Snow Queen (21 page)

“Aubrey, I’m so sorry,” Grayson began, looking anguished. “I can’t believe Layla…so she really did all those things you accused her of last night at the ball?”

“And more,” Aubrey said, thinking of her skirt lying on the stage, her underwear exposed for the entire resort to see. But if he hadn’t heard about that yet, she saw no need to tell him.

“I’m such an idiot. I was totally wrong about you. I thought you were trying to turn me against my own sister, when all you were doing was telling the truth,” Grayson said.

“It’s okay. I mean, she’s your sister,” Aubrey replied. “Considering what’s been going on with your parents I can understand you not wanting to believe that Layla was—”

She stopped herself, not wanting to say something awful that she would regret.

“Being a total witch?” Grayson finished for her with a laugh.

“Your words, not mine,” Aubrey replied.

“Well, she’s always been good at getting what she wants,” Grayson said. “I guess I just never realized
how
she always gets what she wants.”

Aubrey took a deep breath. “Well, it didn’t happen this time.”

“No, I guess it didn’t,” Grayson said with a smile. He took a deep breath and blew out a sigh. “It’s been a crazy couple of weeks, huh?”

“That’s the understatement of the year,” Aubrey said. When she had signed on for the trip to Vermont, all she’d wanted was to see some snow. Instead she had been roped into a beauty pageant, engaged in a war with a beauty queen, and fallen for a guy who had spent days confusing her.

“I wanted to tell you…I think it’s really cool
what you did for Christie out there,” Grayson said, looking into her eyes in a way that made Aubrey’s heart flutter.

“What do you mean?” Aubrey asked.

“A shorter school year? That’s really the biggest change our country needs?” he teased.

“Yes!” Aubrey protested, letting her jaw drop indignantly. But she couldn’t help it. She started to laugh. She was just so happy to be near Grayson again, to be joking with him again. To know that he believed in her again. The laughter bubbled up and she couldn’t stop herself. “Yes. That was totally what I meant,” she sputtered.

“Well, this time I really
don’t
believe you,” Grayson said with a laugh.

“Well, this time I really don’t mind,” Aubrey replied, lifting her shoulders.

They just looked at each other, enjoying the lightness of the moment after all the heavy ones. Then Grayson slipped his hand into hers. The rough warmth of his skin sent excited tingles all up and down Aubrey’s arms.

“Come on,” he said. “We have a party to go to.”

“There’s just one thing I need to do first,” Aubrey said, her heart pounding. She reached up, slipped her hand around the back of Grayson’s neck, and pulled him in for a kiss.

Aubrey sat in the front row of the VIP bleachers on Main Street, saving the seat next to hers for Grayson. It was the last night of the winter carnival, and most of the town of Darling had gathered along the sidewalks for the event’s big finale—a parade through town to the carnival grounds. Aubrey caught a few curious glances from the people settling in around her and knew that they recognized her as the second runner-up from the pageant. They were probably wondering what she was doing in the stands when she was supposed to be on the Snow Queen float. But they didn’t ask, so she didn’t say a thing. She was right where she wanted to be.

“Hey! I got your text,” Grayson said, sidestepping his way down the aisle. Aubrey smiled up at him, feeling a bittersweet pang in her heart. It was their last night together. The last time she would see him all giddy to see her. He
gave her a quick kiss and settled onto the cold bench next to her. “Did you really have to send it twenty times?”

“I wanted to make sure you got it,” Aubrey said, slipping her arm through his.

“Understood,” Grayson said as he surreptitiously cuddled in closer. “So, don’t get me wrong. I’m more than happy to be here to keep you warm, but aren’t you kind of supposed to be on a float right now?”

Aubrey laughed as the local high-school band marched by, playing selections from Usher’s latest hits. “I talked to Christie about it and we agreed that I’ve done enough pageant stuff. Tonight I get to do what I want to do.”

“And what you wanted to do was hang out with me?” Grayson said, pulling his head back to see her better. “I’m honored.”

“Well, that, and I bet those girls are freakin’ freezing right now,” Aubrey joked.

“I’m more than happy to be your personal heater for the night,” Grayson said, lacing his glove-covered fingers through hers.

“Thank you.”

Aubrey placed her head on his shoulder and
sighed, her breath making a huge steam cloud in front of her. On the street in front of them, a group of middle-school kids danced around, waving pom-poms and ribbons and holding huge snowflakes over their heads. A band of clowns ran by and tossed candy at the spectators. Aubrey had to duck to keep from being brained by a Jim Dandy.

“You’re going to miss this, aren’t you?” Grayson said in a low voice. “I mean, where else can you cuddle with a hot guy, listen to a tuba playing Usher, and get attacked by candy-wielding clowns?”

Aubrey laughed and lifted her head. “Oh, so now you’re a hot guy?”

Grayson raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise. “I’m not?”

“Love the modesty,” Aubrey said. “No, I am really going to miss it here.” She looked up at the pitch-black sky and sighed. “And I never did get to see any snow.”

“Sorry about that,” Grayson said. “I suppose that if I were a true Vermont gentleman I would have been able to figure out a way to control the weather patterns for you.”

“Work on that for next year,” Aubrey said.

“Next year?” Grayson replied, squeezing her hand. “Sweet.”

Aubrey didn’t want to have the conversation. The one about what they were going to do after she returned to Florida, whether they would keep in touch, whether they would try to be long-distance. It all seemed too messy and emotional and not how she wanted to spend her last few hours with him. But she could feel the questions hanging out there between them, expanding like a balloon that was going to pop painfully in both their faces the longer they let it go. She had to say something, but what?

“Grayson? Grayson, there you are!”

Startled out of her deep thoughts, Aubrey looked up to find Jim and Rose climbing up the steps and barreling toward them, along with a familiar-looking man in a black knit cap. Grayson stood up as they approached.

“So, do we have a deal?” he asked.

Rose reached up and hugged him. “Of course we have a deal! You are the sweetest boy on earth!”

“How did you come up with the idea?” Jim
asked, his eyes bright with excitement in a way Aubrey had never seen before—not even on the night that Christie had won the pageant.

“Okay, what deal? What idea?” she asked, standing as well. “What’s going on?”

“Aubrey, I’d like you to meet Brody Landry,” Grayson said, lifting his hand toward the man in the cap. “Remember when I brought a friend to dinner at the inn? This is him.”

“Right! Nice to meet you,” Aubrey said, shaking his hand.

“You as well,” Brody replied.

“Brody owns Ace Plumbers,” Grayson explained.

Suddenly Aubrey realized why he looked so familiar. He was the man in the coveralls whom Grayson had been speaking with at the Chamberlain that day.

“And he’s just agreed to fix all our plumbing issues for free!” Jim said happily.

“What?” Aubrey gasped.

“Well, not for free,” Brody corrected. “We’ve done a barter deal. I get to eat gratis at the inn once a week for the year, and they get all their pipes fixed up like new.”

“Oh my gosh, Grayson! You did this? This is amazing!” Aubrey said, her eyes wide.

“Well, I knew the Howells wouldn’t take charity, so I figured a trade would work,” Grayson replied. “And Brody
loves
to eat.”

“Do I ever,” Brody said, patting his wide stomach with a laugh.

“It’s a genius plan,” Rose said, beaming. “Grayson, we can’t thank you enough.”

“And now we can use this year’s carnival profits to buy a proper van for a shuttle for next year,” Jim said. “Christie can use her Snow Queen winnings to put toward college instead of bailing out her old grandparents.”

“She was more than happy to do it,” Aubrey told him.

“I know. But we would have felt awful taking it,” Rose replied.

Out on the street a float rumbled by carrying the local firefighters, and the crowd went wild.

“We should probably sit so everyone else can see,” Grayson said, glancing over his shoulder at the stands. The five of them all crowded onto the bottom bench, which meant Aubrey was forced to cuddle close against Grayson.
Not that she minded.

“You totally saved the day,” she whispered to him happily.

“It was the least I could do,” he replied. “Besides, I like my job. If the inn went under, I’d be unemployed.”

It wasn’t exactly true and they both knew it. Grayson would always have a job at the Chamberlain. But he liked his job at the inn much better.

“Look! There’s the Snow Queen float!” Aubrey said, pointing. Everyone else in the stands seemed to notice it at the same time, and some of the spectators stood up to snap pictures or just get a better view. The sides of the float were constructed like a castle with glittering white bricks and gray turrets topped by pink flags. All the snow princesses sat on risers at the front of the float, bundled up into coats, their hair and makeup elaborately done. Layla sat in the second row from the top, alone, a fake smile plastered on her face. Aubrey realized with a start that, as the other runner-up, she would have been forced to sit next to Layla for the entire parade. She let out a mental sigh of relief
over dodging
that
bullet.

Then, in the top row, with a chair and a spot all to herself, was Christie. She wore her Snow Queen sash over her white wool coat, and her tiara was perched atop her long, dark hair. As the float made its way past the VIP section, the bleachers erupted in cheers, but no one shouted louder than Aubrey and the Howells and Grayson—unless it was Jonathan, who was down on the ground, wielding his video camera.

Christie laughed and waved at them, giving Aubrey a wink as the float drove past. Aubrey couldn’t wait to get back to the carnival with Grayson and meet up with Christie, Jonathan, Charlie, and Sophia to enjoy the rides and games and food the way they were supposed to be enjoyed. She had a feeling this was going to be the best night of her trip.

“Well, let’s leave these two alone,” Rose said, patting Jim on his knee. “I’m sure they don’t want to hang around with two old fogies like us.”

“I should get going, too,” Brody said, standing.

“No! You can stay,” Aubrey protested.

But they were already on their feet. “You two kids have fun,” Jim said. “You both deserve it.”

“Nice to meet you again, Aubrey,” Brody said, lifting a hand.

He walked off, followed by Rose and Jim. They strolled arm in arm, pausing here and there to chat with friends from town.

“So,” Grayson said, looking at her.

A flutter of nervousness went through Aubrey. This was it. The Talk. “So,” she replied.

“Did I mention I’ve decided to go to college next year?” he said unexpectedly.

Okay. So maybe it wasn’t the Talk. All around them the crowd was starting to disperse. The Snow Queen float was the finale of the parade.

“Really?” Aubrey said.

“Yep. Gonna get me some higher education,” Grayson said jokingly.

“Any idea where you’re going to go?” Aubrey asked.

Grayson narrowed his eyes. “I’m thinking I need a change of climate,” he said. “Maybe…University of Southern Florida?”

Aubrey’s grin widened. “Oh, please. You couldn’t handle the heat. Let alone the street hockey.”

Grayson laughed and tilted his head back to look up at the sky. “You’re probably right. And I know I’d miss the snow.”

“The what?” Aubrey’s heart leaped and she looked around. Sure enough, snow had started to fall, tumbling down from the sky in tiny white flakes. Already there was a dusting on the railing in front of her. Aubrey jumped to her feet, ripped off her glove, and held her hand out, letting the snowflakes drift into her palm. “Oh my God! It’s actually snowing!” she shouted.

A few people around her laughed. Aubrey looked at Grayson in wonder. “You
are
the perfect Vermont gentleman!”

“Told you so,” he said, stepping next to her.

Aubrey slipped her arms around his neck.

“You really are something else,” she teased, recalling their conversation on the night he’d first asked her out. She’d felt so angry that evening as he’d demanded her apology. So conflicted. So stubborn. But now she was no longer any of those things.

“Something else good, or something else bad?” Grayson joked, placing his arms around her waist.

“Something else good,” Aubrey said. “Definitely good.”

Grayson smiled as he pulled her closer, touching his lips to hers. As they kissed under the cloudy sky, snowflakes tickling Aubrey’s cheeks and clinging to her hair, all she felt was pure happiness.

Cover art © 2010 by Sasha Illingworth

Cover design by Andrea Vandergrift