From the Inside Flap
is burning up!
Late one night, an entire wing of Fowler Crest burns to the ground! Lila Fowler, already furious over a long-distance relationship gone up in smoke, swears revenge on the arsonist who left her home in ashes. Will Lila's vow of vengeance blow up in her face?
Steven Wakefield is psyched to intern at the Sweet Valley District Attorney's office. His first assignment? To investigate the Fowler Crest fire. Steven's always considered Lila the flakiest of his sisters' friends. But as he spends time with her, Steven can't help feeling a definite romantic spark. Then he finds a clue that points to Lila as the culprit! How can he prove she's guilty after losing himself in the searing passion of their first kiss? --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Sixteen-year-old Lila Fowler sat cross-legged on her four-poster canopy bed on Friday night, a gold-framed picture in her hand. A handsome face with warm brown eyes smiled out at her from the photo. Lila gazed sadly at the familiar image, feeling like her heart was breaking in two.
"Good-bye, Bo," Lila whispered aloud. Bo had called her the night before to break up. I was just calling to say hello, he had said. But actually he had been calling to say good-bye. Forever.
Lila pulled her knees up to her chest, her heart heavy. She couldn't believe it was really over. It seemed like it had just begun.
She could still remember the balmy sunny day when she had first caught sight of Bo. Their eyes had locked, and her heartbeat had accelerated. Lila had known immediately that he was the one for her.
Lila and Bo had met while they were junior counselors at Camp Echo Mountain, a performing arts camp in the mountains of Montana. Bo was a cute guy with curly brown hair and a crooked smile. At first he had given Lila the impression that he was a real back-to-nature type who loved mountain biking and rock climbing. So Lila had pretended to be just like him. She had started dressing in khaki shorts and cotton T-shirts and had become an expert in herbs and nature teas.
But then one night Bo had confessed. He admitted that his name was actually Beauregard Creighton the Third and that he came from a wealthy family in Washington, D.C. He had just been trying to impress Lila with his mountain man act. When the truth came out and they discovered that they really were alike, Lila had felt that she had met her soul mate. The first thing she and Bo had done was order a gourmet meal sent Express Mail to camp from Sweet Valley. Lila laughed softly at the memory, feeling a bittersweet pang in her heart.
After that, Lila and Bo had been inseparable. It turned out they had everything in common. They shared a love for travel and a taste for the finer things in life. Lila's mother had spent years living in France, and Bo's mother went to the Paris fashion shows twice a year. Lila and Bo had spent much of their time at camp walking along the beautiful lakefront, discussing their travel adventures and reciting French poetry.
At the end of the summer they had vowed to stay together. And they had been successful for a while. They had kept up an active correspondence and they had even met up once in New York City. But eventually their letters and phone calls had slowed down. Both of their lives started changing, and the gap between them grew wider and wider.
Lila could still hear Bo's uncomfortable voice on the phone the night before. "Lila, I think we need to talk," he had said. The pain in his voice had matched the pain in her heart.
Lila sighed. She knew it was for the best. It was impossible to keep up a long-distance relationship, and she and Bo had ended on good terms. But still, Lila couldn't help feeling miserable. It had been nice to know Bo was in her life, to anticipate his phone calls and romantic letters. Now she felt like she was all alone in the world.
And I really am alone, Lila thought, feeling sorry for herself. She slid off her bed and wrapped her arms around herself, listening to the silence. The house was completely deserted. Her parents were vacationing on a remote island somewhere in the South Pacific and couldn't even be reached by phone. The butler had the weekend off, and Lucinda, the maid, had left for the evening.
Fresh tears came to Lila's eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Lila crossed the rug and grabbed a tissue out of the box on her bureau, wiping away her tears. She glanced around her room, taking in the antique furniture, the ornate mirrors, the walk-in closets, then pulled open one of the closet doors and studied the fashionable skirts and dresses hanging up in long, neat rows. All this, she thought. For what? A Friday night home alone.
Feeling disgusted, Lila yanked open her bed room door and headed down the hall. Her soft red skirt swished lightly around her ankles. As she descended the long, winding staircase the house echoed strangely. The mansion seemed huge and hollow. Feeling chilled in her thin cotton skirt and white T-shirt, she wrapped her arms tightly around her chest.
For once Lila noticed the grandeur of Fowler Crest. The huge, twenty-room Spanish-style mansion was replete with a fountain, an Olympic-size swimming pool, and luxurious, sculptured grounds. But normally Lila wasn't aware of the splendor of the estate. Usually it just seemed like home. Now she felt like she was living in some sort of museum.
Lila walked into the living room, which her mother had recently redecorated to resemble a French salon. Mint green velvet divans sat in the middle of the floor, and gilded eighteenth-century portraits hung on the walls. Two beautiful white marble statues stood in the corner. Lila scowled. This wasn't a living room. It was a showplace. It was meant for displaying works of art, not for living in.
She crossed the floor quickly and headed into the dining room. A long rectangular glass table stretched the length of the room, and two solid oak breakfronts holding imported liqueurs and fine china stood against the wall. This was where her parents entertained. This was where they held parties for ambassadors and celebrities and important people in the business world. And this was where Lila had eaten her dinner all alone this evening.
Lila pushed through the glass French doors leading into the ballroom. An imposing black grand piano stood in the corner, and high-backed upholstered gold chairs were scattered about the floor. The most impressive feature was the baroque painting that covered the arched ceiling depicting a Mother Earth figure surrounded by tiny, flying angels.
Lila crossed the pink marble floor, hearing her footsteps resonate in the airy salon. She stood still in the middle of the room, feeling like a stranger in her own home.
I have all this, Lila thought dryly, spreading her arms wide. She slumped down in a velvet gold chair, a tear in her eye. Nothing.
"I am so psyched that Steven is coming home tomorrow!" Jessica Wakefield exclaimed on Friday evening. She was standing at the counter of the cheerful, yellow Wakefield kitchen, chopping up walnuts on a wooden cuffing board.
"So am I," her twin sister, Elizabeth, agreed from the table, where she was outlining the letters of a big Welcome Home sign.
Jessica and Elizabeth were planning a brunch for their older brother, Steven, who was returning the next day. Steven was a freshman at Sweet Valley University. A prelaw student, Steven planned to one day become an attorney like his father. He had been given a fantastic opportunity to do an internship with the Sweet Valley District Attorney's office and would be staying at home all semester.
"It's too bad Mom and Dad aren't around," Elizabeth remarked, reaching for a felt-tipped green marker from the middle of the table. "Then we could have really had a family reunion." Their mother, an interior designer, was attending a conference in Chicago, and their father had accompanied her for the weekend.
Jessica threw a quick look over at her sister to see if she was kidding. But Elizabeth looked entirely serious as she shaded in the letters of her banner. Jessica dumped her chopped-up nuts into a bowl of muffin batter, shaking her head. Was Elizabeth crazy? It was great that their parents were out of town for the weekend. That meant they could do something really wild--like have a huge party.
Jessica stirred her batter, pondering the idea. With no parents to worry about for two whole days, they could have the bash of the season. In fact, they could have a surprise party and invite all Steven's friends as well. And since it would be a surprise, Steven couldn't possibly refuse. Jessica smiled to herself. Sometimes she even impressed herself with her brilliance.
"I think we should throw a big bash tomorrow night to welcome Steven back," Jessica announced. "We could invite everyone and have a live band, like the Droids." The more she thought about it, the more Jessica was getting excited about the idea.
"Whoa!" Elizabeth said, holding up a hand. "I don't think Mom and Dad would be too thrilled about the idea of us having a party when they're not around." She cocked her head and studied her work. Then she picked up a fuchsia marker and began coloring in a letter.
Jessica rolled her eyes. "That's exactly the point, dummy. Since they're not here, they don't have to know." She leaned over to preheat the oven.
"Jess, do you remember what happened the last time we threw a party without permission?" Elizabeth pointed out.
Jessica's lips turned down in a scowl as she thought back to the event. Not so long ago she and Elizabeth had visited Steven at Sweet Valley University.&#... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
![Lila's New Flame (Sweet Valley High Book 135) by [Francine Pascal]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/515gknnkkmL._SY346_.jpg)
