a name change. Sally Mabel. I never would have guessed.
Suddenly I didn’t want to wait to tell Dani what I’d learned. It was after 3 AM, but I didn’t care. If it were me, I’d consider the news worth waking up for. I threw on a t-shirt and crept silently through the house. The November chill bit into my bare arms and legs as I crossed the garden to the studio door. Charleston had mild winters for the most part, but a front had come through and it was frigid outside. Inside the studio, I rubbed my hands up my arms in an effort to chase away the chill, then moved to the stairs.
Crouching beside Dani’s bed, I suddenly thought better of my impromptu outing. She was sleeping so peacefully. Surely the news would keep until morning. But then, I was already there. If I didn’t wake her up then I’d snuck all the way up to her room to watch her sleep, which felt worse than waking her up. I was excited; I wasn’t a creep.
I reached out, gently nudging her shoulder. “Dani,” I whispered. “Dani, wake up.”
She opened her eyes, and jumped back, scrambling backward on her bed. I realized, belatedly, that in the darkness, she probably couldn’t see who I was. I was just a dark shadow looming over her.
“Dani, don’t freak out. It’s Alex,” I hurriedly said. “It’s just me.”
She reached over and turned on the lamp beside her bed. “Geez, Alex, you scared me half to death. What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
“Sorry. It was dumb to wake you. Everything’s fine.”
“Oh.” She sat all the way up, then reached up and took down her hair. It had been piled high on top of her head and I watched, mesmerized as the blonde curls fell onto her shoulders. She ran her fingers across her scalp a few times and rubbed her eyes. She was just trying to wake up, and I was staring like an idiot. But how could I not? She was stunning.
“So did you want to hang out?” she said. “Or . . .?”
“Oh. Sorry. No. I, um, I have news.”
She glanced at the clock on her nightstand and stifled a yawn. “It better be good.”
“Do I need to give you a minute to wake up?”
She scrubbed her hands across her face one more time. “No, I’m good. Fully awake.”
I sat on the side of her bed and launched into the information I’d learned from Angelica, explaining everything as best I could. I’d have to forward her the email, so she could see all the evidence for herself, but for now, it was incredibly vindicating just to know, to say the truth out loud.
“Sally Mabel?” Dani repeated. “I never saw that coming.”
“I wonder how long it took to train the Alabama Southern out of her voice,” I said.
“No kidding,” Dani said. “I have a good ear for it, and I never caught even a shadow of a Southern accent from her.”
“The dress is ready, right?” I asked her.
She nodded. “I finished it right after Chase left. I had to so I could focus on the jackets.”
I looked to the small sewing table she’d been using the past couple of weeks. Three of the four leather jackets for Red Renegade hung on a rack in the corner. “They look good.”
“Thanks. I’m a little worried about fit. I mean, I had the band go into the Mood on Thirty-Seventh Street so my friend, Harper, could measure them for me, and I trust her measurements. But it’s not quite the same as seeing them in person, myself, you know?”
“I’m sure they’ll be perfect.”
“So I guess it’ll be a big couple of weeks,” Dani said, settling back against the headboard.
“Right. The Compassion Experiment and then Florida a week later. I’ll start working on our travel arrangements tomorrow.”
“Don’t forget about Paige’s wedding the week after that.”
“Right. Your week will be busy. How’s all of that going?”
She shrugged and rolled her eyes. “It’s been a little crazy. Paige’s mom is super committed to making sure the wedding is worthy of Charleston’s finest. She and Paige argued for ten minutes yesterday because the napkins arrived, and Ms. Perry doesn’t think they’re the exact shade of cream they need to be.”
“Sounds . . . fun?”
“If anything, it’s helped me realize what I won’t care about if I ever end up getting married.”
“Like napkin colors?”
“Absolutely not.”
Dani stilled, the humor and lightness of the moment quickly transforming into something much more serious. She kept her