A Very Malibu Vacay, page 10
Zee
Oof. So what happens now? Is he going home with you all?
Ally
No, he’s coming in a few days. He has to finish some business here first.
Zee
That means your two dads will be in the same place at the same time.
Ally
Don’t call him my dad. I have one dad. Vincent’s just… a friend. For now. Ugh, this is so weird.
Zee
Does your dad know about him yet?
Ally
No idea, but he’s about to find out.
Zee
I’m so sad we didn’t get to see more of each other.
Ally
I know. Don’t worry, we’ll see each other in Europe. Maybe I can come to London for spring break. If Mom’s gonna spend all her time with Vincent, I’ll need to escape from their company somehow.
Zee
Done! Let’s plan a spring fling!
• • •
The entire Carmichael crew sat down at the dining room table packed with meats, cheeses, roasted vegetables, and homemade biscuits and puddings. Gabriella sat next to Adam and across from Zee.
“Did he text you back?” Gabriella asked Zee.
“Oh,” Zee said. “I almost forgot. Yeah, he did.”
“Told you,” Gabriella said. “So what now?”
Zee shrugged. “I dunno. See if he buys a plane ticket to London?”
The girls laughed and tucked into the dishes in front of them. Reaching for a biscuit, Zee smiled as she thought about the possibility of having a reunion with Landon in London.
“This looks like the last supper!” Mrs. Carmichael exclaimed when she saw the spread for dinner assembled by Camilla.
“It is the last supper, Mrs. Carmichael,” Camilla said in response. “So enjoy!”
“This is our last dinner all together in Malibu, guys,” Mr. Carmichael said.
“Well, not, like, ever,” Zee said.
“Of course not, we’ll be back,” Mrs. Carmichael said. “Maybe we should make this a regular tradition.”
Zee pulled her seat closer to the roasted corn and reached her arm over for an ear as Adam and Gabriella talked about next semester’s classes. The twins dug their spoons into the sweet potato mash Camilla portioned out for them, and Mr. Carmichael took a bite of roasted duck and greens as he nodded his head to his wife. Zee felt relaxed as she gazed out at the patio beyond the kitchen, the ocean waves lapping against the shore in the distance.
“I’m going to miss this view,” Zee said.
“I’m sure we all will,” Mr. Carmichael said. “But looking out on the rolling greens and old trees of the Cotswolds will be nice too.”
Zee looked over at him. “Not the same, Dad.”
He wiped his mouth. “After dinner, we’ll have one last round of s’mores around the firepit before we go to bed, okay?”
“Yes!” Zee said. She smiled at her family gathered around the table, her heart swelling in her chest as she ate her last family dinner in Malibu.
• • •
Zee turned over in bed, looking out the window at the sky turning brighter with each passing minute from under the covers. She still had some packing left to do, but she was saving it for the very last minute. The rest of the house was awake already, as if eager to pack and head back to their respective homes.
Adam packed up with Gabriella’s help and enjoyed one last breakfast together with the family before getting ready to drive to Stanford. Standing by the car, Gabriella gave Zee a hug.
“Thanks for all the great advice,” Zee said. “It’s good to talk to someone who, like, knows this stuff.”
“Of course,” Gabriella said. “You have my number, right? Call me any time you want to chat! Don’t be a stranger.”
“I will, and I won’t,” Zee said.
Zee turned to her brother. He threw his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in toward his chest. “Miss you, kid. I’ll be stalking you on social. So don’t do anything bad,” he said.
“Adam!”
“I’m just kidding,” Adam said. “Maybe we’ll come to London for spring break. Mom, that a good idea?”
“That would be perfect, sweetie! Let’s look at flights for the spring,” Mrs. Carmichael said.
Zee smiled. Between Ally and Adam, and maybe Landon too, it looked like Zee would have a full house for Easter.
• • •
Lying on her bed, Zee pulled out her phone and opened Instagram. Her mother’s stories were freshly updated. Zee clicked to see the latest video that included highlights from the entire vacation. It opened with a long shot of the food, panning over the yummy dishes they ate during their holidays. Then Mrs. Carmichael got close-ups of the twins, Zee and Adam, and finally Mr. Carmichael and Camilla. There was footage from Christmas Eve and of their matching pajamas photo shoot, and from Christmas, with the twins opening their gifts in the morning and being wowed by what Santa had delivered, and Christmas dinner with the entire family.
There were lots of photos and video clips of the family smiling at the table, laughing at jokes, the twins drooling then smearing food against their high chair tables and laughing hysterically. There was also a shot of Mr. Carmichael giving a cheers, followed by some lighthearted music. Wait, that song sounds familiar, Zee thought.
“I don’t need fancy gifts, big toys or trains,
Just wanna be near the fire again with you…”
“That’s my song!” Zee said. “Aw, Mom!”
The video ended with a shot of Zee and her father sitting around the firepit roasting marshmallows from Christmas night. Then the twins walked in frame wearing their pajamas and looking ready for bed, Camilla following closely behind. Then Adam and Gabriella walked in, Gabriella wearing a red jumper and leggings, looking like a supermodel on holiday, and Adam wearing cozy sweats and slippers. Finally, Mrs. Carmichael walked in and sat next to Zee’s father, resting her head on top of his shoulder. The entire family gathered around the fire, roasting marshmallows.
How in the world did she get that shot? Zee wondered.
The video closed out with text in handwritten script: My biggest and most treasured gifts. All perfect. All mine. Happy holidays.
Zee dabbed a tear away that formed in the corner of her eye. Her mother successfully curated an amazing and perfect-looking holiday break. Though she did try to art direct every single photo on her feed, Zee knew what made it truly special, and it had nothing to do with fancy photos. Being together was what made it all magical.
18
BACK IN THE U.K.
London was just as Zee had left it—cold, busy, full of people bustling around. Remnants of the holidays lingered, with bright lights and decorations hanging in some storefronts and wreaths on lampposts. Still, it was time for Zee to consider her next semester at The Hollows. She needed to prepare for reentry.
She flopped down in the blue bean bag in her bedroom, taking a load off after many hours of travel and dragging her heavy suitcase from the airport back home in Notting Hill. Zee looked at her guitar. “You and I have some catching up to do,” she said out loud.
Zee pulled out her journal and read through some of the memories she’d written down over the past few weeks. She already missed Chloe and Ally. And Mr. P. And Landon. “Landon,” Zee said out loud. “Wonder if he really will visit me here?”
Then Zee thought about what she was going back to at The Hollows. She wondered what the next semester of classes would be like. Harder? Better? She wondered if Izzy and Jasper were going to come out as an official couple on the first day of classes. Zee felt again a slight twinge in her chest when she thought about Izzy’s YouTube video with Jasper in it.
Her eyes drifted to the guitar again. Zee picked up the instrument and started to play. She quickly became lost in stringing melodies and getting in the groove of having her hands on the instrument again.
Suddenly, her phone rang. It rang again and again. It was too annoying to ignore. She fished through her purse and picked it up, focusing her eyes on the caller ID. Archie. Then he sent a text.
Archie
Cali, Cali, Cali. Are you back in London?
Zee didn’t know what to say. She had barely heard from him on break, and now, two days before school started, he was interested to know if she was home. Her heart fluttered. Archie still had some effect on her.
Zee
Hi there. Where are you?
Archie
London. Wicked break. Skiing in Gstaad, Christmas in Geneva. Back home for New Year’s. Parents bought too much stuff over the holidays and now they’re flipping out over where to put everything. Well, really, Mum is flipping out.
Zee
That’s funny.
Archie
Yeah. So do I have to wait until school begins to see you? You’re in London and I’m in London. We could hang out now. Right?
Zee thought about it. Her heart did that flip-flop thing it did whenever Archie called. Or texted. Or looked at her. She thought about their happy times at Moe’s Coffee Shop and jamming away in the music studio. It would be just her and Archie, two friends, hanging out. I mean, that’s what friends do during holiday break, right?
Zee
Well, yeah, but I’m in Notting Hill. How are we going to meet?
Archie
I’ll have my driver take me wherever you want to meet. Your house?
Zee thought hard. Should she meet him here at her house? That seems too close for comfort, she thought to herself. I don’t want Mom and Dad to grill him around the dinner table.
Zee
No, that’s OK! Maybe we could meet somewhere close? There’s a great place by me with killer sandwiches.
Archie
Why don’t you meet me at Soho House? Have your dad bring you or I can send my driver to you to meet me there.
Zee thought about it. That sounds rather posh for a casual catch-up.
Zee
Let me ask my parents.
Archie
We could get a late lunch and then hang out. My treat.
Zee
Right.
Zee was already exhausted just thinking about the logistics of meeting up. Did she really want to jump into a face-to-face with Archie after a long transcontinental flight? School started in just a few days.
Zee
Maybe we can just meet at Moe’s when we get back to campus. Like old times.
Archie
Old times? Or good times?
Zee smiled.
Zee
Both.
Archie didn’t respond for a few seconds. Then his reply came.
Archie
See you at our usual table, Cali.
Zee put her phone on her desk. She felt reassured that their friendship was back on normal terms.
She looked at her guitar. She picked up the instrument, snuggled into her blue bean bag chair across from the window, and started strumming a few chords. An image of Archie popped back into her head, followed by a flash of them together at their usual table at Moe’s.
Zee recited lyrics to herself. “Some things never change, some ties are unbroken, never frayed…”
Her heart fluttered in her chest. She shook her head and continued strumming chords on her guitar, smiling.
THE END
Read on to see what happens with Zee and her friends in Book 5 of The Zee Files, New Beginnings.
1
NEW ARRIVALS
Mackenzie “Zee” Carmichael’s phone was buzzing. The incoming message was short and unexpected.
Archie
I’m outside.
It sent Zee into a tizzy.
She was in her room unpacking the flip flops, shorts, and a few bathing suits still balled up in her suitcase from winter break. The Carmichaels had recently returned from vacation in California, the first time they’d been back to their home state since moving to London in the fall. Zee felt refreshed after three weeks in Malibu living next to the ocean and seeing the palm trees and beaches again. She still had a touch of a California tan on her skin after hanging out under sunny skies.
While in Malibu, Zee had hung out with her best friends Ally Stern and Chloe Lawrence-Johnson, and visited her old school, Brookdale Academy, where she reunited with her old band, The Beans. The Carmichaels even hosted a holiday party at their rental house, which Zee’s friends and family described many times over as “epic.”
Now, Zee was back in London, reminiscing about the good times she had on holiday. In just a few days, she would be back at The Hollows Creative Arts Academy, back in her uniform with the wool blazer, and the warm California air would be just a memory she’d have while walking to class in the chilly air of the English countryside.
Campus life wasn’t all bad, however. In the few months at the boarding school, Zee had made new friends, like her roommate Jameela Chopra and their dormmate, Izzy Matthews, who had her own YouTube channel about life at boarding school. Zee had reconnected with Jasper Chapman, who she knew before as a transfer student at Brookdale Academy before he returned to London to The Hollows. Aside from finding friends, Zee had performed in the school’s Creative Arts Festival and went to the fall school dance with her pals. She had also had her first romantic relationship, with Archie Saint John, but that ended almost as quickly as it began. By the time they had left for winter break, Archie and Zee had decided to be just friends.
A lot had happened in the first semester of her new school. What’s next from here? Zee had wondered.
Apparently, it was a surprise visit, because right now her ex said he was here. In front of her house. Waiting to see her.
Zee had told Archie she’d see him on campus in a few days. What in mylanta did he mean that he was outside?! she thought frantically.
Zee
Um hi? You’re here? How do you know where I live? How did you get here?
Archie
I told you I have a driver. And your address was in the school directory. Come outside.
Zee froze. She was not prepared to see an ex-boyfriend. Not only was she still wearing an old sleepshirt and leggings, she didn’t want to introduce him to her parents, much less let them know he was outside. She looked around her room, quickly springing into action. She had to do something. She certainly couldn’t face Archie looking like she just rolled out of bed.
Zee grabbed a cashmere sweater from her closet, pulled it over her head, then smoothed her long, curly hair up toward the crown of her head and wrapped it into a smooth bun. She put on some lip gloss, took a deep breath, and tiptoed downstairs.
Mr. Carmichael wasn’t home, though Mrs. Carmichael was in the kitchen with Zee’s twin siblings Phoebe and Connor, along with the twins’ nanny, Camilla. Luckily, all were too busy to notice Zee grab her coat and sneak out the door. As she walked toward the front gate, Zee saw Archie standing there on the sidewalk in front of a black SUV with a small wrapped box in his hands.
He smiled at her. “Merry Christmas.”
“You’re a few weeks late,” Zee quipped.
“Better late than never,” he said, handing her the box. “Just something small.”
Zee took the box and opened it. Inside was a selection of chocolates. She smiled and thought back to her party in Malibu, where her old Brookdale classmate and former crush Landon Beck had also gifted her chocolates. I guess this is what guys do to charm girls, Zee thought. It works. “Thank you,” she said.
“How was your holiday?” Archie asked. “And open the chocolates and try one. They’re Swiss.”
“California was great,” Zee said. “Saw old friends, ate a ton, had a party.”
“And you didn’t invite me?”
“Didn’t think you’d show,” Zee said. She took a bite of one of the chocolates. “These are good.”
“Ah, Cali, I’d have made it,” Archie said, leaning against the car. “Okay, maybe not. That’s quite a long flight. My driver, Chazz, would only take me across town without telling my parents.”
Zee looked up at him, surprised. “Your parents don’t know you’re here?”
“They’re too busy to notice. Besides, I just came to say hello, see how you are, give you this little gift, and, you know…” Archie looked down at his shoes and shifted from foot to foot. “I missed you.”
Zee bit her lower lip. Archie knew how to make her blush ever since they first met. While he was known to be aloof and withdrawn to most people, with Zee he was warm and attentive and eager to chat.
“It’s nice of you to come here,” Zee said.
“You’ve been on my mind,” Archie said. “I’ve been working on some new music. Maybe that’s why.”
“Oh!” Zee said excitedly, putting her hand on Archie’s forearm without thinking. “I got my guitar back from California! And I’ve been writing too. Maybe when we get back on campus, we can get those jam sessions going again in the music hall, like we used to.”
“Right,” Archie said. “I finally get to see you really play. That would be cool.”
Zee pulled her hand back to her side and smiled at him. Archie smiled back at her. Then the two looked away from each other. A gentle breeze fluttered through the air and a light snow flurry began to fall from the sky.
The car window lowered and the driver inside said to Archie, “We’d better get back.”
“Right,” Archie said. He turned to Zee. “I’ll see you on campus. Tea at Moe’s?”
“Of course,” Zee said.
Archie leaned in toward Zee and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Then he turned around and got inside the car, while Zee slowly walked back toward her house. She gave a little wave to Archie as the car drove off, then held her hand to her cheek where he had kissed her. Though it was cold enough to start snowing outside, her face still felt warm where Archie’s lips met her cheek.
• • •
After a good night’s rest, Zee woke up to a quiet Saturday morning. She had no plans on her agenda and therefore no reason to get out of the candy cane–striped holiday pajamas that she had bought to match with Ally and Chloe. After this weekend, I’ll have to put these pajamas away until next year, Zee reasoned to herself. So I gotta get every last minute out of them.
