He answered on the second ring. “Mia?”
“I have an SOS situation.”
Derek huffed on the phone. “What’s going on?”
“Brad just … dumped me.”
“Fuck.”
“He’s not going to be here to escort me.”
“What the fuck?” Derek demanded. “Do I need to find him and beat the shit out of him?”
I laughed softly. “Uh, no. Not enough time. I don’t know what else to do. Will you walk me?”
My brother was four years older and a basketball star at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. I was lucky enough that he’d been able to come home at all during Christmas break for my cotillion. He’d probably fly out to make a game tomorrow. But he’d escorted more than his fair share of St. Catherine’s debs in his years as a Holy Cross boy. St. Catherine’s was the all-girls Catholic high school and Holy Cross was the all-boys school next door. Thus, Derek knew the dance. It would be humiliating that I’d have to walk with my brother and not a date, but I was a Ballentine. My reputation could withstand the whispers.
“I’ve got you covered. Sending in reinforcements.”
I laughed to hold back my tears. “Thanks, Derek.”
Before Mary could ask where exactly my escort was again, I hustled out of the backstage area and to the locked side entrance. A knock came on the other side a few minutes later, and I pulled it open, expecting my brother.
Instead, I found Ash Talmadge.
I gaped at him, standing silhouetted in the doorway in a tuxedo. My heart literally stopped beating for a split second.
Ash was my brother’s best friend. We’d grown up together since we were really little. Since his dad and my dad were also best friends. Even though he was two years younger than Derek, they’d had always hung out. We’d even vacationed together in the summer. But while the age difference didn’t seem to matter for friends, Ash being two years older than me, twenty to my seventeen, almost eighteen, felt like an insurmountable difference. And yet I’d never wanted him more than in that moment.
“Hey, Mia,” he said with a grin that revealed just the hint of a dimple.
“Ash,” I gasped, quickly recovering. I threw my arms around him. “I had no idea you were coming to my debutante.”
“Of course. I couldn’t miss it.”
“When did you get back from Duke?” I asked, gesturing for him to come inside.
“A couple days ago. When Derek invited me to your deb ball, how could I refuse? And I heard there was an incident with your boyfriend?”
I rolled my eyes. “Ex-boyfriend.”
I showed him the text message. Ash’s face was hot with anger.
“What a dick.”
“Tell me about it.” I hid my phone again in the pocket of my white deb dress. “So … I’m sort of without an escort.”
“Ah, yes, well, I’m the reinforcements. I’ll escort you if you’ll have me.”
My body practically listed toward him.
Good riddance, Brad. He was nothing compared to Ash. That was for damn sure.
“I would … love that,” I said softly.
I wasn’t sure if Ash knew what kind of effect he had on me. I wasn’t exactly subtle in how I felt about him, but I’d basically been his kid sister for much of our lives. He and Derek would run off and make trouble while I tried to keep up with them and generally failed. I wanted there to be a moment when that all changed. When he saw me as more than just his best friend’s little sister, but that only happened in movies.
“Amelia!” Mary called again.
“This way.” I took Ash’s hand in mine and pulled him down the hall.
Mary tapped her foot impatiently. A smile came to her mouth at the sight of my new escort. “Well, James, what a pleasure.”
Ash grinned at Mary. “James is my father.”
Ash was technically James Asheford Talmadge IV, but no one called him that. He was just Ash to us.
“Yes, yes.” She waved her hand. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“He’s my escort,” I blurted out quickly.
The other debutantes gasped and tittered behind Mary. They were eyeing Ash with blatant jealousy. Their boyfriends or dates or escorts were all going to pale in comparison to him. A college boy this handsome was always a prized catch.
Mary arched an eyebrow. “Where’s Brad?”
Ash cut in smoothly. “He’s not good enough for our Amelia,” Ash said affectionately. “Plus, we both know I can waltz better than anyone else here.”
Mary softened. “That is true.”
I was certain that Mary was going to get on me for Brad’s absence, but a few words from Ash Talmadge, and she was putty in his hands too. Incredible.
Ash drew me in close as Mary put us in line. “There … the night is salvaged.”
“I think you just made her knees weak,” I whispered.
He grinned and leaned in conspiratorially. “She actually has a thing for Derek.”