she got her brains because it sure wasn’t from her ex-father or me.” Birdie polished off one of the lemon bars that Patrick, the Travelers’ longtime housekeeper, had put out for the group.
Shelby Traveler, who was both Emma’s friend and, at thirty-seven, her very young mother-in-law, slipped a floppy sun hat over her ex-sorority girl’s blond bob. “Look on the bright side. She wants to keep living at home. I couldn’t wait to get away from my mother.”
“It doesn’t have anything to do with me.” Birdie swiped at the crumbs on her bathing suit. “If Kyle Bascom was going to U.T. instead of County Community, Haley’d be packing her suitcases for Austin right now. And he doesn’t even know she’s alive. I can’t stand the idea of one more Kittle woman throwing away her future for a man. I tried to get Ted to talk to her—you know how much she respects him—but he said she’s old enough to make her own decisions, which she’s not.”
They looked up as Kayla Garvin hurried around the corner of the house, the top of her two-piece swimsuit generously displaying the implants her father had bought her several years ago in hopes she could lure Ted into joining the Garvin family. “Sorry I’m late. New arrivals at the shop.” She wrinkled her nose, showing her distaste for the clothing resale shop she ran part-time to keep herself busy, but her expression brightened when she saw that Torie hadn’t shown up. Even though Torie was a close friend, Kayla didn’t like being around anyone whose body was as good as her own, not when she was wearing a swimsuit.
Today, Kayla had piled her blond hair into a fashionably unkempt knot on top of her head and wrapped a white lace sarong low on her hips. As usual, she wore full makeup and her new pavé diamond star necklace. She settled on the chaise next to Emma. “I swear, if one more woman tries to pawn off another old lady Christmas sweater on me, I’m going to lock up that resale shop and go to work for you, Birdie.”
“Thanks again for helping me out last week. That’s the second time this month Mary Alice has called in sick.” Birdie moved her freckled legs out of the sun. “Even though I need the business, I’m glad the press has finally left town. They were like a bunch of crows, poking around in our business and making fun of the town. They dogged Ted everywhere.”
Kayla reached for her favorite MAC lip gloss. “I should be thankin’ you for letting me help out that day. I wish y’all had been there when Miss Hollywood started scrambling to pay her bill. ‘Do you know who I am?’ she says, like I’m supposed to start bowing.” Kayla slicked the wand over her lips.
“She’s got more attitude than anybody I’ve ever met.” Zoey Daniels wore a conservative one-piece nut brown bathing suit a few shades darker than her skin. Believing that African American women needed to be just as vigilant against sun damage as their pale sisters, she’d chosen to sit under one of the striped umbrellas.
At thirty-two, Zoey and Kayla were the youngest members of the group. Despite their differences—one was a fashion-obsessed blond beauty queen; the other the studious young principal of Sybil Chandler Elementary School—they’d been best friends since childhood. Barely five feet tall and slender, Zoey had short, natural hair, large golden-brown eyes, and an air of worry that had become more pronounced as class sizes had grown and budgets had been cut.
She tugged on a brightly colored stretchy bracelet strung with what seemed to be lumps of dried Play-Doh. “Just the sight of that girl depresses me. I can’t wait for her to leave town. Poor Ted.”
Shelby Traveler rubbed sunblock on the tops of her feet. “He’s being so brave about what happened. It just about breaks my heart.”
Ted was special to each of them. Birdie adored him, and he’d been in and out of Shelby’s house ever since she’d married Kenny’s father, Warren. Kayla and Zoey
Shelby Traveler, who was both Emma’s friend and, at thirty-seven, her very young mother-in-law, slipped a floppy sun hat over her ex-sorority girl’s blond bob. “Look on the bright side. She wants to keep living at home. I couldn’t wait to get away from my mother.”
“It doesn’t have anything to do with me.” Birdie swiped at the crumbs on her bathing suit. “If Kyle Bascom was going to U.T. instead of County Community, Haley’d be packing her suitcases for Austin right now. And he doesn’t even know she’s alive. I can’t stand the idea of one more Kittle woman throwing away her future for a man. I tried to get Ted to talk to her—you know how much she respects him—but he said she’s old enough to make her own decisions, which she’s not.”
They looked up as Kayla Garvin hurried around the corner of the house, the top of her two-piece swimsuit generously displaying the implants her father had bought her several years ago in hopes she could lure Ted into joining the Garvin family. “Sorry I’m late. New arrivals at the shop.” She wrinkled her nose, showing her distaste for the clothing resale shop she ran part-time to keep herself busy, but her expression brightened when she saw that Torie hadn’t shown up. Even though Torie was a close friend, Kayla didn’t like being around anyone whose body was as good as her own, not when she was wearing a swimsuit.
Today, Kayla had piled her blond hair into a fashionably unkempt knot on top of her head and wrapped a white lace sarong low on her hips. As usual, she wore full makeup and her new pavé diamond star necklace. She settled on the chaise next to Emma. “I swear, if one more woman tries to pawn off another old lady Christmas sweater on me, I’m going to lock up that resale shop and go to work for you, Birdie.”
“Thanks again for helping me out last week. That’s the second time this month Mary Alice has called in sick.” Birdie moved her freckled legs out of the sun. “Even though I need the business, I’m glad the press has finally left town. They were like a bunch of crows, poking around in our business and making fun of the town. They dogged Ted everywhere.”
Kayla reached for her favorite MAC lip gloss. “I should be thankin’ you for letting me help out that day. I wish y’all had been there when Miss Hollywood started scrambling to pay her bill. ‘Do you know who I am?’ she says, like I’m supposed to start bowing.” Kayla slicked the wand over her lips.
“She’s got more attitude than anybody I’ve ever met.” Zoey Daniels wore a conservative one-piece nut brown bathing suit a few shades darker than her skin. Believing that African American women needed to be just as vigilant against sun damage as their pale sisters, she’d chosen to sit under one of the striped umbrellas.
At thirty-two, Zoey and Kayla were the youngest members of the group. Despite their differences—one was a fashion-obsessed blond beauty queen; the other the studious young principal of Sybil Chandler Elementary School—they’d been best friends since childhood. Barely five feet tall and slender, Zoey had short, natural hair, large golden-brown eyes, and an air of worry that had become more pronounced as class sizes had grown and budgets had been cut.
She tugged on a brightly colored stretchy bracelet strung with what seemed to be lumps of dried Play-Doh. “Just the sight of that girl depresses me. I can’t wait for her to leave town. Poor Ted.”
Shelby Traveler rubbed sunblock on the tops of her feet. “He’s being so brave about what happened. It just about breaks my heart.”
Ted was special to each of them. Birdie adored him, and he’d been in and out of Shelby’s house ever since she’d married Kenny’s father, Warren. Kayla and Zoey
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