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  Flo changed my diapers, prepared my bottles, cooked all my meals, and took me to the park to feed the birds. As I grew up, she would sit and listen to me read, and was the one who came to my piano recitals. She always tied my hair in pretty pigtails with matching ribbons and bows and told me how beautiful I was. It was Flo who tucked me in at bedtime and always gave me a kiss on my cheek after reading my favorite bedtime story once again with no complaint. One day, she confessed to me that I was her favorite of the Harris children; I loved being her favorite; she made me feel incredibly special, and it was lovely to feel wanted.

  Flo turned to face me. “You want blueberry pancakes, or is it chocolate chip today, Bambino?”

  “Oh, I think it’s a chocolate chip day today, Flo,” I answered.

  She laughed as she reached for the chocolate chips. “It’s always a chocolate chip day for you, my lovely Kate.”

  I held my hand out and Flo poured chocolate chips into my palm. I threw them into my mouth and saw Heather roll her eyes at me with disgust. It was hard not to lower myself to her level, but I could see her getting more and more agitated as I ignored her, and the satisfaction it gave me was enough of a reward.

  I smiled and held out my hand again. “Actually, make it a double chocolate chip day, Flo, and some whipped cream would be lovely. I’m starving.” I raised my eyebrows at Heather.

  Flo replenished my hand with chocolate chips. “Double chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream on its way.” We both laughed. There had been many laughs and happy moments between Flo and me.

  “You should lay off the pancakes, Kate. I’ve warned you before: skinny jeans don’t like carbohydrates.” Heather took a bite of a strawberry and threw me another bitchy smile.

  “Well, my skinny jeans fit me just fine,” I said while sucking in my stomach. I sat at the table and reached for a strawberry. Heather finished her strawberry and threw its remains on the table.

  “You should watch your weight, Kate. Society judges people on their physical appearance these days. You’ll never find an eligible bachelor with thighs the size of yours, and with your plain face, you’ll have to compensate with your weight even more.” Her evil eyes scanned my body as my stomach pushed against my jeans. She made me feel like I’d suddenly gained ten pounds, had a face like a wrinkly corpse, and was naked for her appraisal. I’d tried and failed; Heather was going to get what she so desperately wanted and I despised myself for giving into her. However, deciding I was stronger than she thought I was, I refused to allow her to mentally bully me and make me feel uncomfortable in my own skin. I glanced over at my mother who was reading her newspaper and playing ignorant to our bickering.

  “Heather, modeling is a career for you, not me. I want a career where I actually have to use my brain.” There it was. I had succumbed to pure bitching and immediately regretted it.

  Heather glared at me. “I’ll have you know, Kate, that modeling does require the use of my brain. I’m considering designing my own clothing line; I have an amazing vision for high-end fashion.” Heather took another sip of her smoothie. I had to wrap up this petty argument before she completely drained me.

  “If you say so, Heather. Good luck with the designing. Considering that you can’t draw a stick figure, I’m sure the clothes will be very interesting.”

  Heather leaned into me. “I am visually gifted, Kate. So I won’t need to draw. I’ll have staff for that.”

  I laughed. Heather’s cheeks turned a bright shade of scarlet and her eyes widened with humiliation.

  My mother slammed her hand down on her newspaper. “Girls, please! Can you just try and get along, even if it’s only while I’m in the same room as you both?” Heather screwed up her face and was taking short breaths.

  Flo placed my pancakes in front of me and smiled, which I’m sure meant that she was delighted that I had given Heather a piece of my mind. Heather looked at Flo, held up her half-empty glass and rudely waved it around in the air.

  “Excuse me, Flo. I’m finished. Next time, I’d like more strawberries and fewer blueberries. This tasted a little like—”

  Now she had pushed my buttons. She wasn’t going to get away with being rude to Flo who was nothing but kind and respectful. I was raging, but surprisingly, my mother beat me to it.

  “Heather, don’t you dare speak to Flo like that!” my mother said. “Her smoothies are delicious! I’m sorry, Flo.”

  Flo took Heather’s glass, refilled it, and handed it back to her. “No need to apologize, Mrs. Harris.”

  My mother was many things, but she wasn’t someone who tolerated rudeness.

  “There’s every need to apologize, Flo. I raised my children to have more respect than that. Heather, apologize to Flo immediately,” she insisted.

  I’d never heard Heather apologize and watched as she casually bit down on a slice of apple.

  “Oh pipe down, Mom. Since when did you raise us anyway?” She’d hit our mother hard with her cruel words, even if they were true.

  “I’m not going to get into an argument with you now, Heather, but I certainly will not forget what you just said! What has gotten into you?”

  I took a deep breath and reached across the table for the jug of cranberry juice. As I lifted the jug, I allowed my hand to relax a little too much and lost my grip. The jug hit the corner of the table and the juice splashed into Heather’s hair. She dropped her glass and the smoothie splattered in her lap, staining her white, designer skinny jeans. I was childishly thrilled. Heather’s jaw dropped and her eyes fluttered as she stood, taking a few short breaths before throwing herself into a tantrum, which had me in complete hysterics.

  “Kate, you devil child! These are designer, custom-made, Swarovski-encrusted skinny jeans! I hate you!”

  In that moment, I realized just how pathetic and shallow Heather was. I handed her my napkin, but she snatched it out of my hand, screwed it up into a ball, and threw it at me. In the center of it all, my mother stood, looked at Heather in disbelief, and then glared at me, which had no impact on either of us. Then, in the middle of the kitchen, Heather took off her jeans, revealing an incredibly skimpy thong, and launched them at Flo’s feet.

  “You get this stain out immediately, Flo!”

  Flo bent down and picked up the jeans. “I’ll do my best, Miss Heather,” Flo said, being far too polite.

  My mother folded her newspaper and wedged it underneath her arm. She stood and walked over to Flo. “Oh don’t be ridiculous, Heather. Just buy a new pair. Don’t bother attempting to clean them, Flo. Just throw them away.”

  Heather threw her shoulders back and flicked her hair behind her. My mother’s insensitivity toward her precious jeans had irked her further. Heather was more irate than I had ever seen her before—except for the time that Brett snapped the legs off her collector’s Malibu Barbie.

  “Mom, they were custom-made! Did you not hear me when I said they were encrusted with Swarovski crystals? Swarovski crystals!” Tears rolled down Heather’s face.

  My mother looked at her chipped nail polish. “So, get another pair made, then. Honestly, I wish you wouldn’t be so dramatic all the time.”

  The kitchen door opened and Tobias, our thirty-something-year-old Mexican butler, peeked in. After seeing Heather standing half-naked, he let the door close. He’d been working for us for two years and had settled in well, but liked to keep to himself. His shoulder-length black hair was slicked back into a tidy ponytail, and his muscular body suited his average height. I was envious of how he always looked so healthy with his smooth olive skin glowing on a daily basis. Heather swore he moisturized, and of course, he got plenty of vitamin D!

  Heather flicked her hair, which hit my face. She ran out of the kitchen and stomped up the stairs in her rather pointless white thong, leaving Tobias stunned and blushing. My mom said her goodbyes and left to get her nails done as she always did on Tuesdays. So there I was sitting alone at the kitchen table having breakfast. It was just like any other day in any other
house.

  CHAPTER 2

  After eating breakfast, I headed to my bedroom to continue unpacking. I’d run out of space, so I opened the doors to my balcony and began tossing boxes out of my way. Once they were out of my room, I continued unpacking, finding a new home for my things.

  Just a couple of hours later, I had successfully unpacked everything and then I looked up. There were piles of empty boxes on my balcony that I’d completely forgotten about. Sighing, I grabbed a pair of scissors and began slicing through the tape and flattening the boxes to put in the attic for our next move. When I looked up, I spotted my new neighbor and observed his toned and tanned body as he dove into his pool.

  I put down the scissors and waited for him to resurface. Looking at my watch, it occurred to me that this guy had been underwater for an abnormal length of time—too long to still be able to breathe. My heart began to race with the panic of witnessing a possible drowning, but when I looked up again, he was out of the pool, watching me.

  Feeling flustered, I turned too quickly and stumbled over the empty boxes, losing my footing and crushing the boxes underneath me. I crawled back inside and closed the curtains, feeling embarrassed that I’d so obviously been watching him. After kicking myself for being so clumsy, my intrigue got the best of me. I slowly pulled back the curtains and located him, but he was too far away for me to see his face clearly. Then, he turned around faster than I knew was possible, and before I had the chance to look away, he waved a muscular arm in my direction. I went numb; this time I couldn’t draw the curtains and hide. I was in a motionless daze and if I drew them now, I’d look even more stupid, if that was possible. So I waved back at him with a blank expression on my flushing face.

  Then, to my shame, a lady approached and handed him a bottle of water, which he accepted with a smile. I wanted the floorboards to collapse beneath me and take me through the entire house to the basement where nobody would ever find me, but I was stuck in my room with burning cheeks, looking completely ridiculous standing there waving at him when he was actually waving at someone else. Maybe the woman was his mother or perhaps a maid.

  I continued to watch for a while, until the handsome stranger turned around. This time, he really did look up and wave at me before walking away with his head down. Closing my balcony doors, I paced around my room, grinning uncontrollably.

  After breaking down all the empty boxes, my hard slog was over and I decided to go to the local beach to relax and get some fresh air.

  The beach was beautiful, the ocean icy blue, and the sand silky soft. I sat with my eyes closed, listening to the curling, crashing waves, my mind feeling completely free. As the tide gently swayed in and out, my mind drifted to the daunting prospect of starting college the next day.

  The thought of over-powering rich kids was bad enough, but attending Long Beach University was an entirely different way of life compared to high school. The rich kids would have shiny new cars to show off, expensive jewelry, salon-perfect hair, acrylic nails, and of course, designer clothes, shoes, and bags. I worried about how I would fit in and the thought of it all made me feel uncomfortable. All the rich kids usually hung together and life would certainly be easier for me if I joined the ‘elite’ group. Given my family name, I had every opportunity to, but I never opted for easy. Easy didn’t suit me; easy was far too mundane.

  While thinking about college and everything that went with it, I hadn’t noticed that the sun had begun to fade. It was a lot later than I had planned to stay out. Taking in one last breath of salty air, I stood and brushed the sand off my jeans. When I looked up, I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. Panic surged through me and I knew I only had seconds to escape the mighty wave that was heading my way. I could hear it thundering along the water and as I dared to look over my shoulder, it was gaining on me quicker than I could run. Before I had a chance to scream for help, I held my breath as the wave engulfed me.

  Panicking, I flapped my arms in every direction and kicked my legs with as much force as I could muster, but I was too weak. If I was going to drown, I wanted it to be over quickly. Feeling lightheaded, and with my energy waning fast, my lips began to slowly drift apart. Just as I was about to give up the fight, I felt someone wrap their arms around my waist and pull me out of the water.

  The next thing I remembered, I was lying on the sand with someone’s warm lips on mine. I gasped for air and water sputtered out of my mouth. The overpowering taste of salt made me vomit, and the stranger gently rolled me onto my side. Everything was blurry; my eyes stung and I struggled to focus on the guy who’d saved my life.

  “Hey, are you okay? Kate, are you hurt? I didn’t see you. I’m so sorry.”

  I managed to nod, not really taking in what he was saying. Through my blurred vision, I saw the tide drifting in and out calmly, which baffled me. Gently rubbing my eyes, I allowed the stranger to help me stand, but then my legs buckled and he caught me as if he were catching a bubble of air. As I comfortably sank into his arms with my eyes closed, my brain started functioning again. The water was perfectly calm. I couldn’t comprehend how a huge wave could’ve surfaced so randomly. The stranger placed me down in front of him on the soft, cool sand, and when I opened my eyes, he glanced at his watch and walked away.

  “Hey where are you going?” I called out to him, still feeling a little breathless. To my surprise, he continued walking away.

  “You seem fine now,” he replied, refusing to turn around. “I have to go. I’m really sorry.”

  I looked out at the ocean for a moment, but then quickly turned toward the guy’s retreating figure. I coughed, trying to catch my breath, but he continued walking away.

  “Wait! What happened? You saved my life!”

  “The water’s been rough for a while and I dragged you out of it. Anyone else would have done the same thing. You should be more careful.”

  I was confused. How was he strong enough to drag me out of such a powerful current? I didn’t want him to leave. I wanted to see his face, but it was too late.

  He was gone.

  Sitting in the sand, I took short, deep breaths, wondering why my mysterious hero apologized when he’d saved my life. Despite not having seen his face, I had a firm mental picture of his body and wet, honey-blond hair. Surly he had to have a heavenly face too, I thought, but thinking about this intriguing stranger was making my head hurt, and it was definitely time to go home. Slowly regaining my balance, I walked along the beach and heard someone frantically calling my name. Looking up, I saw Brett running toward me.

  “Kate, are you okay?” Brett grabbed me and held me close, almost knocking me over.

  “I’m fine. What are you doing here?”

  “How can you be fine when you almost drowned?” He was looking at me with concern.

  I broke free from his grip, and his slender body relaxed. “Calm down. I’m fine. Anyway, how did you know I was here?”

  “Someone called the house. Tobias was out so I answered the phone. This guy told me that you’d been taken under by a wave. He told me exactly where you were and apologized.”

  I knew that Brett was talking about the guy who’d saved me, but I still couldn’t figure out why he was apologizing.

  “What was the guy’s name? What else did he say to you?” I asked.

  “That’s all he said. He never told me his name. What did he do to you? Did he hurt you? I swear if he hurt you, I’ll kill him.” I smiled at my little brother as he paraded his protectiveness over me.

  “No, he didn’t do anything to me. He saved my life,” I protested.

  Brett shared my confusion. “He saved your life? That doesn’t make sense. What was he apologizing for, then?”

  I shrugged. “How did he know our telephone number?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m grateful he called. Look at you.”

  The whole situation was getting stranger by the minute. I tossed back my matted hair and we both laughed. I looked like a wet fish and smelled like one too. Br
ett looked at me as I mentally ran through several questions that I had no answers to.

  “Kate, just forget him. He obviously doesn’t want us to know who he is. Let’s get you home.” Brett ushered me onto his back. Exhausted, I accepted the ride.

  “Brett you have to promise me that you won’t tell anyone about this.”

  “Okay, but maybe we should go to the hospital and get you checked out.”

  “No! I’m fine. Let’s just go home.”

  Brett was able to carry me the whole way home. Luckily for him, the beach was only a ten-minute walk from our house. I was happy that he cared enough about me to come to my rescue and even more pleased that he was sober.

  I was desperate to know who this mysterious guy was, if only to thank him, but I had no idea how I’d ever find him when I hadn’t even seen his face. Most of all, I wanted to know why he apologized for saving my life. Then it hit me; I must have met this person already. A stranger wouldn’t have known my name and telephone number. I felt stupid for not realizing this before.

  When we reached the house, Brett put me down and as we walked in, Tobias, who was back early from his yoga class, looked at me suspiciously. I was soaked and Brett was bone dry. We’d have to come up with some kind of excuse and quickly.

  “Where have you two been? Kate, are you okay?” Tobias looked serious. Thankfully, my parents were still out, because he would definitely tell them what happened if I told him the truth. “Is everything okay, Kate?” He looked at Brett suspiciously.

  I was lost for words, but Brett had been born with the gift of the gab.

  “Toby, don’t look so worried. We’ve only been to the beach. Kate was jerking me around so I threw her in the water to shut her up.”