Whitley immediately dropped the dress to the floor and her heart pulsed in her ears. She was pretty sure her father’s body had covered the dress, but she couldn’t be sure. “Oh, I was just telling Dad about Carter canceling on you,” she lied.
“Oh,” she said, her face crumpling. “I was just starting to forget about that jerk. Why’d you have to bring up his name again?”
“You asked!” snapped Whitley. She swept her fingers in Esmerelda’s direction. “Can you please shut my door?”
Esmerelda rolled her eyes, let out an overly dramatic sigh, and pulled the door closed, leaving it open a crack.
When she appeared to be safely out of earshot, Felix bent over and lifted the dress off the floor. “I really think you made a good choice, Whit. This was the best of all the dresses in the pile.”
Whitley’s face brightened as she took the dress from her father and held it to her own slim figure. “I thought so too. And it’s going to fit like a glove,” she added, swaying her hips and the dress from side to side.
“Oh, absolutely. Once again, you’ve outdone yourself, sweetheart!” He beamed at her. And then just as suddenly, his face sobered slightly. “Now, Whit. Don’t forget, you and Es have to solve the mystery of these dresses. It was part of the bargain, and now you’ve altered them, so I can’t take them back to the shop.”
Whitley winked at her father. “I know, Dad. I’ll do whatever I need to do.”
He let out a breath of relief. “Good. And I know I tell you this all the time, but you really are the most thoughtful and caring girl I know.”
Whitley’s face brightened. “Aww, thanks, Dad. But you have to say that, you’re my dad.”
He shook his head. “No, no. I mean it. You’re the most selfless person I know. Your sister would do well to take lessons from you.”
Whitley waved a hand dismissively at her father. “Oh, Dad. You put me up on a pedestal. I’m really not that great. Es is a very good person. Deep down. Way, way deep down. She’s got a warm heart.”
He chuckled. “I know she does, sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead and headed for the door. “I know you don’t want to quit until the dresses are done, but you have to eat. Why don’t you finish up and come downstairs and take a little break?”
Whitley gave him a soft smile. “I will. Just a few more minutes and I’ll have this all done.”
He opened the door to leave, and the duo heard a rustling sound just outside her door. Felix peered into the hallway.
“Is Esmerelda out there?” asked Whitley.
He shrugged and shook his head. “Nope, must have been the wind.”
Chapter Six
With one arm laced inside the crook of Sebastian’s elbow and the other arm propped up on her hip, Whitley scanned the snow-covered neighborhood in front of the Everett family home. Her brows were furrowed and her mouth set in a straight line.
Sebastian took one look at her and let out a deep belly laugh.
Whitley looked up at him from beneath her chocolate-brown bangs, smashed down onto her forehead by a pink beanie. “Why are you laughing?”
He pressed his free hand against her shoulder playfully. “You!” he chuckled. “You should see yourself!” He tried to mimic her serious expression, but only managed to make himself laugh harder. “You look so serious!”
Her slow smile caused her green eyes to soften. “When I’m on a case, I take things very seriously,” she explained. “I’m trying to use my powers to sense where Sophie is.”
He followed her gaze and attempted a somber expression. “I see that!”
Ignoring his amusement, Whitley pulled her magic wand from the pouch of her sweater and waved it at the houses across the street. Obediently, every shrub kindly lifted its foliage like a woman lifting her skirt and revealing the knobby knees below.
“See anything?” she asked, tilting her head towards Sebastian.
“Nope. No kittens.”
Lowering the foliage with another flick of her wrist, she then pointed one mittened hand towards the houses across the street. “Now, is there anyone in the neighborhood who your parents don’t get along with?”
He shrugged and followed her gaze. “My mom has issues with lots of women. She’s a bit overbearing. Some people find that to be a turnoff.”
Whitley smiled to herself. It sounded like someone else she knew. “Anyone in particular?”
He tipped his head backwards to the house behind them. “Mrs. Vorman next door wasn’t too thrilled when Mom returned a baggie of her dog’s droppings and told her that her dog couldn’t relieve himself in our yard anymore.”
Whitley nodded excitedly. “So you think she might have stolen Sophie to get even?”
Sebastian’s warm brown eyes widened. “You really do get into this sleuthing thing, don’t you?”
She nudged his side with her shoulder. “Of course I do! Especially when it’s your mother! And there’s an adorable kitten missing!” She held up the photograph of Sophie that Mrs. Everett had given her. “We need to get serious, Ash. We don’t have much time before I need to go home to start getting ready for the ball.”
He raised a hand to his forehead and saluted her. “Yes, ma’am!”
Seconds later the two of them stood in front of the Vormans’ red front door, waiting for someone to answer.
The door opened and an older woman in a pink floral muumuu carrying a miniature two-tone grey schnauzer in her arms answered. “May I help you?” she asked, looking directly at Whitley.
Whitley flashed the woman her sweetest smile. “Yes, we’re looking for a missing kitten. We were wondering if perhaps you’ve seen her?” Whitley held the photograph out to show the woman.
Mrs. Vorman took a look at it and then looked back at Whitley and up at Sebastian. “You’re Donna’s boy?”
Sebastian nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
She lifted her chin, pursed her lips, and hugged her dog closer to her chest before looking pointedly at Whitley. “Haven’t seen her.”
“But you knew she was Mrs. Everett’s cat!” said Whitley.
Mrs. Vorman lifted a shoulder and smoothed her dog’s grey fur as he relaxed contentedly in her arms. “Of course I did. Donna came running over here the day Justin bought her that cat, bragging about how much Sophie cost him.” Mrs. Vorman leaned forward. “A thousand dollars is far too much to spend on a silly little kitten if you ask me,” she hissed conspiratorially.
Whitley looked at the schnauzer. “What did your dog think of Sophie?”
“Norman?” she asked. “Oh, my Norman cannot stand cats! He didn’t like her for a second. He positively would not stop barking when Donna brought Sophie over.”
Whitley sighed. “I see. Well, as you can imagine, Mrs. Everett is heartbroken because Sophie is missing, as I’m sure you would be if Norman ever went missing. Would you please let her know if you see her?”
The mention of Norman being in a similar situation softened Mrs. Vorman. Her shoulders dropped slightly, and her expression relaxed. “Yes, of course I will.”
“Thank you,” said Whitley with a smile.
“Thanks, Mrs. V.,” said Sebastian as the door slammed behind them.
Together they walked down the sidewalk towards the street. “Well? What do you think?” pressed Sebastian.
Whitley shook her head. “It wasn’t her.”
“You’re sure? She could have been lying.”
“She could have been, but I don’t think she was. I can verify with your mother how Norman reacted when she brought Sophie over, and she knows that. If there were a kitten in that house, Norman wouldn’t have been so content.”
Sebastian beamed down at Whitley. “You’re brilliant, you know that, Whit?”
Whitley rolled her eyes. “I’m not brilliant, Ash. That was just common sense. Now come on. We’re going to show this picture around to the entire neighborhood and see what we come up with. We better get moving. I only have another hour before I have to head home.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get knocking!”
When they’d finished knocking on every door on both sides of the street, they headed back towards the Everetts’ house. Whitley’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
Sebastian put his arm around her and pulled her in for a side hug while they walked. “Don’t worry, Whit. We can search for Sophie tomorrow, after the ball.”
Whitley sighed. “I know we can look tomorrow, but my senses were going crazy when I woke up this morning. I just had this feeling that we were going to find her today!”
“Maybe your powers were telling you something else?” he suggested with a light shrug.
“Maybe,” she agreed.
They were quiet for a few long moments when Sebastian finally chimed in. “Did you finish your dresses for the ball?”
Whitley brightened. “Yeah, I finished hers late last night and mine early this morning. I can’t wait to get home and show Es her dress. She was sleeping when I left to come into town, but she’s literally going to flip when she sees it.”
“What about your dress?” he asked gently, looking down at his feet as they walked.
Whitley stopped walking and turned to face Sebastian. “Oh my gosh, Ash! It’s gorgeous! It’s this silver iridescent material, and the neckline goes down to here.” She traced the outline of the plunging neckline with her finger, stopping just between her breasts.
Ash swallowed hard. “That’s kind of low-cut, huh?”
She nodded with wide eyes. “It’s super sexy,” she admitted. “Not my usual style. In fact, I almost picked a different dress, but I know red is Essy’s favorite color, and the rest of the dresses needed so many modifications that I just didn’t have time. That one was almost perfect the way it was. I just had to take it in a little and shorten it.”
“It sounds really beautiful,” he whispered. Then he reached out and took her by her mittened hands. “Of course, you’re beautiful in everything you wear.”
Whitley felt tingles of heat color her cheeks. “Aww, Ash. That was sweet!”
He swallowed hard again and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “So…I wanted to ask you a question…”
“You can ask me anything, silly. Shoot!” she chirped.
He cleared his throat. “Well. Whitley Snow. I was wondering if I could take you to the Snow Globe Ball tonight.”
She lifted one eyebrow. “Of course you can. Wasn’t that the plan all along?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
“Oh, yes, of course,” he stammered.
Whitley could see his face reddening slightly. He looked so cute with those pink cheeks and pink ears. “Unless you wanted me to drive into town? I mean, I’m sure Dad would let me drive the truck in. Would that be easier for you?”
He swung their arms together. “Oh, gosh no, Whit. That’s not what I meant,” he stammered. “I want to drive out there to get you. What I meant was, umm, can we go together? Like together together.”
Her body froze as her mind tried to play catch up. Had Ash just asked her out? “Like a couple?”
A slow smile crept across his face, and the pink that had colored his cheeks was now a full-on frostbite red. “Yeah, like a couple,” he said quietly.
Dazed, Whitley stood in front of him with her mouth agape. She struggled to make her brain think of something to say that wasn’t completely idiotic. “Oh, well, yeah. I mean, sure, that would—uh.” It was her turn to swallow hard. “That would be great, Ash.”
“Really?” he breathed.
Her head bobbled excitedly as it hit her what had just happened. Sebastian Everett had just asked her out on a date! “Yeah, really. I think it’ll be fun to go as a couple.”
He let out the breath he’d been holding. “Oh, good. I wasn’t sure what you’d think of that. We’ve been friends for so long, and I just haven’t…well, I didn’t want to…” He waved a hand at her dismissively. “What time should I pick you up?”
“How about seven?”
He let out a big sigh of relief. “Seven it is.”
Chapter Seven
Practically floating on air, Whitley bounced up the stairs. She could hardly wait to tell Esmerelda that Sebastian had asked her to go to the ball with him as a date and not just as a friend. She was still in shock over what had just happened! She and Ash had been friends since high school, and while there were times she’d found herself crushing on him, she’d never let herself get that carried away as to dream about the two of them being together.
With her hand hovering over the door handle, Whitley paused just outside her bedroom. She felt a sudden strange sensation that she couldn’t quite place. But at that moment, it occurred to her that her sister didn’t have a date anymore, and telling her about Sebastian’s request would only make Esmerelda jealous.
No, I can’t tell her. I’ll give her her dress instead. That should make her feel good! Whitley squealed to herself and then threw her bedroom door open.
Inside, Esmerelda stood hunched over, breathing heavily in the center of Whitley’s room, surrounded by long shredded strands of ruby-red fabric. Her long brown hair frizzed out wildly around her face, and her eyes glowed like foxfire in the dark.
Whitley slowly walked into the room with her mouth agape. She stepped across tiny beads that she knew to be the ones she’d sewn on Esmerelda’s gown and stared at the piles of red fabric that lay in sad heaps across the floor. “Essy!” she breathed with her hand to her heart. “What have you done?!”
Esmerelda straightened her spine and dropped the last of the beautiful red dress Whitley had toiled on for hours. “I’ve had it with you and Dad!” she raged. “Everything is about you! You’re the good one! You get the best clothes! You have the most talent! You got the best powers from Mom! What did I get?!” she demanded. “I got nothing!”
“Oh, Essy! How could you?” Whitley’s heart throbbed against the inside of her chest. Her heart hurt for her sister, and for herself. All of her hard work was for nothing! “You destroyed the dress I made for you! Why? I don’t understand!”
“The dress you made for me?! No! I destroyed the dress that you made for yourself!”
Whitley’s head shook violently. “No, Es. That dress was for you! I made it for you! Red’s your favorite color! It was going to be a surprise!”
Esmerelda’s hand shot out as she pointed her finger at Whitley. “Don’t lie! I heard you and Dad talking about how the dress would fit you like a glove, and it was the best of all of the dresses! You always get the best! It’s not fair!”
“Esmerelda Snow! You were listening in on my conversation with Dad?!”
“You bet I was! Some sister you are! Saving the best dress for yourself! Why Dad thinks you’re the good one, I’ll never understand!”
Whitley shook her head. “You didn’t hear the whole conversation, then! I told Dad that that dress would fit you like a glove! Not me!”
“Liar!” she raged.
“I’m not lying!” Whitley pointed to the silver dress hanging on one of the posts of her canopy bed. “That’s my dress. I altered the red dress for you because red’s your favorite color!”
“I don’t believe you!” she screamed with her hands in her hair.
“It’s the truth, Es! I wouldn’t lie to you!”
Esmerelda stepped over the shredded remains of the dress Whitley had spent hours on and strutted past the bed and towards the door. “Why? Because you’re so perfect?” she demanded. Then she mockingly added, “Because sweet little perfect Whitley would never tell a lie?”
“Es, I’m not perfect! I never said I was.” She threw her hands out on either side of her and then dropped them to her sides again. “If you don’t believe me, go ask Dad. He’ll tell you the truth. I told him the dress was for you.”
“No! I never want to speak to Dad again! Or you, for that matter! I’m over it! I want out of this family!”
“Oh, Essy! You don’t mean it!” gasped Whitley.
Esmerelda trained her w
ild eyes on her sister. “Oh no. I do mean it! You’re Dad’s favorite. You always have been and always will be. You were Mom’s favorite too! That’s why she gave you all the good powers. She gave me the ability to charm men. What good is that?! I can charm men, and yet I’m the one without a date!”
“You’ll meet someone at the ball. It’ll be more fun without a date,” pleaded Whitley. “You’ll get to dance with all the single men and have your pick!”
Esmerelda’s head bounced. “Right. Because that doesn’t look desperate, does it?!”
Whitley didn’t know what else she could say to make her sister understand. “It won’t look desperate. I swear!”
Esmerelda lowered her chin and glared directly at her sister. “I don’t want to hear another word out of your lying, scheming mouth!” She turned to open the bedroom door and then stopped, swiveled on her heels and padded over to Whitley’s bed, where she lifted the silver dress off the bedpost. “I’ll just take my dress.”
“Esmerelda! That’s my dress!”
Esmerelda tilted her head to the side mockingly. “Oh, Whit. Don’t make me laugh. Do you know how I know that you’re lying?”
Whitley’s brows scrunched together, but she didn’t say anything. She knew her sister would never believe her.
“Because Whitley Snow would never wear a dress with this low of a neckline. Never! She’s just too basic.” She looked at the dress with a sardonic smile one last time before throwing it over her shoulder and strutting towards the door. “This dress is for a woman with style. Not some meek little mouse like you. Goodbye.”
Whitley tried to run after her, but the door slammed in her face, leaving her alone in her bedroom with the remnants of a once-beautiful gown and no dress to wear to the ball.
Chapter Eight
Thoroughly disheartened by the whole chain of events, Whitley threw herself onto her bed and sobbed like a five-year-old. Not only was her sister mad at her, but now she had nothing to wear on her first real date with Sebastian. And the perfect dress that Whitley had made for her sister was destroyed! She suddenly wished she didn’t live in the bedroom next door to her miserably unhappy sister. She wished she lived in New York City and went to some fabulous design school. She wished she were anywhere but in Everland Cove.
Spells and Jinglebells Page 51