Kiss My Sass [Books 1 & 2]

[book 2] chapter three: ain't no party like a parker party

"MOM WON'T BE happy when she sees your hair," Alex said. He was sitting on my desk chair spinning in circles while I got ready.

I used my flat iron to touch up the parts of my hair that got ruined from the humidity. "Too bad because I like it." For the record, my hair looked fabulous, but I knew my mother would not be thrilled to see my bleached hair which was why I went the extra mile to look pretty tonight. If the rest of me was a ten out of ten, I was sure she'd overlook the one part that wasn't up to her standards.

I did a touch-up on my eyeliner and highlighter —yes, in the time I had spent at Cortland, I improved my makeup skills drastically— and I checked my reflection in the mirror. I decided to style my hair half-up half-down, letting my curtain bangs drop and frame my face. I snapped at Alex to get his attention before gesturing to the undone zipper on my dress. He grumpily halted his spinning and came up behind me to zip up my dress. I was wearing a lilac spaghetti-strapped fitted mini dress that clung to my body just above my mid-thigh.

Needless to say, I went from cute high-schooler Dani to hot college Dani.

I forgot Alex was still behind me until I felt a pinch on the back of my head. I yelped and turned around to see him holding a strand of my bleached hair. His eyes widened when he saw my furious expression. "Brent and I were betting you were wearing extensions to mess with Mom."

"It's my real hair, you buffoon!" With that, I escorted him out of my bedroom before slamming the door shut.

Brothers.

~*~

I didn't realize how much time had passed while I finished getting ready. By the time I came downstairs, the party was in full swing. Our backyard, which Mom had gotten remodelled last summer, was filled with as many twinkly lights as there were people. Servers were walking around with trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres — something I still had no idea how to pronounce. Large tables and tents were set up, music was playing, and the water in the pool Mom got installed two summers ago glimmered from the orange and yellow lights of the setting sun.

I entered the backyard, smiling politely at Mom's colleagues and friends as I searched for my own. I graciously accepted a glass of champagne and a ciabatta square with smoked salmon rillette from a server walking by, nibbling on the salmon as I walked through the backyard. Seeing that no one I wanted to interact with was here yet, I sat at the backyard bar Mom rented, taking the occasional sip from my champagne as I munched on the salmon. My mini feast was interrupted when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Stefano Garcia, the son of one of the lawyers at my mom's firm. I think his dad dealt with family reunification cases, but I wasn't sure.

"Daniella." I hated the sound of my proper name, but that boy's accent made anything sound beautiful. Stefano's family was from somewhere in South America, but I never cared enough to ask when he was an awkward, pimply teenager. Now, he was a full-grown hunk of a man.