She couldn’t believe her cousin was moving to California —and she really couldn’t believe she wished she wasn’t. What was wrong with her? How could she be feeling anything but “good riddance” after all that Kelly had done to her? But she missed her ex-best friend already. Playing with her gold napkin ring, Alison felt a pang. She remembered what dinners at Grandmother Diamond’s were like when she and Kelly were little. The sneaking and secrets and shared smiles. They had been two peas in a gilded pod, cousins and best friends forever. Where had that Kelly —and that Alison—gone? Alison swallowed a sip of ice water. It was the same temperature as her insides. Highly chilled. She wished she could talk to Kelly about everything that was going on. Though she had practically grown up here, actually living at Grandmother Diamond’s house was so weird—more like being a prisoner than a guest. Tamara had been nothing but generous to Alison since she’d moved in, but Alison knew Her Highness was keeping close tabs on her.
