“Um, I just wanted to . . .” Emily peered at the woman in red again—she accepted a cocktail from a passing waiter and turned toward them. Her face was lined, and her nose was thin and pointy, not small and round like Gayle’s. Oops.
Of course, that might mean Gayle was walking through the front entrance at this very moment—and they would be the first thing she saw. “I changed my mind. Let’s go dance.” Emily yanked Isaac into the main room again, nearly trampling a bunch of uppity-looking Main Line women wearing VOTE FOR TOM buttons.
Isaac laughed nervously as he stumbled behind her. “Are you okay?”
“Of course!” Emily knew she must seem insane. She wrapped her arms around Isaac and began a slow waltz to the Sinatra song the band was playing. The dance floor had a good view of every table, the bar, and the silent auction booth. Tons of people she recognized from the Marins’ parties stood around chatting. Several photographers circled the room, snapping pictures.
Isaac spun Emily. “It’s fun being a guest instead of a caterer.”
“How’d you convince your mom to let you go to this with me, anyway?” Emily asked idly.
“I told her the truth, actually. She’s coming around to the idea of us together again, believe it or not.”
Emily couldn’t believe it, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. Her gaze flicked from the front entrance to the emergency exit to a little nook by the bathrooms. Noel Kahn’s mother glided across her field of view, wearing a tiara. Hanna’s dad was holding court in the corner, talking to a bunch of wealthy-looking businessmen.
“I’ve really missed you,” Isaac went on.
Emily pulled back, feeling bad. Isaac deserved her full attention. It felt good to be wrapped in his arms, but she was so scared that any minute, the delicate house of cards that was her life would topple over.
She couldn’t help but scan the crowd again. Mr. Marin stood up and strode across the room to someone who’d just emerged from a side entrance. Emily craned her neck to see, but her view was blocked.
“So what do you say?” Isaac asked.
Emily blinked stupidly. Isaac had been speaking this whole time and she hadn’t heard a word. “What was that?”
Isaac licked his lips. “I wanted to know if we’re dating again.”
Emily’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Despite her distraction, despite the fact that she was keeping something huge from Isaac, the words felt welcome.
“There’s only one thing,” Isaac interrupted before Emily had a chance to speak. “Something is bothering you. Something you think you can’t talk about. But you can, Emily. Whatever it is, I’m here for you. If it’s something with that guy we saw at Hollis the other day, don’t be afraid to tell me.”
Emily shut her eyes. “It doesn’t have anything to do with Derrick.”
“But it is something?”
The trumpets blaring on the stage were starting to make Emily’s head hurt. “It’s nothing.”
“You seem so stressed.” Isaac’s voice was pleading. “I just want to help.”
Emily concentrated on the dance steps, delaying her answer. Isaac cared and wanted to make everything better, which made her feel relieved and terrible at the same time. She wanted him to like her. She wanted him to want to get back together with her. But what did she want for herself?
“Breaking up was a huge mistake, Emily,” Isaac said, staring deeply into Emily’s eyes. “I want to start over. What do you think?”
“I . . .” Emily started, but then she noticed another blond figure at the edge of the dance floor. She was the right height and build, and Mr. Marin was talking to her happily and graciously. Emily ducked, her heart jackhammering again. “Oh my God,” she whispered.
She grabbed Isaac once more, pulled him off the dance floor, and escaped around the corner to a small alcove that held a variety of meteorites behind glass. Isaac crossed his arms over his chest, looking fed up. “Are you going to let me in on what’s going on with you tonight?”
The woman talking to Mr. Marin turned slightly. Only a few more degrees, and she’d see Emily and Isaac. Thinking quickly, she grabbed the sides of Isaac’s face and planted her lips squarely on his. Isaac’s eyes widened for a moment, but then they fluttered closed, and he passionately kissed her back. Emily felt her pulse pounding firmly in her fingertips and her lips. The kiss felt good, but she knew it was only a means to an end. She felt like the worst person in the world.
Isaac pulled back for a moment and smiled crookedly. “So I guess that’s a yes?”
Emily swallowed hard, feeling like she’d just done something she couldn’t undo. She wasn’t acting like herself at all. She glanced again into the ballroom. The woman who’d been talking to Mr. Marin was gone.
Beep.
Her phone was glowing through the flimsy mesh fabric of her silver clutch. Emily stared at it in horror. “It looks like you have a text,” Isaac said, sounding relaxed and happy.
A lump formed in Emily’s throat. She pulled out the phone and peeked at the screen. Her blood ran cold.
“Isaac, I have to go,” she whispered.