school. Someplace called Rockhurst, I think. He moved away after sixth grade.”
“What’s his name?” Mac prodded, beating Laura to the punch.
“Kent Wakefield,” Ginger supplied.
“Wakefield,” Laura repeated, and shrugged, not recognizing the name. She looked at Mac, who shrugged as well.
“Um, Mackenzie.” Ginger sat up on her heels. “Any chance you could ask Alex if I could borrow an old Caldwell Academy yearbook from when we were all in sixth grade? I want to look Kent up, see if anything jogs my brain.”
“Sure,” Mac said before asking, “You really have to sit for him? Won’t that be boring?”
“Well, I think it’s très exciting,” Laura said, wishing Mac would stop being such a drag. “Do y’all remember the scene in Titanic where Kate Winslet poses for Leo, and she’s wearing, like, nothing except that necklace and you can tell right then and there how much they’re in love.” Laura feigned a swoon, falling back on the cushions. “Oh, man, that was beautiful!”
“I think I just threw up in my mouth a little,” Mac said dryly.
But Ginger looked amused, at least momentarily. “Theonly bad thing about it is I’ll have my first sitting tomorrow night at Rose’s right after the deb orientation meeting.” She winced. “So I can’t sneak off to Marble Slab with y’all afterward.”
“Wait a minute, wait a minute.” Mac gesticulated wildly. “I thought we were doing all this deb crap together. You can’t bail on us,” she groaned.
“Yes, she can, if it’s important,” Laura chastised, and Mac scowled in response. Then she turned to Ginger and gushed, “How totally cool to have your deb portrait done. The rest of us will just have dumb old photographs to show for it, but you’ll have real art.”
“I hoped you’d understand,” Ginger said, sounding relieved. “And I promise I’ll meet y’all there, and we can all sit together.” Her wide mouth curved into a full-fledged grin. “It’s gonna be so amazing, being with you two at Rosebud orientation, getting our handbooks—”
“And watching Jo Lynn Bidwell and her Bimbo Cartel squirm, knowing how much they loathe the fact that we’re there at all,” Laura said, butting in, and Ginger giggled.
“Let’s just hope Jo-L doesn’t get wind of your messing around with her boyfriend at the club gym this morning,” Mac said pointedly.
“I wasn’t messing around with him,” Laura snapped back, wanting to put the smack-down on her for even bringing that up, when Laura hadn’t spilled that part of her plan to Ginger yet.
Ginger wrinkled her pert nose, looking clueless. “What’s this about you and Dillon? What’d I miss?” was all she got out before the melodic ding-dong of the door chimes interrupted them.
Before Laura could open her mouth, Tincy called out, “Sweetheart! Would you come out here, please? You’ve got another delivery!”
“Another delivery?” Mac squinted. “Have you been watching QVC? You didn’t order, like, fifty lip-gloss holders with mirrors or something?”
“No, smart-ass, I didn’t order lip-gloss holders,” Laura said, getting up from the sofa and marching barefoot toward the pocket doors, sliding them open. “I think it’s from my secret admirer,” she tossed over her shoulder before she raced toward the foyer, the noise of Mac’s and Ginger’s footsteps right behind her.
“Where is it?” Laura ran up to Tincy, who was carrying a box toward the kitchen.
“It’s all yours,” her mom said once she’d set it down on the glass and wrought-iron breakfast table.
Hardly aware that Mac and Ginger had gathered around her, Laura glanced at the Fairytale Bakery return address, her adrenaline rushing. She didn’t waste a minute, ripping the package open and spilling out its contents from a nest of Styro foam peanuts. She plucked out a purple box from its center and opened it wide to reveal dozens of brownies, a bag of cashews, and a big jar of caramel sauce for
“What’s his name?” Mac prodded, beating Laura to the punch.
“Kent Wakefield,” Ginger supplied.
“Wakefield,” Laura repeated, and shrugged, not recognizing the name. She looked at Mac, who shrugged as well.
“Um, Mackenzie.” Ginger sat up on her heels. “Any chance you could ask Alex if I could borrow an old Caldwell Academy yearbook from when we were all in sixth grade? I want to look Kent up, see if anything jogs my brain.”
“Sure,” Mac said before asking, “You really have to sit for him? Won’t that be boring?”
“Well, I think it’s très exciting,” Laura said, wishing Mac would stop being such a drag. “Do y’all remember the scene in Titanic where Kate Winslet poses for Leo, and she’s wearing, like, nothing except that necklace and you can tell right then and there how much they’re in love.” Laura feigned a swoon, falling back on the cushions. “Oh, man, that was beautiful!”
“I think I just threw up in my mouth a little,” Mac said dryly.
But Ginger looked amused, at least momentarily. “Theonly bad thing about it is I’ll have my first sitting tomorrow night at Rose’s right after the deb orientation meeting.” She winced. “So I can’t sneak off to Marble Slab with y’all afterward.”
“Wait a minute, wait a minute.” Mac gesticulated wildly. “I thought we were doing all this deb crap together. You can’t bail on us,” she groaned.
“Yes, she can, if it’s important,” Laura chastised, and Mac scowled in response. Then she turned to Ginger and gushed, “How totally cool to have your deb portrait done. The rest of us will just have dumb old photographs to show for it, but you’ll have real art.”
“I hoped you’d understand,” Ginger said, sounding relieved. “And I promise I’ll meet y’all there, and we can all sit together.” Her wide mouth curved into a full-fledged grin. “It’s gonna be so amazing, being with you two at Rosebud orientation, getting our handbooks—”
“And watching Jo Lynn Bidwell and her Bimbo Cartel squirm, knowing how much they loathe the fact that we’re there at all,” Laura said, butting in, and Ginger giggled.
“Let’s just hope Jo-L doesn’t get wind of your messing around with her boyfriend at the club gym this morning,” Mac said pointedly.
“I wasn’t messing around with him,” Laura snapped back, wanting to put the smack-down on her for even bringing that up, when Laura hadn’t spilled that part of her plan to Ginger yet.
Ginger wrinkled her pert nose, looking clueless. “What’s this about you and Dillon? What’d I miss?” was all she got out before the melodic ding-dong of the door chimes interrupted them.
Before Laura could open her mouth, Tincy called out, “Sweetheart! Would you come out here, please? You’ve got another delivery!”
“Another delivery?” Mac squinted. “Have you been watching QVC? You didn’t order, like, fifty lip-gloss holders with mirrors or something?”
“No, smart-ass, I didn’t order lip-gloss holders,” Laura said, getting up from the sofa and marching barefoot toward the pocket doors, sliding them open. “I think it’s from my secret admirer,” she tossed over her shoulder before she raced toward the foyer, the noise of Mac’s and Ginger’s footsteps right behind her.
“Where is it?” Laura ran up to Tincy, who was carrying a box toward the kitchen.
“It’s all yours,” her mom said once she’d set it down on the glass and wrought-iron breakfast table.
Hardly aware that Mac and Ginger had gathered around her, Laura glanced at the Fairytale Bakery return address, her adrenaline rushing. She didn’t waste a minute, ripping the package open and spilling out its contents from a nest of Styro foam peanuts. She plucked out a purple box from its center and opened it wide to reveal dozens of brownies, a bag of cashews, and a big jar of caramel sauce for
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