Chase and Company

Chapter Twenty Four: Showcasing our Cases at a Fashion Show

Brace yourselves, it's a long chapter (so no A/N at the end to save you some trouble!).

"It's times like these when I wish I had a daughter," Ms. Evelina said wistfully.

               Camille, Jillian, and I laughed from our makeup chairs. The artists had just finished perfecting our faces exactly when the hairstylists backed off from our now glossy and styled manes.

               "Well auntie, I don't think you have to wish for much longer," Jillian teased, waggling her eyebrows at Camille and me.

               Ms. Evelina laughed. "Well, you three look perfect," she said, smiling.

               "You look perfect yourself, Ms. Evelina," Camille said sincerely. Jillian and I nodded in agreement. The woman was dressed in a floor-length gown that rippled and swished with every sway and step she took. The pale blue top transitioned into a nearly-black midnight blue and I instantly thought of the ocean under both the sun and the light of the moon.

               "Thank you, dear," the lady said. Ms. Evelina's smile sagged slightly. She swiped carefully at her eyes before beaming at me. "Shay, I think this show will be better than the one you planned before."

               I smiled at her. "I hope so," I said. "I definitely like this one more."

               "Delivery!" The four of us turned to the dressing room entrance to find flowers filling up the doorway. Clark entered first, followed closely by Hudson, Landon, and finally Royce.

               "We believed that you guys deserved something," Clark explained, handing Jillian a bouquet before planting a kiss on her cheek. As for Hudson, he mirrored Clark's actions except to Camille, and Royce handed flowers to Ms. Evelina.

               "Don't worry baby girl, I won't kiss you," Landon began, chuckling at my warning expression. "But I also didn't want you to feel left out." Landon handed me a bunch of pink peonies, which I took gratefully. While I was immensely thankful for the sweet gesture, I couldn't help but think how Aiden would have known right off the bat what color.

               "Thank you so much. Uhm, where's Aiden?" I voiced aloud. The boys glanced at each other uneasily and my eyes began to widen in panic. "Guys, he's part of the show too. He should be done getting ready now." My hope plummeted even more when Hudson winced and Royce looked away from me. Clark coughed. Landon scratched the back of his neck. Meanwhile, dread began to spread throughout my body, becoming a sick taste in my mouth.

               "About Aiden..." Hudson dragged on.

               "Boys, get straight to the point," Ms. Evelina interjected.

               "He's not coming," Landon said, refusing to look at me while he did so. Tension as thick as a heavy blanket fell upon all of us and all the air within my lungs were knocked out of me.

               "What?" I croaked just as Ms. Evelina said the same. The only difference was, where I whispered it, the CEO screeched it.

               "Shay," Landon began painfully, nervously looking between me and his mother's enraged expression.

               Ms. Evelina ranted and scolded for quite some time, mostly about Aiden's commitments and his brothers' inabilities to make sure he was here. It wasn't until a lapse of silence fell that I was able to say something. "He promised," I whispered, staring off into space. I could hear every brick in the wall of the confidence I had cracking down, leaving my heart exposed. I looked up at Landon with watery eyes and he winced when he looked directly at me. "I needed him and he left me. Again."