The Secret Diamond Sisters, page 29
“Damien mentioned that he and his friends have fake IDs,” Savannah said.
“Yep.” Nick nodded. “They’re scannable and everything. Oliver knows some guy who makes them and hooked them all up. When Madison and I dated, she set me and my friends up with them, too. That’s how we got into Myst and Luxe. The clubs are cool, but I like house parties more.”
His mention of when he used to date Madison made Savannah feel awkward. She tried to think of another normal thing about Fairfield for her next question. “Does everyone take a bus to school?”
“We don’t have buses,” he said. “Our parents, siblings or neighbors take us to school until we’re old enough to drive.”
“So you all have cars?”
“Most everyone gets one for their sixteenth birthday,” Nick said.
“I turn sixteen in December, so I guess I know what to ask for.” Savannah sighed and buried her face in her hands. When she had imagined creating a “new Savannah” a few days ago she had felt so confident, but after what had happened with Madison and Damien, she wondered if she would always be on the outside looking in. “Your ‘normal’ sounds nothing like where I come from,” she said. “I’m going to be so out of my element.”
“Relax,” Nick said. “You’re Adrian Diamond’s daughter, so it’s a given that you’ll be part of the elite. Don’t let Madison get to you. My guess is she feels threatened by you and your sisters, and that’s why she’s acting like this.”
“Madison doesn’t seem like she would ever be threatened by anyone,” Savannah said.
“Remember, I did date her for a few months,” he said, finishing the last of his fries. “She seems confident, but she’s no more perfect than anyone else. But enough about Madison. I promise everyone’s going to be excited to meet you.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
The waitress dropped off the check, and Savannah reached for her bag to get her credit card.
“I’ve got this,” Nick said, pulling the check to his end of the table and placing his credit card inside.
“Are you sure?” Savannah asked. “We can split it. Adrian pays for my card, and he doesn’t mind.”
“My dad pays for my card, too,” he said. “Trust me, it’s fine. My treat.”
Savannah pulled her hand away from her bag. “Thanks,” she said. Did Nick think this was a date? She had fun with him, but she didn’t feel jittery and nervous around him like she did with Damien, whose slightest touch made her dizzy. She felt the same way around Nick that she did with her friends.
The waitress returned to the table and placed Nick’s card in front of him. “Your credit card was declined,” she said, sounding haughty and bored. “Is there another one you want to use?”
Nick examined his credit card, confused. “Did you try running it again?”
“Yes.” She looked around at the other tables, as if she had somewhere else to be. “Twice, and I entered the numbers manually. It was declined every time.”
“Take mine.” Savannah thrust her Blamex at the waitress, wanting to save Nick the embarrassment. “I’m sure this one will be fine.”
The waitress’s mouth dropped open when she glanced at the credit card, and she straightened, her entire demeanor changed. “Of course, Ms. Diamond.” She smiled, her eyes more awake than they’d been since Savannah and Nick had sat down. “I can charge your meal to your condo. I hope everything at Zabu was to your liking, and I apologize for the inconvenience. I’ll be right back.” She hurried to the kitchen, nearly knocking down a busboy in the process.
“Sorry about that.” Nick played with a petal on the flower arrangement between them. “That’s never happened before.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Savannah felt awkward, and she didn’t want to pry, so she tried to change subjects. “This hotel is so pretty,” she said, looking out at the pool and the colorful garden surrounding it. “I can’t believe I live here now.”
“It is nice,” he agreed, the conversation now noticeably stilted. Luckily the waitress returned quickly, so they didn’t have to continue it for long.
“I’m sorry again for the misunderstanding,” she said, placing a huge slice of cheesecake and two forks on the table. “Here’s Chef Bart’s famous cheesecake, on the house. It was voted the best in Vegas. Enjoy, and please come back to Zabu soon.”
“Thanks,” Savannah said. She’d never gotten free food at a restaurant before. “This looks delicious.”
That satisfied their waitress, who gave them another pageant-girl smile and hurried to another table.
“That was strange,” Savannah said, taking a bite of the cheesecake. It was smooth and creamy and practically melted in her mouth. She would never be able to eat cheesecake from the grocery store again. “Omigod, this is amazing. You have to try it.”
“She knows who you are,” Nick said. “Or, more important, who your father is. She wanted to make sure you had a good time at the restaurant.” He tried some of the cheesecake, and his eyes lit up. “This is really good,” he agreed, taking another forkful.
Their conversation returned to normal as they enjoyed the cheesecake. Savannah didn’t bring up Nick’s credit card situation again, but she wondered. Nick had said his father was a real estate developer in Vegas. It didn’t make sense for him to have a problem with his credit card.
“I got something for you,” he said once they finished eating. He pulled something out of his pocket, and with a dramatic flourish, placed a plastic flash drive on the table.
“A flash drive?” Savannah looked at him in confusion. “Um, thanks.”
“Not the flash drive.” He laughed. “But you can keep that. I got you what’s on the flash drive. A recording of you singing karaoke last night.”
“No way.” She snatched it up and grasped it tightly to her chest. “You didn’t show it to anyone, did you?”
“No,” he said. “Relax. I just thought you would like to see it.”
“Thanks.” Savannah was curious about how she’d sounded last night. “Let’s go watch it on my computer.”
They went up to her room to watch it, and she was surprised that she sounded like a real singer. Judging by the crowd’s reaction, they’d loved her. Maybe she had a shot at a singing career after all. Karaoke today, a record deal tomorrow.
She doubted that would happen, but it was nice to dream.
“Are you ready to make that YouTube channel now?” Nick asked once they finished watching.
“I don’t know.” Savannah sat back and wrung her hands together. “What if people watch, think I’m terrible and then write mean comments? I’m not sure I could handle seeing that.”
“Did it sound like everyone at the bar thought you were terrible?”
“Well, no,” she admitted.
“You told me last night that you wanted to make a YouTube channel,” he said. “Now you have a great video of you singing. You can either do nothing with it and let it collect dust, or put it out there and see what happens. You’re really talented, so I hope you choose the second option, but it’s up to you.”
She knew the right answer, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready. Then again, wasn’t this what she’d always wanted? If she didn’t put herself out there, she would never know if she could make it. If she did put herself out there, she still might not make it, but at least she was giving herself a fair shot. “I’ll do it,” she finally agreed, unable to believe she was going through with it.
Nick sat by her side as she signed up for YouTube and uploaded the video onto her channel. The only people she could think to add as friends were her sisters, her favorite musicians, Evie, some of the girls from the volleyball team, Brett, Nick, Nick’s brother, Ben, and Ben’s friends that she’d met last night.
It wasn’t much, but at least it was a start.
“Do you live in one of those gated communities you mentioned at brunch?” Savannah asked Nick while the video uploaded. Maybe she’d have a few views next time she checked her account.
“I used to,” he said, staring out of the floor-to-ceiling windows across from her bed. “My mom and I moved out in the beginning of summer to an apartment off the Strip. But it’s only until she figures out where she wants to go more permanently.”
“Oh.” Savannah felt bad about bringing it up. She assumed he and his mom had moved out from where they’d lived with his dad—meaning his parents had recently separated. “So you’re close by, then?”
“You’re happy about that?” Nick replied playfully, leaning back in the bed and smiling at her. It was impossible not to smile back—Nick radiated light.
“Of course I am,” she said. “You’re my first real friend here.”
“Real friend? As opposed to your fake ones?”
“Yeah. Like Madison.” Savannah wrinkled her nose as she said Madison’s name. “Anyway,” she said, changing the subject since she’d had enough talk of Madison for one day. “I still have no idea what to wear to the grand opening tomorrow night. I’ve never been to an event like this before.”
“Your life is full of tough decisions,” he joked.
“I know.” Savannah laughed. “I have no idea how to choose.”
“I’m sure you’ll manage,” he said. “Whoever you’re going with is extremely lucky.”
“About that...” she started, remembering the ominous “plus one” on her invitation. “I’m not going with anyone yet. Do you want to go with me? I understand if you’re already going with someone, and I know it’s last-minute—”
“Of course I’ll go with you,” Nick said before she could continue any more. Savannah was glad he’d interrupted her, since everything she’d said had come out in a jumbled rush, and she probably sounded like a complete spaz.
“Cool.” She was relieved that was over with. “Thanks.”
“Thanks?” Nick repeated. “I should be the one thanking you. I’ll be going to the most exclusive event in the city with the most beautiful girl there.”
Savannah’s cheeks reddened. She wanted to point out that she wouldn’t be the most beautiful girl there—that title would better fit Madison or Courtney—but she didn’t. Also, Nick seemed to mean it.
Getting over Damien was way easier now that she was hanging out with Nick. He wasn’t as drop-dead hot as Damien, but he had an angelic quality, and Savannah couldn’t deny that she found him attractive. He was also nice, which was more than she could say for Damien.
After all, nice guys didn’t make out with another girl in front of you if they were really interested in you.
Nick checked his watch, alarm crossing his eyes. “I’m actually late for something right now, so I gotta head out,” he said. “I didn’t realize what time it was. When should I be here to pick you up tomorrow night?”
Savannah thought back to the invitation. “Meet me at six. Dinner’s at seven-thirty, but my father’s having a reception at the pool first.”
“Sounds good,” he said. “I’ll see you then.”
She walked him to the door at the same time Courtney emerged from her room, still in her pajamas. Had Courtney just woken up? Savannah looked at her watch—it was 11:30 a.m. Courtney never slept past 9:00 a.m., and even that would be late for her.
“Hi,” Nick said when he saw Courtney. “I’m Nick. One of Savannah’s friends.”
“Courtney,” she introduced herself, looking stunned. “One of Savannah’s sisters.”
“I wish I could stay, but I have to be somewhere,” he apologized. “I’m sure we’ll meet again later.”
“Bye.” Courtney waved, and Nick headed out. The door shut, and she faced Savannah, looking seriously concerned. “Did he sleep here last night?”
“No!” Savannah laughed at how paranoid her sister could be. She gave Courtney the rundown on everything that had happened recently, up until Nick leaving this morning. “So you see,” she said once she finished, “Nick’s perfectly nice, and I promise nothing happened that you wouldn’t approve of.”
“Just wait until you tell Peyton,” Courtney said.
“There’s no way I’m going in there,” Savannah said, pointing at Peyton’s room. Peyton had been locked inside watching TV since yesterday morning and had refused to come out. “You know she’s in one of her moods. I tried to go in there yesterday after you left for that dinner thing, and she growled at me. Literally. So I had to go shopping by myself and text Evie photos of outfits for her opinion. It was so pathetic.”
Courtney took a deep breath and yelled, “Savannah had a boy in her room!” loud enough for the people at the opposite side of the building to hear.
“Shut up!” Savannah joked. What had gotten into Courtney? Savannah had never seen her so...giddy.
Peyton swung her door open and stomped into the living room. All she wore was an oversized T-shirt, and she looked like she hadn’t showered in days. “Damien didn’t sleep here, did he?” she asked.
“Not Damien,” Savannah said, catching Peyton up on what she’d told Courtney. The only way to handle Peyton when she got like this was to ignore that she’d been moody to begin with. She would spill the story about why she was upset in her own time, but if you pushed her she clammed up.
“Wow,” Peyton said once she finished. “You had quite the night.”
“Yeah,” Savannah agreed.
“And what about you?” Peyton asked Courtney. “How did it go with Oliver at that dinner event?”
“It was fine.” Courtney shrugged.
Peyton’s face hardened. “You’re not interested in him, are you?”
“No!” Courtney shook her head so hard that her hair flew over her shoulders. “Not like that. There was an open bar at the event, and he got so drunk. Then he tried to kiss me in the car on the way home, and it was so... Ugh.” She shuddered. “I pushed him away. But he apologized, and when I said I wasn’t interested in him, he backed off. So we’re going to the grand opening tomorrow night together—as friends—because apparently our parents will be happy about it, but he knows nothing more will happen.”
“But you stayed out late with him?” Savannah asked. “I’ve never seen you sleep past nine.”
“I came back after the event,” Courtney said quickly. “And I was up earlier this morning, but I was reading and didn’t feel like changing.”
“So you turned down Oliver?” Peyton looked pleased.
“Yeah,” Courtney said. “I think I hurt his feelings, and I feel bad, but he’s not my type and he seemed fine with being friends.”
Peyton smiled. “I knew it wouldn’t work out between you two.”
“Do you guys want to go to the pool?” Savannah asked, not wanting to stay inside all day. “Nick and I overlooked it at the restaurant where we had brunch, and it’s, like, the most amazing pool you’ll ever see.”
They both agreed. Just as they reached the doors of their rooms to change, Peyton yelled, “By the way, I broke up with Mike! You’re going to love the story of how this went down.”
Apparently they had a lot to discuss at the pool.
* * *
On the morning of the grand opening, Rebecca came by the condo and asked them to have a seat in the living room.
“Good morning, girls,” she said once they had all gathered.
“Hi,” Savannah said, wondering why Rebecca needed to talk to them. It felt so formal, and with the way Rebecca was pacing, she assumed there was a purpose to this visit.
Rebecca finally stopped walking around and sat down across from them. “How have you been doing getting settled in?” She fiddled with her pearl necklace, then seemed to realize what she was doing and dropped her hand back to her side.
“Good,” Savannah said, and Courtney agreed. Peyton said nothing.
“It’s strange not having our mom around,” Courtney added, looking down at her lap and playing with her hands. “But we’re managing.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Rebecca said. “And I hope you know that if you ever need to talk, I’m happy to listen.”
“Thanks.” Savannah didn’t see herself choosing to talk with Rebecca over her sisters, but it was kind of her to offer.
“As you know, today is an important day,” Rebecca said, getting to what Savannah guessed was the point of her visit. “Your father is extremely busy making sure everything is ready for the grand opening, and he asked me to come over to talk to you about some things to keep in mind for tonight.”
“What sort of ‘things’?” Peyton looked skeptical.
“Just the basics of what to say when people ask you questions,” she said. “Your father has been careful to keep your mother’s situation away from the public eye, so he would like you to not mention it to any of his guests. Instead, he would prefer that you keep up his story about the three of you choosing to move to Vegas to get to know him better.”
“Why should we keep up his lie?” Peyton asked.
“It will be better for your mother when she gets out of rehab,” Rebecca said. “This way the press won’t hound her and hurt her path to recovery. I’m not asking you to do this for Adrian. I’m asking you to do it for her.”
Peyton sat back and crossed her legs, which was as much of an “okay” as Savannah knew Rebecca would get from her.
“He also would prefer that you not mention Fairfield specifically,” Rebecca continued. “Just say you grew up outside of San Francisco and leave it at that. Again, this is all to keep your life before coming here as private as possible.”
Savannah wasn’t going to argue with her there. If any of Adrian’s guests looked up Fairfield, it wouldn’t take long for them to realize how different it was from life at the Diamond.
