gown slipped over her waist easily and zipped right up in the back. Its only flaw was that it was slightly large in the chest area, but the length and waistline were perfect. She stepped out, holding the
bodice against her chest.

“Oh my God. I am
so
jealous,” Christie said, her eyes bright. “No offense, Rose. Your dress is nice, but
that
is, like, Oscar-worthy.”

“You think?” Aubrey asked, trying not to smile too hugely. After all, she wasn’t supposed to care about this stuff.

“Absolutely,” Rose replied. She stepped over to Aubrey and pinched the bodice in the back, cinching it to Aubrey’s body. “And we can fix this with just a few stitches. No one will be the wiser. I’ll go get some pins.” She patted Aubrey on the back and slipped from the room, leaving Aubrey to hold the dress up again.

“I gotta say…Layla really came through for you,” Christie said, dropping down on the edge of her bed as she continued to eye Aubrey with envy. “Honestly, I thought she was going to bring over some torn-up rag or something, but that is amazing.”

“So did I. I’m in complete shock,” Aubrey replied, stepping closer to the full-length mirror on the wall.

She could imagine herself all made up with her hair piled atop her head and knew that she
was going to look great. Maybe even pretty. Instantly she wondered what Grayson would think when he saw her, and she smiled automatically, but then her heart fell. She wasn’t sure that Grayson would even be there tonight, and he certainly wasn’t going to be there for her.

“This was really nice of her,” Christie said.

“I know,” Aubrey said, eyeing herself sadly. “I guess I’m
just friends
with both the Chamberlains now.”

“I
’m going to
kill
Charlie!” Christie said, pacing back and forth in front of the couch in the center of the Spotted Owl’s lobby. Aubrey rested her elbow on the armrest, her chin in her hand, and watched her friend as she walked to and fro, wearing a tread into the burgundy throw rug. Christie’s dress was actually quite pretty. It was all satin with cap sleeves and rhinestones adorning the bodice in a curlicue pattern. The skirt fell to the floor in a wide A-line that made her tiny waist look even tinier and swished around her feet as she walked.

“Christie, it’s okay,” Aubrey said. “He’s going to be here. Just chill.”

“How can I chill?” Christie said, opening her palms to the ceiling. “We are going to be
so
late!”

Aubrey sighed and glanced at Jonathan, who was waiting by the front window, looking out at the drive. He rolled his eyes in an indulgent way and Aubrey forced a smile, wishing Rose wasn’t working the dining room that evening. She could have calmed Christie down, Aubrey was sure. As of that moment, Aubrey didn’t have the energy to try. She was too busy wishing this night were already over.

“Why are you so calm? We’ve been waiting for almost an hour!” Christie said, dropping onto the opposite couch.

Because all I can think about is how I wish I was waiting for Grayson
, Aubrey thought, feeling lame.
Because I wish this ball had happened
last
weekend, before all the crap hit the fan, so that we could be going together
.

“Because I’m not worried. Charlie is a standup guy,” Aubrey said, lifting her head. “If he’s late, I’m sure he has a good reason.”

“Uh-oh,” Jonathan said.

Aubrey’s heart squeezed at his tone. “What?”

“He does have a good reason,” Jonathan replied, glancing over his shoulder at Aubrey.
“And it’s that he
can’t
stand up.”

“What?” Aubrey and Christie blurted in unison.

Aubrey pushed herself up from the couch, her satin skirt tickling her legs as it fell around her ankles. The door to the inn opened wide. Jim came through first and held the door open for Charlie…who was on crutches. He hobbled into the room, his right leg in a full cast, and shot Aubrey a sheepish look.

“What happened?” Christie wailed. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Aubrey, I am
so
sorry,” Charlie said, clip-clopping toward her. “We tried to call, but something’s wrong with the inn’s phone.”

“Which I’m going to figure out right now,” Jim said, making a beeline for the front desk. “Has it not occurred to you that the phone hasn’t been ringing for the last few hours?” he asked the stricken-looking worker behind the desk. “Where’s Rose?”

“I’ll go get her, sir,” the girl said, scurrying off toward the dining room.

“What did you do this time, man?” Jonathan asked, slapping Charlie on the back.

“Tried a three-sixty,” Charlie said, looking chagrined.

Jonathan frowned. “Dude, that’s, like, basic stuff.”

“I know. I think I’m officially done with snowboarding,” Charlie said, lowering himself onto the couch with a groan. He looked up at Aubrey and raised his eyebrows. “I’m so sorry I won’t be able to take you to the ball.”

Aubrey swallowed a lump of dread that was creeping up her throat. Dateless. She was dateless. For a dance at Grayson’s parents’ resort. But she shoved her selfish thoughts aside for the moment.

“It’s okay. I’m glad you’re more or less all right,” she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. “That’s all that matters.”

“No! No, that is not all that matters!” Christie wailed. She whacked Charlie over the head with her satin clutch purse. “How could you go snowboarding on the day of the ball? You knew Aubrey was counting on you.”

“Calm down, Christie!” Aubrey said with a gasp.

“Yeah. Where’s my levelheaded, sweet little cousin?” Charlie asked, lifting his hands to defend himself against another swipe with the purse.

“I kind of like it,” Jonathan said with a laugh, crossing his arms over his tuxedo shirt.

Christie blushed and lowered her arms. “Sorry. It’s just…who’s going to escort Aubrey? Who’s going to dance with her during the Snow Princess Spotlight Dance?”

“The Snow Princess Spotlight Dance?” Aubrey asked. “What is
that
?”

“Oh. Didn’t I mention that?” Christie said, biting her bottom lip.

Aubrey moaned and dropped down next to Charlie. This was going to be so awful she could practically taste it. Being announced with no guy on her arm. Having to stand on the outskirts of the dance floor while everyone else participated in some Snow Princess Spotlight Dance. What if Grayson
was
there? He would get to witness her ultimate-loser status firsthand. And Layla
and Rebecca and all the other girls—they were going to
love
this.

“You cannot go without a date,” Christie said.

And then, just like that, something inside Aubrey snapped. She had never
needed
a guy before. Not for anything. And she wasn’t about to start needing one now.

“Yes, I can,” she said determinedly. She stood up and smoothed the front of her skirt. “Jonathan, get your car.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jonathan said with a grin.

“What? Aubrey, no. You can’t go to the Winter Ball as a snow princess without an escort,” Christie said, shaking her head. “It’s unheard of.”

“So? In three days I’ll be back in Florida. What do I care what any of these people think of me?” Aubrey said, reaching for her ski jacket. She slipped it on over her formal gown and zipped it up, knowing it looked ridiculous and not caring. “I’m only doing this for you, anyway, and you have a date. It doesn’t matter that I don’t. And if anyone there says it does
matter, they can kiss my butt.”

“You go, girl,” Charlie said, snapping his fingers.

“Yeah, don’t do that,” Christie told him, bringing a blush to his face. She looked at Aubrey and sighed. “Come on, Aubrey. I’m sure Jonathan can find
someone
to go with you.”

Aubrey took a deep breath, trying to ignore the sadness that suddenly filled her heart. “I don’t want just someone,” she said, thinking of Grayson. “So I’m not going with anyone.”

A horn honked out on the drive and Aubrey handed Christie her black wool coat. “Come on, Chris,” she said, feeling a flutter of pride and self-confidence over her decision. “Let’s do this thing.”

The Grand Ballroom of the Chamberlain Ski Resort and Spa looked like the inside of a glittering snow globe. Everything was white and sparkling and pristine. Millions of glitter- and rhinestone-covered snowflakes were suspended from the ceiling, and gleaming ice sculptures adorned the center of every table. Along the walls, white poinsettia plants were crafted into
huge arrangements in the shapes of evergreen trees, and white twinkle lights adorned each arrangement. The chairs were decorated with white velvet swags and yards of white and silver beads. In the center of the dance floor, a huge snowman inside an actual snow globe turned slowly on an automated lazy Susan, fake snow swirling around his head.

“This is insane,” Aubrey said, taking in all the exquisite gowns and perfectly fitted tuxedos.

“This is the Winter Ball,” Christie said with a sigh.

They stood at the top of a wide set of stairs that spread out in front of the three double doors leading into the ballroom. For a moment, Aubrey felt overwhelmed and completely out of her element. What was she doing here, at a posh event like this, in a state so far from home, with barely anyone to talk to? But then she looked at Christie’s excited smile as Jonathan took her arm and started down the steps, and she remembered.

All she had to do was get through the next few hours and the pageant tomorrow. And when they got home, Christie would owe her one. A big one.

Realizing how very alone she suddenly was, Aubrey lifted the sides of her skirt and carefully descended the stairs. She was almost to the bottom, when she felt someone watching her, and looked up to find Grayson standing on the other side of the dance floor, holding a glass of sparkling cider. Her heart caught as she looked into his eyes. He was so ridiculously gorgeous that he stood out even in a sea of handsome men in formal wear. His tie was long and white and tucked into a white vest under his black jacket. If someone had plucked him out of the ballroom and dropped him on a red carpet somewhere, he wouldn’t have looked a bit out of place.

Time seemed to stand still as they stared at each other. But then someone grabbed Grayson’s arm and offered his hand in greeting, and the moment was over. Aubrey’s foot, which had been hovering off the last step, finally hit the ground, and she almost lost her balance before catching herself. She took a deep breath and thanked her lucky stars for that. The last thing she wanted to do was fall in front of these people—in front of Grayson—again. But when she glanced once more over at the spot where he’d been standing,
he was gone, having been absorbed by the crowd. She felt a pang of disappointment and realized she’d been hoping he would come over to greet her, say something perfect that would negate the last two days. But apparently, he had no interest in clearing things up, making it better.

Apparently he had no interest in her.

“All right, ladies! Everyone here? All lined up in alphabetical order?”

Aubrey held her breath while Mrs. Chamberlain strode down the line of princesses and their escorts, checking them over as if they were dressed-up cattle. It was nine o’clock, the moment all the snow princesses had been waiting for. Soon they would each be announced and escorted to the center of the floor where they would all dance with their partners and be admired by the rest of the ball’s attendees. Aubrey tried to ignore their whispers and stares, which were growing more fevered by the moment. Everyone was starting to notice that one of the princesses was dateless. And to make matters worse, Fabrizia and Grayson had just emerged from the ballroom and were now
hovering near the front of the line. Apparently they were going to participate in this charade in some capacity. Perfect. Just perfect.

“Good…good…nice,” Mrs. Chamberlain was saying as her discerning green eyes flicked over the couples. She was getting closer, and the hallway in which the princesses were loitering was getting warmer. Aubrey closed her eyes and said a little prayer that the woman would somehow not notice her lack of a date. When she opened them again, Mrs. Chamberlain was gazing down at her with obvious confusion. “Miss Mills, is it?” she said, her words clipped.

“Yes.” Aubrey detested the meek sound of her voice. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes?” she said, raising her chin. She saw Grayson glance over at the sound of her voice.

“Where might your escort be, Miss Mills?” Mrs. Chamberlain asked, folding her hands in front of her at waist level.

Christie glanced over her shoulder at Aubrey from a few spots ahead in line. Her eyes were horrified, but her mouth twisted into a supportive smile. As if she was watching Aubrey drown, but wanted to make her feel okay about it.

“I don’t have a date,” Aubrey said loudly, clearly. She didn’t want anyone thinking she was ashamed of this fact. Of course every girl on line started to whisper anew, and a few of them even laughed.

“No date.” Mrs. Chamberlain was nonplussed. She guffawed and looked around as if she was searching for the hidden camera. For someone to jump out from behind the potted evergreen against the wall and yell, “Gotcha!” But no one did. “How is it going to look, one of our princesses being announced without a date?”

“Maybe it’ll look like I’m independent,” Aubrey shot back, her face burning nonetheless.

“Don’t fool yourself,” Mrs. Chamberlain replied. “I’m all for girl power, but this is not the time. All anyone is going to see when you walk out there alone is a pathetic little—”

“Mom!” Grayson snapped.

Aubrey’s heart squeezed. The word cut the air like the buzz of a chain saw, and everyone fell silent. Aubrey was still recovering from the insult that was about to be hurled at her by a
supposedly mature adult, which made it difficult to process the shock of Grayson striding down the hallway toward her. He buttoned his jacket as he moved and when he arrived at his mother’s side, he took the woman’s arm and gently, but firmly, moved her aside.

“I’ve got this,” he said, offering Aubrey his arm.

Aubrey looked up at Grayson. His blue eyes were questioning. Maybe even wary.

“If you’ll let me,” he said.

Her heart pounding a mile a minute, Aubrey automatically glanced at Christie. Her friend’s jaw was hanging open and she nodded her head eagerly like a puppy dog.

“I don’t need a pity escort,” Aubrey said, hanging on to her pride.

“The pity would be passing up the chance to dance with the prettiest girl in the room,” Grayson replied, his eyes softening.

Aubrey warmed from head to toe, but this time in a pleasant way—not in a searing, sizzling, humiliated way. The hallway was as quiet as a library on a Saturday night.

“Um…okay, then,” Aubrey said, linking her arm through Grayson’s. She may still have been baffled by him, annoyed at him, and in need of a long conversation with him, but she could recognize a white-knight rescue when she saw one, and she wasn’t about to turn it down. For the first time in the last ten minutes, she felt as if she could breathe again.

“Thank you, Grayson. I appreciate your helping out,” Mrs. Chamberlain said, standing up straight. Aubrey and Grayson exchanged a smile. They both knew he hadn’t done this to help out his mother. “Now let’s get this show on the road.”