Inheritance by Malinda Lo Read Free Book Online

another on the far side. While Diana sat on the couch with her water, Bonnie brought Reese and David several outfits to try on.
    First there were dresses for Reese: a little black one that seemed more appropriate for a formal dinner than an interview, even if it was on television. Diana nixed that one with a sharp shake of her head, saying, “Too cocktail hour.” Next, Bonnie brought over a spaghetti-strap number with a bubble skirt in agauzy blue-green fabric. Reese felt half-naked when she put it on, and when she came out of her curtained nook to stand in front of the mirrors, she crossed her arms over her chest. Bonnie approached her with a pair of shiny white heels and Reese stepped into them, wobbling, as David came out of his corner wearing black pants and a gray shirt with a vest and tie. He looked like he was going to a gentlemen’s club—the kind with cigars and scotch—while she looked like she was going to a nightclub—the kind with a velvet rope and starlets.
    “They’re high school students,” Diana said, sounding cross. “Don’t dress her like an actress, and don’t dress him like the 1950s. We’re going for young, approachable. Genuine.”
    Bonnie murmured an apology, saying she was only getting started. Reese caught David looking at her in the mirror and he grinned.
Nice dress
, he mouthed. She blushed and took off the shoes.
    After that, the clothes were a little more normal. Bonnie pulled out a pair of jeans that had a price tag so high Reese couldn’t believe she was allowed to try them on, and an appliquéd T-shirt that was so soft and thin Reese had to wear a tank top beneath it and a nearly see-through sweater over it. To her relief, Bonnie gave her a pair of sneakers to go with the outfit, and this time when she walked out into the dressing room, she felt much more like herself.
    “That’s more like it,” Diana said approvingly. “You looked so nervous before. This suits you much better.”
    David got new jeans too, as well as a long-sleeved blue-gray button-down shirt printed with faded pinstripes, worn over a black T-shirt.
    “That’s it,” Diana said, jumping up. She adjusted the sleeves on David’s shirt, rolling them up over his forearms. “You both look great. The audience will love you.” She pulled her phone out of the pocket of her burgundy suit jacket and snapped photos of the two of them. “I’ll e-mail them to you so you know how to dress on Monday. Now why don’t you change back into your own clothes, and then come out here so we can have a chat.”
    Once Reese and David had emerged from their curtained corners, Diana handed Bonnie a credit card and asked her to ring up their new outfits and give them a few minutes alone. Then she gestured for David and Reese to sit on the couch while she perched on the chair nearby.
    “I’ve been in touch with Jeff Highsmith, and we’re arranging to shoot the interview at your school,” Diana said.
    “At Kennedy?” Reese said, surprised.
    “Yes. It will underscore the fact that the two of you are still high school students. It was my idea, and Jeff agreed. If we play our cards right, everyone who sees the interview will adore you two.”
    Reese glanced at David, who seemed a little uneasy. “What do you mean?” he asked.
    Diana smiled. “There’s more to this interview than telling the world what happened to you last week. That’s certainly important, but there are other things that can influence the public’s perception of you.” Diana gave them both a frank look. “You must be aware that there’s been some talk about your relationship.”
    Reese stiffened.
    Diana reached out and patted her on the knee. “It’s mostly harmless. But the sight of the two of you holding hands reallyfired up the imagination, shall we say. I’ll ask Sophia to go easy on you, because you deserve your privacy. And she won’t push you too far; you’re both under eighteen and everybody has a soft spot for a high school romance. But