Luke glanced over at Wyatt for help but Wyatt, who’d located a chair, was trying to solve two sides on his Rubik’s cube. He made eye contact and shrugged.
“You’re no help,” Luke told him with a smirk. Then he began to walk around the shop, tugging on the sleeves of shirts to view them and then letting them drop, the garments swinging back into position on the rack.
Wyatt sniggered.
Olivia, who’d already told her she’d planned to splurge today if she found something wonderful, had two silky tops and a pair of linen trousers draped over her arm while Callie followed Luke with her eyes. He was concentrating, the skin adorably wrinkled between his eyes as he looked through a row of mint green tops. Then he caught sight of something and moved over to another rack.
“This,” he said, pulling out a flowing sundress and holding it up. The dress was soft and feminine with pale flowers in various shades of pink and salmon. It had spaghetti straps and the hem looked like it would fall just above her knees. The almond-colored wedge sandals she’d seen in the window at the front of the shop and a brown pair of Jackie O-style sunglasses would look great with it.
“I’ll try it on,” she said, taking it from him. She couldn’t help but smile—he’d picked out something that was just her personality without even knowing it.
After asking the sales lady to get her size in the wedge sandals, Callie slipped into the dressing room and tried it on. She turned around and saw her reflection. It was perfect. She peered down at the tag to view the price and held her breath for a second. It was a hundred and fifty dollars. But more concerning than that was the fact that the brand was Coastal Pop. That was Juliette Sullivan’s brand. She couldn’t show up to the party wearing Juliette’s dress! She’d look like she was trying too hard.
Callie came out of the dressing room and Luke’s face lit up. “That looks great,” he said.
Olivia had chosen an outfit from the sale section and was looking through the children’s clothes for Wyatt. She gave her a very happy thumbs up.
“I like it too, but I can’t buy it. It’s your sister’s line.”
“You know my sister’s clothing brand?” He was almost cautious as he asked.
Olivia had lumped a few things on the counter and was counting with her fingers as she mentally added up the total. Callie wondered if she was just as shocked at the prices. This was the only boutique like it in the area, and Callie knew they did have a clientele—those people who rented the enormous new cottages that stretched across the beach, eating up the coastline as fast as the contractors could build them.
“Of course we know your sister’s line,” said Olivia. “You’re a Sullivan, a local celebrity.” She laughed. “Okay, we have to admit it, we may have paid more attention to certain articles in certain local publications than we might have a few months ago.”
Callie bit her lip. She got the sense that Luke didn’t like reporters, and he wasn’t too keen on what they wrote about him. Luke wasn’t smiling.
“Olivia, he’s going to think we’re stalking him!” She turned to Luke. “But we can’t help but know who you are. I think I first heard your last name when I was around twelve. And when I told Olivia about getting a burger with you that day we met, we had a few magazines lying around so we read the articles.
Luke looked startled. “So you think you know everything there is to know about the Sullivans?”
Callie shook her head. “No!” She felt awful—imagine if someone had access to all kinds of information about her. It made her want to squirm.
Luke opened his mouth to speak, but didn’t.
“Really, we know better than to believe everything we read in the papers.”
He nodded slowly then narrowed his eyes, but his lips were starting to smile again. “What’s my mother’s name?”
“Oh!” said Olivia. “I know this! Lillian!”
“Olivia!” Callie said, shaking her head and grinning.
Luke’s eyebrows shot up. “What’s my favorite color?”
Olivia’s face crumpled in thought. “Blue? No, red?”
“She doesn’t know,” Callie said. “We don’t know.”
“Good.” Luke grinned. And as Olivia walked toward the counter, laughing, he leaned forward and whispered in Callie’s ear, “My favorite color is green,” sending a shiver down her arm.
She felt a thrill shoot right through her chest. It was like he’d given her something.
Eleven
“I can’t believe I actually bought his sister’s dress,” Callie said as they parked the car.
Taking a large step onto the pavement to avoid sand in her new sandals, she was momentarily distracted as she took in the castle-like structure in front of her—a perfectly manicured lawn, palm trees meticulously placed in the exquisitely landscaped yard, and the house itself: all skylights and balconies. They’d parked behind more luxury cars than Callie could count, at the end of the huge, circular drive made entirely of aggregate. Down the street, she noticed what looked like a news van. A man was getting out, and aiming a camera at the house. Callie looked away, wondering if she’d read about the party in the local paper tomorrow. She focused on Olivia and Wyatt.
“He said his sister would be delighted, remember?”
Olivia opened the back door to let Wyatt out. He was wearing a two-button navy polo shirt and seersucker shorts with a new pair of loafers, his red curls combed to the side. Callie had hidden her grin when he’d first come downstairs. She hadn’t wanted to embarrass him, but he was adorable. She’d never seen him all dressed up like that before. He’d tugged at the collar of his shirt, and he seemed a bit uncomfortable, but, in the end, it was clear he’d endure anything if it meant meeting someone his own age.
“Juliette will think you’re wearing it for her!” Olivia said, pulling the gift from the backseat. They’d settled on a dinosaur excavating kit, complete with sand trays, picks, hammers, and dinosaur bones. Luke had said he’d like it. “Can you believe we’re actually going to meet Juliette Sullivan? She does runway shows on TV!”
“It’s definitely weird,” Callie said as they reached the door. The man with the camera had moved closer and she could hear him snap a photo. She smoothed her dress.
Luke opened the door and greeted them before they’d rung the bell. He was holding a beer in his hand. “Come in.” He leaned down toward Wyatt. “Mitchell’s out back. That’s my nephew’s name. He’s wearing a light blue shirt and white shorts. Go tell him I sent you.” Then, he seemed to notice the man as well, shaking his head as they entered. He shut the door.