Mr. Mercer gave her a look. “What’s he doing here?”
Sutton’s mother followed his gaze, then set her mouth in a line. “Well, I invited the Vegas,” Mrs. Mercer said. It was obvious the effort it took to keep her voice calm. “Naturally they’d assume that meant Thayer, too. Now, please, just relax and enjoy yourself. We don’t want to make waves.”
Mr. Mercer’s face turned to stone. “I meant what I said, girls,” he said, his dark eyes flashing. “Promise me I can trust you.”
Emma threw her hands up in defense. “Of course.”
“You can always trust me, Daddy,” Laurel added sweetly, tucking a lock of pale blond hair behind her ear.
Almost immediately, Mr. Mercer was swept up by some of his guests, and Emma wandered toward the buffet table, which was stocked with every kind of food imaginable, from sliders to filets mignons, grilled vegetables to complicated-looking soufflés.
After popping a cheese cube in her mouth, Emma looked around to see if any of her friends or Ethan had arrived. Through the crowd, she spotted one of the Mercers’ neighbors gesticulating as she entertained a group of women. “And we invited Pastor Wilkins to that book club! Who knew an Oprah’s Book Club pick would be so racy!” she trilled. Two little girls sipped Shirley Temples by the bar, pretending they were adults. Then she caught a glimpse of Mr. Chamberlain, Charlotte’s father. He stood with his arm around Charlotte’s mom, who wore a short leopard-print dress that hugged her flawless figure. Just then, Sutton’s father crossed the patio and thumped Mr. Chamberlain hard on the back. Charlotte’s dad said something into Mr. Mercer’s ear, and Mr. Mercer threw his head back with laughter.
Emma blinked. She hadn’t realized those two knew each other. She’d only met Mr. Chamberlain once, the very night she’d arrived in Tucson. He’d greeted her uncomfortably in the Sabino Canyon parking lot, like she’d caught him somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be. She sensed something wasn’t quite right in the Chamberlain home, but Charlotte had never opened up, and Emma hadn’t wanted to pry.
“Sutton?” cried a voice behind her.
Emma swung around and nearly smacked into Charlotte, Madeline, and the Twitter Twins. Each was dressed in a gorgeous cocktail dress. Charlotte’s was red, which perfectly accented her peaches-and-cream skin, Madeline’s was a vampy purple-black, and the twins wore shiny silver and gold numbers that barely covered their thighs.
“Say cheese!” Gabby said, angling her camera to snap a photo. “I’m gonna tweet something about how fun fifty-fifth birthday parties can be—if you have the right attitude.” She winked.
Charlotte looped an arm around Emma’s shoulders. “Are you having a good time?”
“It’s certainly beautiful here,” Emma answered, eyeing Sutton’s mother and father. They were now standing in front of a big table full of gifts. Mr. Mercer was shaking his head, a please-don’t-tell-me-these-are-all-for-me look on his face.
“Where’s Laurel?” Madeline scanned the crowd. Before anyone could answer, Madeline shrugged and disappeared, saying something about finding her. By the piqued look on her face, Emma could tell she was afraid Laurel was with her brother.
Gabby sank into one hip, watching Madeline go, too. “Whoa. Hover much? She’s tracking him like an ankle bracelet.”
“I bet it’s because of their dad.” Lili gestured across the patio. Mr. Vega was now standing with his wife, picking at a plate full of strawberries dipped in chocolate.
“You know what I heard?” Gabby whispered, her fingers still flying on her iPhone. “Mads’s dad is putting all kinds of pressure on Thayer to get caught up in school. Plus, he’s, like, grounded for life for putting them through hell when he disappeared.” She widened her eyes. “Why do you think Thayer vanished, anyway? Mads isn’t talking. Do you think he was the leader of a porn ring?”
“No!” Emma exclaimed before she could stop herself.
Charlotte looked curious. “Do you know where Thayer was?”
Emma clamped her mouth shut. “Of course not,” she said stiffly. “But he wasn’t doing that.”
Then, through the slowly melting ice sculptures, Emma noticed a boy in dark trousers and a light blue button-down shirt appear at the patio door. Her heart soared. “Ethan!” she called, waving him over.
Ethan looked back and forth before locating Emma. A broad grin crossed his face, and he advanced straight for her, not tempted by the waitresses with their trays of food or drinks.
“Hey,” he said, looking her up and down. “You look amazing.”
Emma kissed him on the cheek, feeling her stomach flip. “You look great, too.” She ran her hands through his still-damp hair. His skin smelled like Ivory soap.
Ethan said hello to Charlotte and the Twitter Twins, who greeted him like he was an old friend, then scanned the food spread, which now included a chocolate waterfall and at least ten different types of pies. He let out a low whistle. “This is pretty incredible.”
“They went all out,” Emma said proudly.
“I didn’t know so many people from Hollier would be here,” Ethan observed.
It was only then that Emma noticed many of her classmates peppering the crowd. There were girls from the tennis team and their parents, including Nisha, who looked radiant in a short, white dress, and her dad. A girl from German class was hanging out near the bar with a couple of guys from the tennis team, and a bunch of girls Emma recognized from Sutton’s birthday party were giggling near the string quartet. Quite a few of them were staring at Emma and Ethan like they were the new “It” couple.
Emma took a glass of seltzer water from a passing waitress and shrugged. “I think Mrs. Mercer is on the PTA. Maybe she’s gotten friendly with other parents over the years.”