Page 125 of Dream On, Ramona Riley

This was from Ramona, who said it fast, then pressed her hands to her reddening cheeks.

“God, I’m sorry,” she said. “None of my business.”

“No, but you’re right,” Noelle said. “That’s what I was thinking too. It’s not…desperate enough.” Noelle tapped her chin with her iPad’s stylus. “Maybe something in stripes. What do you think?”

It seemed to take Ramona a second to realize Noelle’s question was directed at her. Dylan had to nudge her shoulder.

“Oh, me?” Ramona asked.

“You,” Noelle said, not even looking at her. She was still glaring at the blue cotton.

“Um, well.”

Dylan watched as Ramona closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“I think you’re right,” she finally said. “It needs more.”

Noelle nodded, then snapped her stylus into the holder on the top of her iPad. “Come with me, both of you.”

“Both…both of us?” Ramona asked.

Noelle just waved them on as she headed toward the door. “I need to change Dylan, and I need someone else’s input other than my own exhausted brain.”

And with that, she vanished into the house.

“Better follow her,” Dylan said, taking Ramona’s hand and starting toward the door. “Trust me, what Noelle wants, Noelle gets.”

Ramona’s eyes glittered as they followed Noelle into the airy house and toward the main bedroom, which was doubling as wardrobe and makeup.

“Is this really happening?” Ramona asked when they stepped inside the room.

“Is what happening?” Dylan asked.

“I mean…” Ramona shook her head. “Noelle Yang. Talking to me. Asking my opinion.”

“You’re a fan of Noelle’s?”

Ramona’s starstruck expression faded. She frowned, opened her mouth, but nothing came out. “I—”

“Okay, here’s what we’ve got,” Noelle said, motioning toward a metal rack of dresses. “What do you think? Muslin? Stripes?”

Ramona snapped her mouth shut, then squeezed Dylan’s hand once before she released it, and walked over to Noelle. Soon the two of them were talking fabrics, cut, hem length, Dylan all but forgotten. Dylan watched Ramona, fascinated, pride swelling in her chest.

Pride, and something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

Don’t be so naive, Dylan.

That’s what Jocelyn had said to Dylan at Jocelyn’s birthday party. The party Dylan had planned and paid for. The party where they broke up because Jocelyn chose that moment to announce her record deal with Evenflow Records, Jack Monroe to produce. Adeal Dylan had never known about before that moment. A deal she didn’t even know her girlfriend had wanted.

Everyone wants something. Everyone has an angle.

Dylan shook her head, swallowed down her doubts, and watched her girlfr—

Watched Ramona pick out her dress.

Chapter

Thirty-Two