Persuaded (4 page)

“Company?”

“Yes. And I’d want you to dress in something pretty, okay? The Wentworths would like to take a final tour around the house to make it easier for them to place their furniture when they move in.”

“What?”

“And Charles and Suzanne have graciously offered to take us all out to dinner at The Lion’s Den afterward.”

“The Lion’s Den?” It was only the most expensive restaurant in town
.
“All of us?”

My stepmom stopped a moment and looked at me funny. “Yes, dear. All of us. They’re millionaires, so they can afford it.”

I started to panic. “Is their whole family coming, or is it just the parents?”

“I assume it’s the whole family, but it doesn’t matter, because they have invited us all. This may be our last chance at eating there for a long time. And no, you’re not getting out of it, so don’t even ask.”

I blushed. “I’m really not feeling that good today. I mean, I have a headache, and I’m a bit sore, and . . . ”

“Amanda Marie Ellis”—she pointed her finger right at me—“you will behave and you will put on some pretty clothes, and you
are
going tonight.”

“Fine.”

Her work done, Veronica walked to the door. “Thank you.” She turned and smiled her I’m-so-pleased-with-you smile. “Try and be ready in about an hour, okay?”

An hour?
I glanced at the clock. It was 4:00. Where had the time gone? “Okay. Have you told Sydney yet?”

“No. I’m going to her room right now.”

She’ll be thrilled with the Wentworths coming over.
I grinned to myself. It was evil, I know, but I couldn’t help it. “Well, thanks for letting me know.”

“Bye.”

I watched my stepmom shut the door before I glanced around my room and saw it with fresh eyes. It was a mess.
I better hurry and clean it up in case they want to come in,
I thought frantically.

Later, when the doorbell rang, I was surprised to see Sydney join the family to welcome the Wentworths, especially considering the fit she’d thrown earlier. Veronica gave us all a once-over to made sure we were decent before she nodded for my dad to open the door.

Gregory had come.

Three: Justice Is Served

My heart stopped the second he walked through the front door. The exact second. He looked unbelievable. As earlier, his eyes briefly met mine before looking past me. I still couldn’t look away from him.
Gregory’s here. In my house. He’s here. In my house. He’s here. Ack! Breathe.

Forcing a huge gulp of air into my lungs really hurt, and with an involuntary jerk and spasm, I began to cough. Loudly. If I was trying to get Gregory’s attention again, it worked. I stood in the center of the entranceway, hacking up a lung, as his mom and dad walked around me.

“Are you all right?” Gregory’s deep voice near my ear caused me to gasp and cough some more.

“S–sure,” I wheezed. “I’m” —cough, hack— “f–fine” —hack, cough—“th–thanks!”

“Good grief, Amanda!” hissed Sydney in my other ear. “Go get some water or something. You’re completely freaking everyone out.” She turned me around by the shoulders and steered me toward the kitchen, then shoved me into the adjoining room to find the way on my own. That was just fine with me. I wanted to be anywhere than where I was, and the faster the better.

Except, I wasn’t fast enough. Just as I rounded the corner into the kitchen, I heard Sydney laugh and introduce herself. “Well, hello. You’re Gregory, right? Do you remember me?”

I’d know that laugh anywhere. It was her “I think he’s hot and he’s mine” laugh.
Sydney crushing on Gregory? My Greg, the guy she hated. Could this get any worse?

After I successfully gulped down two glasses of water, I could hear Sydney and Gregory making their way into the kitchen area. He was talking.

“. . . I don’t care. I’ve never seen your whole house before. What’s your favorite place? Take me there first.”

Sydney laughed that shrill laugh again. “Follow me.”

Warily, I watched as they walked past, never once looking my way, through the kitchen and out the back door. For a moment I hesitated, wondering if I should follow them or follow my parents. I opted to do neither. Instead, I wandered into the dining room. I found a couple of my stepmom’s beauty magazines, surrounded by boxes, on the table. With a shrug, I selected the most promising one, then took it to the library. There I plopped myself down on the overstuffed chair—the only seat in the study that didn’t have a box on it—swiveled it around to face the wall, and proceeded to read.

It was after the fifth dramatic, artsy ad I’d seen for purses that I overheard Sydney and Gregory again. It sounded like they were coming into the room. I sank lower in my chair and froze.
Please don’t find me.

“Wow, look at all the bookshelves. This room does hold a lot of books, doesn’t it?” Gregory’s voice caused my heart to thump. “Do you like to read?”

Anyone else would’ve missed the curious tone in his casual voice, but I didn’t. Gregory really wanted to know the answer to that question. I wondered how Sydney would reply.

She laughed. “Read? I wish. I never have time to read. No, the only one of us who has spare time is Amanda. She’s always in here.”

“Oh. So, she spends a lot of time in here, then?”

“Amanda? Yes! Too much time. Of course when you don’t go on dates, I guess you have time to shut yourself away.” There was a pause before Sydney slyly asked, “So you used to hang out with Amanda, right?”

“Uh—yeah.”

“What do you think of her? I mean, do you think she’s changed at all?”

What is she doing? Dang, Sydney, just drop it.
My hands turned cold and lifeless as I waited for the answer I knew he would give.

“Amanda? You mean, do I think she looks different?”

I could almost feel the smile on Sydney’s face. “Yes. Do you think she looks different?”

Why? Why does she do this?
My breathing came in short, silent gasps.

And then Gregory answered—brutally, horribly, and honestly. “Yeah, she looks a lot different. She’s changed so much I almost didn’t recognize her.”

My heart shattered around my feet at Sydney’s answering snicker. It was her favorite question to ask people or relatives who hadn’t seen us for a while.
I guess I should be grateful she didn’t ask him in front of me like she did with other people. What did I expect anyway? I know Gregory isn’t blind.

“Come on,” Sydney said, sounding way too excited. “You’ve gotta see the theater room.”

“No way. You guys have one of those rooms set up just for movies?”

“Yeah, it’s in the basement. You’ll love it.”

Slowly I uncurled my fingers from around the crumpled pages of the magazine. Even the pretty face of the supermodel scorned me from the safety of her ad. In disgust I tossed the publication aside and stood up. I straightened my fashionable shirt before walking over to the full-length mirror—an item my parents insisted was in every room in the house—to assess the damage.

My hair was boring brown. My face lacked anything striking or memorable. There was nothing exciting about my figure. All in all, I was surprised people actually noticed me enough to talk to me. Everything seemed wrong. Everything.

“Well, here’s the downstairs again.” My stepmom’s voice was full of enthusiasm.

For the rest of the tour, I decided to hightail it out of the house and hang out in the backyard. Which wasn’t so bad, when you considered I had the fish in the koi pond to talk to until it was time to go.

It was peaceful for a little while until I heard, “There you are, Amanda!”

I looked up to see my stepsister coming toward me, looking upset
.
I must’ve been out there longer than I thought. I quickly sat up on the concrete bench.

“What are you doing? Have you lost your mind? The Wentworths are waiting for us!” Sydney stopped about ten feet from me.

“They are?” I asked stupidly.

“No, I’m out here for my health. Come on!” With an angry flounce she began to march back to the house.

I followed behind slowly.

Sydney was still venting. “I swear! You knew we were supposed to be going with them. Don’t you know it’s rude to make people wait for you?”

Twice tonight I felt his eyes on me. Twice, I knew he was watching me intently. I’m not sure why, but it was enough to keep his interest for several seconds. There were three times when our eyes met. And once we held for a moment before I looked away. The only time he studiously avoided me, the only time I could tell he wished to be anywhere than at that table so near me, was when he answered our parents’ teasing remarks. The awkwardness and tension in those moments nearly gave me a heart attack.

“So, Gregory, I hear you are here for the summer to help your father. Are you planning on going on any dates soon?” my dad asked with a subtle wink at Sydney.

His mom was quick to join in. “Come on, Gregory, you have to tell us. There sure are tons of pretty girls in this city. You could find one to fall in love with. Don’t you think, dear?” She turned to her husband. “Out of all of Farmington, there has to be a girl he notices.”

Gregory’s jaw clenched before he smiled a half smile and let out a forced, short laugh. He didn’t speak, but shook his head slightly in response.

My stepmom chuckled. “Don’t sell yourself short, Gregory. You’re really cute, you know. It’s all the Farmington girls are talking about. I’m sure there are plenty of them that would love to go out with you. So, what do you look for in a girl? Let us find someone for you.”

“Yes. That’s perfect,” exclaimed his mom. “What’s your type?”

Even Sydney added her two cents. “Yeah, tell us.”

Gregory laughed, and to anyone who didn’t know him, he probably sounded amused. As a matter of fact, his easygoing mannerisms belied the pains he took to glance at everyone except me when he answered, “You’re not going to leave me alone until I do, are you?”

“No.” His mom grinned at him.

Gregory chuckled again and raised his hands in mock surrender. “All right! I’m not picky, I promise. Look, all I want in a girl is someone who doesn’t change her mind easily. I want a girl who is independent. Someone who won’t be persuaded how to think of me by her friends. If I can find a girl who can make the decision to love me and stick with it, then she’s mine.”

“Wow. That’s pretty deep,” my dad said. “You’re sure you don’t want a girl who makes you laugh? Or likes baseball or something?”

Gregory shook his head. “Nope. I’m pretty positive about what I want in a girl. I’ve had a few years to think about it. And I’ve decided that’s the best quality a girl can have. Someone who stands up for what she believes in, no matter what her friends say at the time. The rest is just bonus.”

My hand had begun to shake so hard my goblet clinked noisily on the plate when I tried to set it back on the table. Instantly, I watched every set of eyes except one turn in my direction. Gregory kept his gaze averted to the table across from us. I stood up. I had to leave. With a murmured “Excuse me,” I fled to the safety of the restaurant bathrooms.