“They look …” Suddenly Nisha trailed off and grabbed Emma’s arm. “Uh-oh,” she said under her breath.
Emma followed her gaze across the store. Just twenty feet away, standing in front of a rack of silk scarves, was Garrett Austin, Sutton’s ex-boyfriend.
Emma stared back. Garrett was wearing a crisp, striped oxford shirt and a pair of perfectly broken-in J Brands. He’d grown out his sandy blond hair, trading the preppy cut he’d had while dating Sutton for a longer, more tousled look. All in all, he was pretty cute … except for the fiery expression on his face.
Emma recoiled and looked down, surprised to see him so angry. She knew that Garrett harbored a lot of ill will toward her, both for rejecting him the night of Sutton’s birthday party and for breaking up with him soon afterward. He’d practically attacked her at the Halloween dance. If it hadn’t been for Ethan interrupting them, who knew what would have happened.
At that moment, two girls approached Garrett, their arms full of overstuffed shopping bags. “We’re all done,” said a girl in a fedora and black lace miniskirt. Emma was pretty sure she was Louisa, Garrett’s little sister. The other girl was Celeste.
“Thanks so much again for the ride, Garrett,” Celeste cooed, touching Garrett suggestively with her long, multiringed fingers. “It’s so sad that people in Tucson waste gas going in separate cars. In Taos, everyone carpools everywhere.”
Nisha made a noise at the back of her throat.
Garrett blushed, smiling bashfully at the new girl. “I totally agree. We’ve got to, like, preserve the earth’s resources. But some people are selfish, I guess.”
I snorted with laughter. This, coming from the guy who begged his dad for a gas-guzzling Hummer.
Emma looked at Nisha. “I guess this means you and Garrett aren’t together anymore?” she murmured.
Nisha looked like she was choking down laughter. “Please. We weren’t ever really together. He’s still kind of hung up on you, but he won’t admit it. Even I got tired of hearing about what a bitch you were.”
Emma poked her. “How charitable of you.”
Nisha grinned. “Plus, he’s kind of a crybaby.”
Emma eyed Garrett and Celeste again. “That’s exactly right,” Celeste was saying, squeezing Garrett’s hand. “There are a lot of selfish people around here.” She glanced back at Emma, Laurel, and Nisha, shooting them a pinched smile.
“Excuse me!” Laurel said, stepping forward, her shoulders tense.
Celeste blinked innocently. “Oh, I didn’t mean you, obviously.” She brightened when her gaze landed on Emma, as if noticing her for the first time. “Sutton! Hi!” She eyed Emma’s empty arms. “What’s the matter? Can’t find anything that fits?” Garrett snickered.
Emma jerked back, like she’d been slapped. “As a matter of fact, she was just about to buy this,” Laurel jumped in, holding up the yellow dress Emma had tried on earlier.
“Oh, no,” Celeste pouted, her large eyes blinking dopily. “But yellow so clashes with your aura. I wouldn’t wear it, if I were you.”
Nisha scowled. “Who died and made you the new age fashion police?”
Garrett frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. His sister looked between all the girls and took a tentative step back.
“Oh, please.” Celeste laughed, all innocence. “I would never claim to be the police of anything, let alone fashion. I don’t believe in anything so … fleeting. Meaningless.”
“Then why are you here?” Laurel asked, not bothering to hide her sarcasm.
Nice one, little sister, I cheered silently.
“Just to keep my friends company and pick up a few gifts,” Celeste explained, draping an arm around Garrett’s shoulders suggestively. “But you’re right, it’s time for me to leave. My chakras are extremely sensitive to all this consumerism.” She sniffed and turned toward the door.
“Um, right,” Garrett said, hurrying to catch up. He shot Emma one more venomous look before disappearing from view.
Emma slumped against the shoe rack, feeling drained. “She’s so weird.”
Nisha waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t let her get to you.”
“Oh, she’s not,” Emma said in her best Sutton voice.
“And don’t let Garrett bother you either,” Laurel said quietly. “He’s just jealous.”
Emma nodded, turning back to the shoes, but she wasn’t so sure. Garrett had seemed more than jealous at the Halloween dance. He’d seemed angry—violent, even.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the look on Garrett’s face either. My memories of my ex were hazy, but I could still see his sweet smile, the gentleness in his eyes when he looked at me. I’d never thought he was capable of that kind of hatred. Was all that anger just because Emma wouldn’t sleep with him? The idea broke my heart a little. I had thought I’d known him better than that.
But obviously I didn’t know anyone as well as I’d thought I did, as Emma kept proving again and again.
14
THE SCHOOL OF BITCHCRAFT
Friday morning, Emma plopped Sutton’s red Kate Spade purse on the table in the pottery studio and slid into the seat between Charlotte and Madeline. A misshapen vase sat in front of Madeline. Charlotte turned over a bulky mug. Across from them, Laurel toyed with two tiny espresso cups. Pots of glaze were strewn across the table alongside paintbrushes of varying sizes, and paper towels.
“That looks awesome, Char,” Emma said after she collected her own long, footed pot from the rack. She pointed to the swirl Charlotte was painting on her mug.