I did a quick survey of the group as everyone said hello. Standing across from me was JJ Morris. He had dark close-cropped hair, broad shoulders, and peeking out from beneath his shirt sleeve, an armband tattoo. Attractive but in a bad boy, will-break-your-heartsort of way. Next to him was a young couple I didn’t recognize—a guy so tall I wondered if he was an NBA star and a girl who looked like a teenage version of Deepika Padukone. The final member of the circle was none other than Oliver Perry, the lead singer of the Heartbreakers. He’d graced the cover of numerous magazines since the band’s rise to fame, so his brown waves and deep blue eyes were unmistakable.
Oliver squinted at me. “You’re Violet James’s sister, right?”
I clenched my jaw to keep from sighing. “The one and only.”
“Holy shit.” The girl who looked like Deepika waved a hand in front of her face as if she might faint. “You’reViolet’ssister? You don’t understand how obsessed I am withImmortal Nights. Is she coming today? I’d seriously die if I got to meet her.”
Violet, here?
The thought never occurred to me, and I realized how shortsighted I’d been. Why wouldn’t she be invited? After all, she was Alec’s first recording artist. Hopefully she was too busy to attend. Crossing my fingers behind my back, I turned to Xander for confirmation.
“I sent her an invite,” he said with a shrug, “but she had a scheduling conflict.”
Thank the Lord for that.
Violet’s fangirl looked crushed, but she made a quick recovery. She smiled and introduced herself as Asha. The ridiculously tall guy was Boomer, her boyfriend, but I didn’t catch how they knew Alec. Asha spent the next five minutes bombarding me with questions aboutIN. Under normal circumstances, I would have lost mypatience, but her enthusiasm was sweet. I could tell she was a true fan, and even though I hated the show, I understood her passion. Who was I to judge when I felt the exact same way about music and makeup andLady Phoenix?
“Excuse me! Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” Xander called out, waving his hands over his head. “Felicity just texted me. She and Alec are pulling into the parking lot as we speak. I know this is a surprise party, so we’re technically supposed to hide, but since there’s so many of us and there’s nowhere to do that, I think we can skip the whole jumping-out-and-yelling-surprise bit, okay?”
“Thanks for the update, Dad,” JJ said, and the room broke out into a chorus of laughter. “I’ve been meaning to ask. Did you make an agenda for today? Maybe print out a map of the building? I’d like one of those in case I get lost trying to find the bathroom.”
Xander’s lips pinched together. “Remind me again why we’re friends?” he muttered under his breath.
“Who’s Felicity?” I asked.
Asha perked up. “My best friend.”
“Alec’s girlfriend,” JJ said at the exact same moment.
The image of Alec dancing with a petite redhead flashed through my mind. “Was she at Vanessa’s wedding?”
Xander nodded.
“Interesting. When did that happen?”
“This summer. Didn’t Violet tell you?” he asked, squinting at me. “Figured she’d mention it considering the two of them look scary similar.”
“Who, Violet and Felicity?”
The bell above the door chimed, interrupting our conversation, and a guy and a girl stepped inside. I smiled instantly at the sight of Alec who, as always, looked like he’d just stepped off a fashion show runway. His nearly white hair was gelled into submission, and a pair of earbuds hung around his neck. The redhead he was holding hands with had to be Felicity, and I couldn’t help but stare. If not for her coloring, she could’ve been Violet’s twin. It was freaky, like looking at an alternate reality version of my sister.
When he noticed the crowded lobby, Alec did a double take. “Whoa, what’s everyone doing here?”
“It’s a surprise party,” Xander explained, throwing his arms up in excitement. “Are you surprised?”
Alec frowned. “Well, yeah. It’s not my birthday.”
“Oh shit. It’s not?” Oliver mock gasped. “Guess we made a mistake. Sorry, people, but it’s not Alec’s birthday. Everyone can head home now.”
Felicity laughed. It was one of those bright, bubbly laughs that made me feel self-conscious of my obnoxious chortle. “We’re here to celebrate your record label,” she told Alec. “You worked so hard to get everything up and running. You deserve congratulations.”
At first, Alec said nothing. He pressed a hand against his stomach and glanced around, a dazed expression fixed on his face. Slowly, he turned to Felicity. “Did you plan this?”
She shook her head. “It was all Xander.”
“Don’t forget about me,” JJ added. “I came in clutch with this awesome venue.”
“Wow.” Alec shook his head in an I-can’t-believe-this sort of way. “This is amazing. Thank you all so much for being here. I—I’m so overwhelmed, I don’t know what to say.”
