by Kristy Tate
“We don’t need a magic cupboard. You can borrow something from the shop,” Brock said.
Kelly squealed. “Oh! Me, too, please! Wait, how is going to this party going to help us find Heather?”
“Don’t you see?” Brock said. “If we can get Blanche there, then Charmant will want to go…”
“I don’t know,” Grace said. “He looked pretty into Heather.”
“But is he really?” Brock asked. “Or is she just a filler for Snow…I mean Blanche?”
“That’s probably true,” Kelly said. “True love and all.”
“I don’t believe in true love,” Grace said.
“Wow,” Kelly said. “Cynical.”
“Kells, you should know what I mean. Your mom has been single for years.”
“Because my dad died,” Kelly said somewhat hotly.
“Love isn’t like it is in a rom-com. It’s being there, even when you’re tired. It’s doing the dishes when you’d rather be out dancing. It’s getting up and going to work every—”
Brock cleared his throat. “We don’t have to prove true love exists. We just have to tell the prince that Blanche will be at the party. I bet he’ll want to go if he knows she’ll be there.”
“What do we do now?” Kelly asked.
“I’ll go and hunt down the dwarfs and see if we can get word to the prince,” Brock said. “Why don’t you talk to Gabby about getting us into the party?”
#
They met first at The Lilac Shop to pick out clothes and went from there to Belinda’s Beauty Shop. Grace wondered how Kelly would mesh with Gabby and Amy, but everyone seemed to click.
“Do you think this is going to work?” Grace asked.
Gabby, who had been applying Amy’s lipstick, poised her hand in the air. “We’re going to a Hollywood party—how can it not work?”
Kelly wrapped an arm around Grace’s shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. “I know you’re worried—“
“And freaked out,” Amy put in.
Gabby frowned at her in the mirror.
“Well, she should be,” Amy said. “I am. It’s super weird to think fairy-tale characters are running lose in our realm! Or that there are such things as ‘realms.’ All these stories we grew up believing were just stories could be actual histories! It’s twisting my mind into knots.”
Kelly picked up a bottle of perfume and spritzed her wrists. “What if we meet Shrek or Cruella?”
Amy put down her hairbrush. “Would you be in a fairy tale if you could?”
No one answered. Instead they stared at each other in the mirror, considering a life in the fairy-tale realm.
“Think about it,” Gabby said. “It makes sense if they can come here, then we can go there!”
“It’s not all heroes on valiant steeds,” Amy said. “Remember, there are big bad wolves, witches, and trolls.”
“We have our own horror stories here, too,” Grace said.
Kelly squeezed her in another hug. “We’ll find Heather. I promise.”
“What did you tell your mom?” Amy asked.
“That Heather’s gone to Sherwood Forest.” The guilt Grace felt over lying to her mom curled in her stomach. “She was surprised, but she bought it.”
“And what about the dog?” Gabby asked.
“Toby’s watching it.”
“Are your grandparents flipping out about it?” Amy asked.
“We’re keeping it hidden in my room,” Grace said.
“He’s going home with me on Monday,” Kelly added.
“I wish you didn’t have to go!” The thought of Kelly leaving made Grace miss her, even though she stood right beside her.
“I know. Me too,” Kelly said.
Amy’s cell buzzed with a text. “The guys are here.”
Gabby tidied up the makeup counter, double checked her reflection, picked up a fur wrap and tossed it around her shoulders. “Ladies? Shall we?”
They were all giggling until they got to the curb and spotted Chase sitting behind the wheel of an enormous Escalade.
Gabby blew out a frustrated breath. “What’s he doing here?”
Amy grabbed the car door and opened it. “Oliver, how could you?”
“Hey, he wanted to come,” Oliver said from his place in the front passenger seat, “and he’s the only one with a car big enough for all of us.”
Gabby rolled her eyes and planted her feet. “I’m not going!”
“You have to come,” Amy reminded her. “You’re our ticket inside!”
Gabby grunted.
“You don’t even have to look at me,” Chase said. “You can pretend I don’t exist.”
“You won’t try to talk to me?” Gabby asked him.
“Did you hear something?” Chase asked Oliver, pretending he couldn’t hear Gabby.
Amy elbowed Gabby. “Just ignore him.”
“You’re dead to me, Dillinger,” Gabby said, right before she climbed in.
“Fortunately,” Kelly said, “I’m alive.” She climbed in and took a seat behind Chase. “I’m Kelly, BTW.”
Chase smiled at her in the rearview mirror. “I’m Chase, the undead driver.”
Kelly made a happy noise. “I’ve never been to Hollywood before, and now I get to go with a zombie!”
Grace got in the very back with Brock. “Are you okay with Chase?” she whispered.
He shrugged and tried to look indifferent, but the set of his shoulders told her that he did care. Maybe a lot.
“No one invited Alicia,” Oliver said.
“Shut up, Ollie,” Amy said.
“Don’t call me names,” Oliver told his sister.
Above his dark blue cable sweater, Brock’s neck flushed red. He looked nice. She wondered if he looked Hollywood nice, but since she’d never been to a Hollywood party before, she couldn’t say.
“I knew you’d look good in that dress,” he said.
Grace smoothed down the chiffon. “Thanks. You have excellent taste. You don’t think your mom will mind, do you?”
“I told you she wouldn’t.”
“How does she get all the clothes?” she asked him.
“The same way she get all her stuff.” Brock looked out the window. “She collects it bit by bit.”
Grace wanted to ask where Cordelia got all her money, but didn’t want to be rude. She wondered if Cordelia’s parents or husband had left her what seemed to be unlimited cash. Or maybe she’d worked for it—but doing what?
Grace tried to stay dialed in to the conversation buzzing through the car, but her thoughts kept returning to Heather. Her stomach knotted with worry.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Brock said, as though reading her mind.
She smiled at him. “You should have seen her this morning. She glowed. It was so weird. It was like he’d put a spell on her.”
“Could happen,” Brock said. “If there’s anything I’ve learned recently, it’s that anything really can happen.”
Grace took a deep breath. “Do you think the dwarfs are going to get the prince to come?”
“It’s not the dwarfs we’re counting on,” Brock said. “I told Blanche that the prince is her ticket into the party. If she wants in, she has to bring Charmant with her.”
“And she was okay with that?”
“I think she’d do almost anything to meet Daniel Heartwood.”
“But does she know how to find him?”
He lifted his hands in the air. “They’ll be there or they won’t.”
Grace pressed her back into the seat and bit her lip.
“I’m sure your sister is fine.”
“They were singing.”
“And that’s not normal?”
“I’m sorry, but none of this is normal.”
Brock’s lips twitched. “You’re right.”
Daniel Heartwood’s house—a California bungalow—sat at the top of a hill behind a pair of wrought-iron gates. Below, the lights of Los Angeles flickered in the semi-darknes
s. A valet waiting on the curb sprung to open the Escalade’s doors. Chase climbed out and handed over the key.
A woman dressed in black and wielding a clipboard stood on the front porch. Gabby went to meet her and gave her their names. “Chase isn’t on the list,” she said.
“Gabbs!” Oliver and Amy cried at the same time, sounding, for once, like the twins they were.
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t know he was coming!” Gabby wailed.
Chase looked pained. “It’s okay. I can wait in the car.”
“I can wait with you,” Kelly said.
“Really?” Chase brightened. “You’d do that?”
Kelly lifted one shoulder. “Who needs Daniel Heartwood anyway?”
A conflicted expression flashed over Gabby’s face. She whispered to the woman with the clipboard.
“It’s okay,” the woman said. “Chase, you can go in.”
“Are you sure?” Kelly and Chase asked at the same time.
“Of course.” The woman smiled brightly.
Chase straightened his shoulders, swaggered up the stairs, and elbowed Gabby on his way through the door.
Gabby huffed in return, but followed him.
The party seemed to consist of only beautiful people. It was as if fashion models had stepped off a runway to attend. Laughter and the smell of perfume floated out the open door.
Grace spotted Daniel Heartwood immediately. He stood on the balcony on the other side of the French doors. A cluster of adoring men and women were gathered around him. Grace scanned the room, looking for Heather, Charmant, or Blanche.
“I don’t see them,” Grace whispered to Brock. “I hope this wasn’t a waste of time.”
“Stop worrying,” Brock said, taking her arm and guiding her into the room.
Tapestry rugs covered the hardwood floors. Windows overlooking the city lights dominated one wall. Modern art, framed splatters of colors, tried to but couldn’t compete with the showy people in the room.
Brock stuck to Grace’s side, occasionally taking her elbow to steady her when someone jostled past. They wandered through the crowd, catching snippets of conversations, searching for Heather.
Outside, a cool breeze carried away Grace’s claustrophobia. They found a quiet spot on the balcony a few steps up from the living room, where they could watch the pool and also the front entry.
“Do you ever think about Hollywood?” Brock rested against the railing and studied Grace.
“Until tonight? Not really.” She leaned against the wall, taking the pressure off her feet. The funky red leather shoes were cute and they fit perfectly, but she wasn’t used to standing or walking in three-inch heels.
“You don’t want to be rich and famous?”
“Nope, not unless I did something cool, like cure cancer.”
A band on the patio below began to play a Scotch Whiskey tune. Brock scooched a few inches closer, and his shoulder brushed against hers. “Cure cancer? Is that what you want to do?”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
“Seriously—are you going to study science?”
Grace nodded. “Maybe med school.”
“Wow.”
“How about you?”
Brock shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet. Business, probably.”
“Antiques, like your mom?”
He grinned. “It’s like a treasure hunt.”
“And your mom’s finds are—” She paused. “Really, I can’t think of the right adjective.”
The band broke into the chorus and the music ramped up in volume. “Amazing.” Brock stood so close she felt his breath.
“More than amazing, I think,” she said, raising her voice so he could hear. She wanted to ask about Cordelia. Did Brock think she’d stolen the mirror? But she didn’t know how to ask if his mom was a thief without sounding rude.
“Science is amazing, too.”
The singer paused for a drum solo, and for a few moments Grace only heard the steady beat of the music. Then a familiar voice floated through the air. “I want to dedicate this song to the man of my dreams.”
Grace grabbed Brock’s arm. “It’s Blanche!” Standing on her toes to look over the crowd, she caught sight of Blanche at the microphone, with the band shuffling their feet and looking awkward behind her.
Roy and Heather stood to the side, their expressions blank. Heather still wore the dazed and transfixed expression Grace had seen earlier at Sherwood Forest. Heather had on the plain black dress she’d worn to Grandpa James’s funeral, but with her mother’s pearls, she looked like sophisticated and sleek.
Blanche, on the other hand, wore a dress that looked like it’d been made from the hotel curtains.
“And even though we’ve never officially met,” Blanche gushed, “because of your work, I feel as if I’ve known and loved you all my life. This one’s for you, Daniel Heartwood!”
Blanche turned to the band and motioned for them to begin. The guitarist strummed a few bars, but Charmant marched up to the microphone and sent the drummer a withering, music-stopping glance.
“Blanche, do I have to remind you that we are married?”
Grace watched Heather’s face turn from fixation to confusion.
“You’re married?” Heather’s mouth formed the words Grace couldn’t hear. Stumbling, Heather pushed through the crowd.
Roy ignored her, but Grace couldn’t. She longed to vault over the balcony to reach her sister, but didn’t want to break any bones or cause a scene.
“I have to go to her,” Grace told Brock.
He took her hand and led Grace through the party. Grace listened to Blanche and Charmant yell at each other as she followed Brock.
“That was in a different world,” Blanche said. “Things are different here.” She turned to the drummer and motioned for him to begin again.
“One, two, three,” the drummer called out.
“Stop!” Charmant boomed. “If we’re married there, we’re married here!” Charmant shouted over the band.
The music faded away as each of the band members decided the drama was more interesting than playing.
“I killed a dragon for you! That has to mean something!”
“Did I ask you to kill that stupid dragon?” Blanche balled her fists and shook one at him. “Did you even ask how I felt about the dragon? Maybe I was okay with the dragon.”
“I woke you up! Before me, you were asleep.”
Blanche paused. “I know. And don’t think I don’t appreciate it, but that was then. This is now. I’m over that, and I think you should get over it, too.”
“I can’t get over it!” Charmant shouted. “You. Are. My. True. Love!”
“Oh fiddle! You know there’s no such thing in this realm.”
“Well, there should be!” Charmant lowered his voice, but it still rang with intensity.
“Daniel, this one’s for you!” Blanche motioned to the band to begin again.
“There’s Heather,” Brock murmured.
They found her standing outside, leaning against a maple tree, tears running down her face. She didn’t seem surprised to see Grace. “He’s married.”
“I know.”
“Although maybe not for long,” Brock said.
Grace elbowed him before she went to gather Heather into her arms. “He’s not for you, sweetie.”
She gulped down a sob. “He was so…charming.”
“Of course he was,” Brock muttered.
“And I was just…I’m beginning to think he liked me because I look like his…wife.” The last word ended with a wail. “I wanna go home!”
Grace smoothed down Heather’s hair and let her sister’s tears soak her shoulder.
“I’ll go and get the others,” Brock said, leaving the two girls alone.
“To our real home,” Heather said, pulling away and wiping her tears with the back of her hand. “I want to go back to the art institute.”
“We’ll both go home,” Grace promised. She told Heather of he
r idea of moving in with Kelly and buying her Uncle Billy’s car.
“That’s a good plan.” Heather sniffed. “But it will kill mom for us to both leave.”
“Then she should come and bring Toby with her.”
Heather placed her hand over her eyes. “We never should have come here. It’s toxic. It’s so…phony.” She waved her arm toward the party. “Roy… He was too good to be true. I can’t explain it. It’s like when I was with him, nothing was real.”
“I get it,” Grace said, thinking of all the fairy-tale people cluttering up her life.
Heather sucked in a deep breath. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
“Looking for you.”
“You knew Charmant was married?”
Grace twisted her lips.
“How?”
“Everyone knows that.”
“I didn’t.”
“If you knew who he really is, you would know.”
Brock emerged from the house. Kelly and Chase followed, laughing.
“Where are the others?” Grace asked.
“They’re going to take an Uber home,” Brock said.
“But…you should stay,” Heather protested. She linked her arm through Grace’s. “We’ll take the Uber.”
“No, we’re ready,” Kelly said.
“Are you sure?” Grace asked.
Kelly and Brock exchanged glances and Chase flipped his keys.
“Yeah,” Chase said as he headed for the valet.
Kelly and Chase sat up front while Brock, Heather and Grace took the middle bench seat. Heather talked about her plans for their return to Salmon Dale, and Grace tried not to notice Brock’s leg touching hers every time they turned a corner.
“If we both live at Lucy’s we can share the car,” Heather said.
“Or you could both stay with me,” Kelly said.
“That’s sweet, but Lucy has a pool house so we can be on our own,” Heather said.
“It will actually be cheaper for Mom with us gone,” Grace told Heather.
“She’ll have to find someone to watch Toby,” Heather said.
“He’ll have to go to regular school.”
Heather hung her head, letting Grace know that her sister knew exactly how much Toby would hate that.
“Are we really going to do this?” Grace whispered.
“Yes,” Heather said. “How much money have you saved?”