Armed with their “Welcome Home!” signs, Amber’s group stood on the only open space on the front lawn they could find and chatted anxiously amongst themselves. Bethany turned to Amber several times, waving at her over her shoulder.
When the chief’s cruiser pulled up, Bethany and her friends hurried onto the grass. The group of four girls stood in a chain, their hands clasped.
And then Chloe was out of the car and running toward her friends. She collided with Bethany so hard, she almost knocked her friend off her feet. Chloe was then enveloped by the rest of the girls, all five of them crying. The crowd collected outside the mayoral home cheered and clapped and waved their signs.
The front door opened a few moments later and the pained cry of “Chloe?” hushed the crowd. The crying girls let Chloe go and she turned toward her house. Frank, looking no better now than he did the last time Amber saw him, staggered forward a few steps as if waking from a dream. The crowd amassed on the lawn and front path parted, allowing father and daughter to finally see each other.
“Dad!” Chloe cried.
They ran for each other, slamming into a tight embrace in the middle of the pathway. They were both crying and saying, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry” over and over. Kim burst into tears. Amber wrapped an arm around her waist from one side, and Ann Marie did so from the other.
When Frank and Chloe pulled apart, he had his hands on either side of her face. “I should have talked to you. I should have told you about your mom and Sean instead of trying to protect you from everything.”
“I should have talked to you, too,” she said. “I’m sorry I snuck out. I just—”
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “You’re back now and you’re safe. That’s all I care about.” He pulled her into another tight hug as they both dissolved into tears again.
Onlookers diverted their gaze, sniffled, and leaned on one another.
Chloe was the one who broke the embrace this time and stared up at her father. “I’m really glad to see you and everything, Dad, but oh my God, you stink!”
While the Here and Meow Committee ran through their rehearsal gala dinner on Friday night with the scores of volunteers, clothing models, stand-up acts, and actors, Francine Robins was on house arrest until the chief could figure out what to do with her. Amber decided not to press charges for the attack, but the mayor hadn’t decided if he wanted to pursue legal action against her for withholding information from the police. The chief didn’t think Frank would have much of a case, as very little—if any—of the conversations Sean had with Francine on Scuttle would have been logged by Scuttle itself. It was the nature of the app to be discreet, and Sean had done a great job of covering his tracks online.
Halfway through the rehearsal gala, Chloe had arrived, sneaking in the back so she could see what progress the committee had made in the two weeks she’d been gone. Someone spotted her and pulled her out into the rehearsal and the event turned into a celebration of Chloe’s return. There was music, dancing, and Nathan and Jolene snuck off to order a dozen pizzas.
Amber knew that Kim was truly going to be okay when, instead of flipping out that the rehearsal had been derailed, was out in the middle of the makeshift dance floor with the kids, dancing and singing along to the music as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
After so many nights of terrible sleep over the last few weeks, Amber couldn’t muster up the energy to join in on the dancing. She supposed, too, that she’d been wound so tight over her worry about Chloe, that now that the girl was safe, exhaustion was truly kicking in. She sat at one of the round tables scattered throughout the room. The tablecloths were piled in a back room.
“Make them leave me alone,” someone hissed in her ear then plopped down into the creaky chair beside her.
Amber grinned over at Chloe. “I’m honestly impressed you’re out and about at all.”
Chloe rested her forearms on the edge of the table and picked at her cuticles. The nail polish had all been scraped off by now. “After being cooped up in a place with no windows for two weeks, it’s hard for me to even be in my room right now. Being around people helps. It gets a little scary in my head when I’m alone for too long or it’s too quiet.”
Amber turned more fully in her chair to examine Chloe’s profile. “Oh, Chloe. Maybe you should see someone … a professional, I mean.”
“My dad already set up an appointment for me this week,” she said. “I know I haven’t really processed everything yet. I mean, I’ve told the police—both here and in Portland—the story a billion times already, but I haven’t really just sat with it myself, you know?” She finally looked at Amber then.
Bags lined the girl’s eyes, her skin was paler than usual, and she had a haunted energy to her that definitely hadn’t been there two weeks ago. Two weeks ago, she was a normal seventeen-year-old girl who had a crush on a boy. Now she knew things about her parents—all of them—that she’d likely rather not know.
“I’m here, too, you know,” Amber said. “Anything you need.”
Chloe nodded. “I know. I heard you turned into a detective trying to find me.” Her smile was small, but rueful. “Thanks.”
“Of course,” Amber said. “I was beating myself up over it. If it’s not me being too nosy … what happened that night between you and your dad that made you sneak off?”
Chloe wrinkled her nose. “Dad’s got a temper … I don’t know if you’ve ever seen it. It’s kind of scary. I’ve seen him go from happy and joking to furious in a second—over someone taking a parking spot he’d been waiting for, or someone getting his order wrong at a restaurant … little stuff. But he’s never, ever gotten mad at me like that. Until that night. I told him about Johnny and he just … lost it. Screamed at me about breaking his one rule and that I didn’t know this guy well enough to meet him alone.” She said all this to her fingers still picking at the loose bits of skin around her nail beds. “He said some mean stuff, too; he said I was reckless just like my mom. I got mad too and asked why he never talked about her and said I wished I had her around instead of him because all his rules were going to drown me.”
“Yikes.”
Chloe wrinkled her nose again. “Yeah, it was pretty bad. I eventually just started saying whatever he wanted to hear to get him to calm down. Then I went into my room to ‘change,’ gave it a few minutes, then went out the window.” She angled her tired face toward Amber. “I’d never been scared of my dad until that night. It was a really awful feeling. I left mostly because I didn’t know how to deal. Plus, all that stuff I found on the ancestry site … I don’t know. I just had to get out of there. And then Johnny ended up not even being who he said he was. God, Amber, I told him so much personal stuff. I’m more embarrassed than mad. I fell for all his crap so easily.”
“You’re not the only one,” Amber said. “It sounds like Sean does this to everyone. He’s a garbage human being. Don’t feel bad for trusting someone. It’s great that you were able to be that open with ‘Johnny’ … even if he wasn’t truthful with you. Being open is a good thing.”
Chloe rose an eyebrow at her. “You know I love you, Amber, but you’re like the most secretive person I know.”
Amber laughed. “Yeah, well, I’m working on taking my own advice. And I love you too, kid.” She reached out and ruffled Chloe’s hair, just like Amber used to do when Chloe was younger.
Chloe laughed and playfully swatted away Amber’s hand.
“Have you been in contact with your aunt at all?”
Chloe smiled wider. “Yeah. It was a really awkward conversation because neither one of us could stop crying for very long. But she and her husband … my uncle—gosh, that’s weird to say—are going to come to my graduation. She said she’s going to bring some pictures of my mom from when she was my age.”
Amber’s eyes welled up. “I’m glad you’re going to meet more of your family.”
Chloe sniffed. “Me too.” Then she turned fully in her seat and faced Amber,
arms wide. “Thanks for not giving up on trying to find me.”
Amber threw her arms around her. “Never.”
When the next song came blasting through the speakers, the dwindling crowd in the community center cheered.
“Oh, you gotta dance to this one,” Chloe said, pulling Amber to her feet. “Let loose, woman!”
I’m working on taking my own advice echoed in her head as she let herself be dragged out into the group.
So Amber danced.
Epilogue
“Everyone? Can I get your attention for a second, please?” Kim asked from atop a chair in the middle of one of the back rooms of the community center. The gala was a black-tie event, so it was a small miracle that Kim had been able to even get onto said chair, while wearing a skintight baby pink dress that hit her calves. Her strappy heels were discarded for now, so she stood on the chair in her stockinged feet.
The room was filled with the Here and Meow Committee members and their plus-ones—Amber had successfully guilted Edgar into attending, and he was currently both in a suit and sulking in a corner—dozens of volunteers, the Best of Edgehill competitors, and a few staff members who worked events at the community center. Mayor Deidrick and Chloe were here, too. The volunteers wore black slacks and crisp white shirts, while everyone else was in their best suits and gowns.
Amber had been trying very hard for the last hour to not gawk at Jack Terrence in his perfectly tailored black suit and red tie. She tried even harder not to notice how often his gaze raked over her in her pale blue gown. Kim had done Amber’s hair, piling it on top of her head in an elegant bun that was dotted with little white flowers, much like her own hair.
“I speak on behalf of the Here and Meow Committee when I say we’re so honored to have you all here,” Kim said. “You’ve worked so hard, and I’m thrilled we get to help celebrate Edgehill’s finest together. I know a lot of you are anxious about who is going to win tonight, and I know it’s cheesy, but the fact that you’re all here tonight says so much about what you’ve accomplished. Be proud, no matter what happens.”
Amber caught Betty Harris’s eye from across the room in her sequin-covered navy blue dress and gave her an enthusiastic double thumbs-up. Betty laughed and held up two sets of crossed fingers.
“Now, are you all ready to get this thing started?” Kim called out.
Everyone cheered in response.
“Volunteers, with me!” one of the community center staff members called out, then ushered the black-and-white clad group out of the room.
“Everyone but the ‘Best of’ contestants, follow us so you can find your seat. We’ll be letting in the masses soon,” Kim said. “Good luck out there!”
Amber helped Kim down from the chair while Ann Marie found her shoes. The Here and Meow Committee, their guests, and the guests of the “Best of” contestants trickled out of the meeting room and down the deserted hallway that Amber and Jack had walked down weeks ago on their way to set up the pastry spread for Olaf Betzen.
She could only hope the Hair Ball went more smoothly than the junior fashion show had.
The back door to the main part of the community center was closed, and Kim stood before it, one hand on the handle. She peered around at the group huddled behind her. Amber knew she wanted to see what the group’s reaction would be—no one outside of the committee, staff, and volunteers had seen the final transformation of the community center into a springtime wonderland.
“Welcome to the Hair Ball,” Kim said, and pushed the doors open.
There was a collective intake of breath; Amber, Kim, Ann Marie, and Nathan all grinned at each other.
Twenty round tables draped with eggshell white tablecloths were positioned around the room—ten on one side of the four-foot-wide, light-colored parquet wood pathway that led from the front doors to the stage, and ten on the other. Six chairs made of light-colored wood ringed each table. Each place setting had a gray linen napkin, a set of silverware, and a water glass. Circular wood slices a foot in diameter marked the center of each table, and were topped with small glass vases of blue, purple, and green, each one filled with an array of white tulips, cherry blossoms, and baby’s breath. Inch-tall candles, their small flames dancing, were dotted amongst the vases along with Amber’s plastic cats. Tented white name cards marked each place setting, the attendee’s name written in looping cursive and accompanied by a hand-drawn black silhouette of a cat—each one different than the next. Ben Lydon had drawn them all.
Above their heads, strings of lit bulbs hung from the ceiling.
Though Amber and the rest of the committee had helped decorate every inch of this place, the rustic springtime theme had been all Kim.
As people found their seats, Amber and Kim walked down the parquet floor to the still-closed front door. They had less than a minute before the gala was officially due to start. The pair stopped by the door and smiled at each other.
“Mel would have loved all this,” Amber said.
Kim beamed. “I think so too.”
Though Amber spent most of the evening helping make sure everything ran smoothly behind the scenes and hardly had a chance to sit down, let alone eat anything, she could tell how well the gala was going. The volunteer waiters and waitresses were polite and helpful. Those bussing the tables were efficient. All the electronic equipment ran as it should; Stan Tackles a Unicorn had, mercifully, been swapped out for a hilarious one-woman play; and the models didn’t suffer from a single wardrobe malfunction.
Votes were collected for each category once all competitors had offered or shown their contributions, and were then counted immediately in the back by Nathan and Ann Marie. Amber could only imagine how nervous Betty and Jack were.
At the end of the twelfth category—leisure—Henry and Danielle of 98.9 K-Mew were on the stage, microphones to their mouths.
“How’s everyone doing tonight? You having a good time?” Henry asked.
The crowd cheered.
“We just got word that the final tallies have been counted for the Best Of Edgehill,” said Danielle. “You all ready to hear the results?”
Another cheer rose up from the crowd.
Now that their work was temporarily done, the Here and Meow Committee all hurried to their tables so they could experience the end of the gala along with everyone else. Amber slid into a chair in between Edgar and Kim.
“First, we’d like to announce the winner of our artist competition,” Danielle said. “The winner will be the designer of this year’s logo for the Here and Meow, the designer of the “Best of” stickers that will go on the winner’s websites and will be displayed in their shop windows, as well as designing this year’s commemorative pin.” She paused for dramatic effect, then glanced down at the clipboard she held in her hands. “Ben Lydon!”
The redheaded boy shot to his feet near the front of the room, his hands pressed to either side of his head. A very loud cheer erupted from the same general area; Mama Lydon was quite excited for her talented son.
“Now, we’ll be working in reverse just to further torment the folks who shared their delicious treats with us first,” Henry said.
A collective, good-natured grumble went through the room.
“The winner for leisure is … Feline Fine Day Spa!” Danielle called out, reading from the clipboard in her hand, which she then handed to Henry.
The owners of Feline Fine—a young married couple—stood and waved, while the attendees cheered them on. Since Ben had just been chosen as the festival’s head designer, the winners of “Best of” wouldn’t receive their promotional materials for another three to four weeks. Tonight was just an acknowledgement and celebration of the winners.
“The winner for the hotel category is … Tropical Purradise!” Henry announced.
Just Kitten Comedy Club, Purrfect Pitch, Hiss and Hers, the Milk Bowl, Shabby Tabby, Mews and Brews, and Patch’s Pizza were the winners from the next seven categories.
Which left the treats and
coffee categories. Amber had been trying to catch Betty’s eye for the past twenty minutes, but she was on the other side of the parquet pathway and had her attention focused solely on the emcees. Jack was seated even further away.
“For the treats category—and this one was very close, folks—the winner is …” Henry read. “Purrfectly Scrumptious!”
Amber wasn’t sure if she or Bobby yelped loudest. Bobby helped a sobbing Betty to her feet, her hands pressed to her face and her shoulders heaving. Purrcolate was a well-loved establishment in Edgehill, but Purrfectly Scrumptious was an institution. The crowd was on its feet, cheering for Betty, who seemed to cry harder the more people cheered for her.
“You did it, baby!” Bobby kept shouting. “You did it!”
On the count of three, Amber and Kim yelled at the top of their lungs, “We love you, Betty!”
Betty turned then and waved both hands in the air once she spotted Amber and Kim bouncing around like goons on the other side of the room.
“While it was close for the treats category, the coffee category was even closer. So close in fact that it was a tie between two of the shops, and the third won by one vote,” Danielle said. “You all ready?”
Amber bit her lip.
“Coffee Cat!” Danielle called out.
Given Amber’s own reaction to the gingerbread latte she’d had recently, she couldn’t say she disagreed with the choice, but she did feel bad that Jack had lost both categories.
Once the excitement of the announcement had faded, the attendees were served a full meal. After that, the party started. A bartender’s cart was rolled out, the dance floor opened, and Henry and Danielle took full control of the music. It was a celebration for the winners, it was a celebration for a successful gala run with a limited staff, and it was a celebration of Chloe Deidrick being back home with her family: her father and all of Edgehill.
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