21
I’m so startled to see Alexa standing there, I don’t have time to get back into character. She may think she’s looking at Halli Markham, but the girl she’s talking to is all me.
“Wh-what?” I say, looking back guiltily at the closet. I wonder what she heard.
“It’s three-thirty,” she says. “The meeting begins in half an hour. Your mother has instructed me to escort you to the conference room. Some of the board members are quite anxious to meet you. We’ll have to do something about your dog, as well.”
“The dog stays with me.”
“Your mother insists that—”
“I don’t care what she insists,” I say, feeling the return of some of the courage I had this morning. “The dog comes with me, or I’m not going.”
I can see Alexa’s jawline tighten. She’s obviously clenching her teeth.
But she smiles
