All-American Princess (The Glitterati Files Book 1) Read online

  But I couldn’t say that because as much as I hated to admit it, Tess had a point when she’d said I’d have to play nice. This was a small town, and from what I could tell, small towns were the societal equivalent of a Twitter meme. A single hissy fit, and it would go viral. The last thing I needed was for Brandon MacMillan to hear something bad about me before I had a chance to charm him.

  So, I pasted on a smile, flashed my pearly white teeth, and politely made my way past the slack-jawed Neanderthals to the counter. An older middle-aged guy stood behind it, with a weathered face and a smattering of gray at his temples and in his beard. “What can I do for you, darlin’?”

  “Uh, I’m the new tenant upstairs?” I adopted Tess’s sweet, ingratiating tone. The one that made it sound like she was forever asking a question, too uncertain and fragile to make a comment without an inflection at the end. It was the tone she used with hotel desk clerks and waiters when she was trying to get her way. Tess was a kill-them-with-kindness sort.

  I was not.

  “Of course!” The older man grinned, and it made his whole face crease into deep-set lines. “The Baker girls.”

  Baker was Tess’s mother’s last name—it was the name that she’d taken to keep some distance from my father so she could stand on her own two feet. As far as acts of independence went, it was about as effective as fighting a bear with a flyswatter.

  I used my mother’s name when it suited me—like when I was using her credit card to buy myself a birthday present—but I had no problem using my father’s name to open doors.

  Unfortunately, my father and Tess had decided that while I was here, I would go by Tess’s mother’s name as well to give me some anonymity until I was ready to reveal my true identity to Brandon.

  We don’t want to scare him off, my father had explained. ‘Him’ being Brandon, of course. My mark. My target.

  Anyway, all this was to say, I smiled even wider at the Baker girls comment and nodded stupidly. Yup, that’s me. Just your average hick from nowheresville.

  “I’m Don Carlton,” the man said. “I own this place.” He looked around the hardware store proudly, an emperor gazing out over his domain. I followed his gaze, wondering idly if there was some magical kingdom here I couldn’t see. All I could detect was a dingy old store filled with nails and tools.

  “How’s the apartment working out for you?” he asked.

  My smile felt frozen as he and the local Greek chorus waited for my response. “Uh…” Your apartment is a hellhole. It should be boarded up and quarantined.

  Somehow I doubted that would go over well.

  He cut off any polite lie I might have come up with, the older man’s gaze fixing on someone behind me instead. “Ah, just the guy I was hoping to see. Jack, get over here and meet our new tenant.”

  I turned around, and there he was. The guy. The hot guy. The one I’d seen on the street earlier. My smile never faltered, but his expression was far from friendly. His dark eyes met mine, and my polite smile suddenly felt too big, too fake. For a second, I could have sworn he saw right through me.

  For one paranoid moment, I had the feeling that he knew exactly who I was, where I was from, and what I was doing here.

  “Jack, meet Lila Baker.”

  I blinked at the unfamiliar last name, but I stuck a hand out politely. He looked down at it for a moment, as if shaking hands was some bizarre foreign ritual, before taking my hand in his. His hand was warm and rough, and his grip was strong.

  “Lila, this is my son, Jack. He’ll be a senior this year, which puts you right about the same age, I’d imagine.”

  Jack’s father didn’t wait for either of us to comment. And really, what was there to say? So we were the same age. Neat. Clearly, that was where our similarities ended.

  I studied him like he was studying me. Which was to say, thoroughly. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was scrutinizing me as he dropped my hand.

  I realized two things as Don Carlton told me other inane facts about his family and this town. One, this guy was indeed hot, and he absolutely had that bad boy look that I loved. But as for being my type? There, I’d been all wrong. That was the second revelation, and it hit me with a jolt. It was in his eyes. One look in those dark brown eyes and I could see his judgement loud and clear. He was one of those guys. The kind who sneered at the sight of my stilettos and whose sexy-as-sin lips quirked up in a smirk as he eyed my designer bag and dress. I knew that look, and I knew it well. This guy was a snob. A reverse snob, but they were the worst kind, in my opinion.

  I hated guys like him. They thought that being poor made them superior and that being uncultured made them cool. What they didn’t understand was that being poor made them powerless, and not knowing about the finer things in life? That was just sad.

  Don interrupted the silent scrutiny going on between us by clapping a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Jack here can show you upstairs and help you and your sister get settled in.”

  I threw Don a smile over my shoulder as I turned to leave, but when I turned back to face Jack, I didn’t bother keeping up the pretense.

  What was the point?

  He didn’t like me either.

  Two

  Brandon

  I snuck in through the back door of our ranch house. Why? No idea why, really. My mother wouldn’t be home for hours yet, but sneaking around had become a bad habit these days.

  “Surprise!”

  My heart stopped. I stared at the girl in front of me. “Amber, you scared the life out of me.”

  My friend’s smile was unrepentant. Her dark brown hair was pulled up in a ponytail that bounced as she crossed the kitchen to throw her arms around me in a big hug. Amber was a hugger. She always had been.

  She and her parents had lived on the ranch neighboring ours when I was growing up. Her grandparents owned it, and like our ranch, it had been in the family for forever. She’d moved away with her parents when we were in middle school, but she’d returned earlier this summer to help take care of her grandparents.

  In some ways, her being back was normal. It was like nothing had changed—she was still the same sweet, bubbly, outgoing girl next door I remembered. But in other ways—like right now when she was pressed up against my chest—it was remarkably clear that my little friend had grown up. I probably shouldn’t have noticed how her curves felt, but I did. I pulled back slightly. “What are you doing here, Amber?”

  She leaned back but her hands still rested on my shoulders. “I’m kidnapping you.”

  I arched one brow, and she giggled. “Relax, Brandon. Summer is almost over and so are our chances to hang out at the lake with our friends.”

  I held back a sigh. Our friends. It was amazing, really, how easily Amber had slipped right back into life in Pinedale. I’d been back full time for a solid eight years, and I still didn’t fit in as well as this girl.

  Aside from my best friend, Jack, I could count on one hand the number of people I truly trusted. My mom had made me see a therapist after my dad died, and while I don’t remember much about that time in my life, I remember that he’d told me it was common to feel separate from others when you were grieving. It was normal to feel like you didn’t fit in when your friends were having fun.

  The thing was, that feeling should have passed at some point. Right?

  Maybe not. What did I know about grief or even fitting in? Both had always been a mystery to me. But I did know that I was glad to have Amber back. She’d been a constant presence in my life this summer, and she brightened up this house, which had a tendency to get way too depressing some days.

  She dropped her hands from my shoulders and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Come on, Brandon. You know what they say. All work and no play…”

  I let out a short laugh. “You’ve been saying that all summer. You know what else they say? No work and the ranch stops running.”

  She pursed her lips in a silly pout that made me laugh all over again. Amber had been
good for me this past summer. I knew that. And she probably had a point. Most seventeen year olds weren’t so stressed all the time.

  Even my mom, who knew very well why I was so tense, was always pushing me to get out more. To have a little fun. Amber arched her brows. “Brandon, the ranch isn’t going to fall to pieces if you take one afternoon off.”

  I met her gaze, and for a moment there, had this overwhelming urge to confide in her. She was a friend, after all. But not even Jack knew the full extent of our money problems, and much as I might want to take someone into my confidence—much as I might want a sympathetic ear—confiding in people just didn’t come easily to me.

  Apparently, I took after my dad like that. He and I were alike in a lot of ways—looks, for sure. I was the spitting image of him, which wasn’t a terrible thing to inherit considering he’d been voted Sexiest Man Alive back in the day.

  Amber’s brows fell and concern filled her pretty green eyes. “Brandon? Is everything okay?”

  I drew in a deep breath and took a step back, ending the hug. “Yeah, yeah. Everything is fine.”

  She didn’t look convinced. “You’ve been working so hard lately.” She bit her lip and hesitated before continuing, “Is everything all right with the ranch?”

  I swallowed, the truth right there on the tip of my tongue. The fact that my father’s beloved land could be lost forever if I didn’t find a way to turn things around. “Fine,” I said. “Everything’s just fine.”

  Amber still didn’t look convinced, but she dropped the topic. “Come on,” she said. “Kathleen is going to be there. Zoe and Pete said they’d show up, too…” She kept rattling off the names of her friends.

  Our friends.

  “I even convinced Jack to go,” she said, her smile growing with pride.

  I widened my eyes in surprise. “How did you manage that?” Jack was even less fond of big group gatherings than I was. I didn’t think he had the same issues that I had—Jack had never lacked in the confidence department, and he seemed to be at ease no matter where he was. No, Jack just had little patience for parties or small talk. He gave new meaning to the whole brooding bad boy vibe, but maybe that was why he and I got along so well. He was fine with silence, and I was comfortable keeping my secrets.

  “If I can convince Grumpy to join in on the fun, you have no excuse,” Amber said as she poked a finger into my chest. I laughed at her nickname for Jack. Only Amber would think to give Jack a cutesie nickname—no one else would dare.

  She was watching me expectantly, her eyes wide with excitement.

  “Okay, fine,” I relented with a sigh. “Let me leave a note for my mom.”

  “Great.” She beamed at me like I’d just made her whole year by agreeing to go party at the lake. “I’m going up to your room to find a new book to borrow.”

  She was already halfway up the stairs, and I shook my head. The girl hadn’t changed at all.

  Unfortunately… I had.

  Three

  Jack

  I kept my voice low as I took my father aside. “You can’t be serious.”

  Amusement had his eyes crinkling up at the edges. “I’m offering you the chance to help a beautiful babe—”

  “Dad, never use the word babe.”

  “The least you can do is say thank you,” he continued.

  I sighed. “Dad.”

  He arched his brows in question. “What’s the problem? She seems like a sweet girl.”

  I narrowed my eyes in disbelief. “Sweet? That girl?”

  We both glanced over to the uptight princess who stood by the door, eyeing everything around her like it was covered in some sort of flesh-eating virus.

  Instead of answering, my dad handed me a set of keys. “Go show her how to use the shower. You know how finicky that faucet can be.”

  I stared at him. “You want me to show her how to work a shower.”

  He widened his eyes meaningfully. “I want you to be a considerate host for our new, rent-paying guests.”

  I studied him for a second as that registered. “They’re paying full price?”

  My father gave me a small smile. “Full price, and they’ve paid the first six months upfront. In cash.”

  I blinked. Well, hell. No wonder he was so eager to please the hoity-toity blonde. “What are they doing here?”

  We were close enough to the ski areas that we got the occasional snow bunny, but it was August. The only people around now were the townies and the ranchers from the outlying area who came into town for supplies.

  “How should I know?” He shrugged. “And what does it matter?”

  I snuck another peek at the girl in question. Lila. Lila Baker. Something about her rubbed me the wrong way. No, that was putting it too mildly. Everything about her rubbed me wrong. The way she held herself right now, like she was posing on a runway. The way she wore heels and a dress better suited to a club opening than a hardware store. The way she’d met my stare unflinchingly and then had the gall to look down that perfect nose of hers as though I weren’t fit to shine her shoes, let alone shake her manicured hand.

  She didn’t just seem out of place in this town and in this store, she looked like she belonged on a different planet. So, what on earth was she doing here?

  Dad reached out and grabbed a mug with our store emblem on it and slapped it into my hand. “Housewarming present.” He gave my shoulder a little shove. “Go on. Don’t keep her waiting.”

  “Oh, heaven forbid,” I muttered. But I did as he asked. I knew as well as anyone how much six months’ rent could help, especially during the off-season when business was slow. So, sure, fine. I could make nice with the city chick for my dad’s sake.

  I walked past her and held the door open. “You ready?”

  Her smile was as fake as her lashes, which framed big, baby blue eyes. The lashes had to be fake. No one seriously had lashes that long. “Lead the way,” she said.

  The moment we were out of the store, she started in on her litany of complaints. "Are you aware that there is a smell in this apartment?"

  Her breathy high-pitched voice followed me. Don't react. Do not be mean. We need her money.

  It took everything in me not to verbally smack down this chick.

  "No one has stayed there for a while," I said. "It probably just needs to be aired out." In all honesty, I was proud of myself for sounding so polite.

  But then she had to go and keep talking. "Did you even have the place cleaned after the last people left?"

  It wasn't the insulting question that had me fighting back a snide retort. It was the way she said it. Like she was auditioning for a role in Mean Girls.

  I spun around to face her. "Yes, we cleaned it."

  "Well… maybe you should consider hiring a new maid."

  "New maid?" I repeated. "New maid?" I let out a short, humorless laugh because seriously, who was this girl? "I don't know where you think you are, Princess, but around here we don't have maids."

  She arched her brows and pursed her lips. "So, no one cleaned the apartment?"

  "I cleaned it.” I took a step closer and looked down at her same way she'd been looking down at me ever since we met. "I guess you could say I am the maid."

  I saw her lips twitch with mirth. She really had some nerve.

  With a haughty look, Lila waved me in front of her, gesturing for me to unlock the door that led to the stairwell up to her new apartment. When we were halfway up the stairs, I broke the silence. "What are you doing here in Pinedale?"

  “Oh, you know,” she said. “Enjoying the sights.”

  A grudging huff of amusement escaped at her barely veiled sarcasm. “Yeah, lots to see and do around here.” It didn’t escape my notice, however, that she hadn’t answered the question.

  The door at the top of the stairs was already open, and someone was moving around. “Your parents are home?”

  “My sister.” She sniffed as she walked past me on the landing, leading the way as though this was her h
ome and not mine. Which, I supposed for now it was.

  I followed her in and then hurried over to help the brunette who was currently struggling to put spices and baking supplies in the highest cabinets. I grabbed the flour from her outstretched hand and stuck it in the cabinet that was just out of her reach. She grinned over at me. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” I returned her smile, instantly relaxing around this girl who was so not like the spoiled princess I’d just been dealing with. Her look was all low-maintenance and casual, and her expression held none of Lila’s snobby condescension.

  “Tess, this is the landlord’s son, Jack.” Lila’s tone was bored. “Jack, meet Tess.”

  “Ah, the sister,” I said because Tess was still smiling at me and, unlike Lila, her smile seemed genuine.

  “Half-sister.” This came from both girls at once so I heard it in surround sound.

  “Got it,” I said under my breath. And I did. Even at a glance, these two were obviously nothing alike. Tess looked beautifully normal compared to Lila—all natural and comfortable, with her welcoming smiles.

  I glanced back at Lila, who leaned against the doorframe, studying her nails. When I met Tess’s eyes and saw laughter there, I could have sworn she saw what I was thinking. How I was comparing.

  Sure enough, she leaned forward slightly and dropped her voice to a fake whisper. “Sometimes, I doubt we even share that one half of the gene pool.”

  I laughed. Lila rolled her eyes. “We all know it was Daddy who had the affairs, not your tragically devoted mother.” Lila pouted sweetly. “Like mother like daughter, I suppose.”

  Tess’s smile faded fast, and she shot Lila a glare that made me take two steps back. Friendly sister or not, remind me never to get on her bad side.

  Despite the glare, Tess’s voice was sweet. “I meant your mother had an affair and pawned you off on my poor father. We both know your mother has the moral compass of a serial killer.” She smiled brightly. “Like mother like daughter, right, sis?”

  Lila flashed her sister—er, half-sister—a fake smile that was more of a grimace than a grin.