smile of a pageant queen and the energy of a two-year-old hyped up on red Kool-Aid.
“I told Rosie that you’d be even more gorgeous than ever, and I was right.” The older woman wrapped Lorelei in a bear hug that threatened to pop a lung. Releasing her as quickly as she’d grabbed her, Pearl pushed Lorelei an arm’s length away. “You could cut glass with those cheekbones, darling. And you’re so thin I can practically see right through you.” With a sigh, she added, “But she’s still as pretty as ever, isn’t she, Spencer?”
“Yes, ma’am. Almost as pretty as you are.”
Pearl tapped Spencer on the arm as her cheeks turned pink. “Oh, go on now. You’re only buttering me up so I’ll save you some of my pineapple upside-down cake. But if you want you a piece, you’re going to have to buy it like everybody else.”
Spencer strolled forward with Pearl on his arm, the pair leaving Lorelei without a backward glance. “Been saving my cash for just that reason,” he said. “Come on, Lor. Time to get to work.”
“Right behind you,” she said, telling herself she was not jealous of the older woman. And to be fair, Lorelei did remember Pearl’s pineappleupside-down cake and wished she’d brought some cash of her own to get a piece. Maybe Spencer would share.
Remembering what Spencer had said in the truck, Lorelei passed through the crowd flashing a friendly smile at anyone who met her eye. It seemed to be working, as she received numerous smiles in return. Gloria Harper, who’d attempted to instill an appreciation of Shakespeare into Lorelei during tenth-grade English class, patted her on the shoulder and said, “It’s lovely to see you again, Miss Pratchett.”
Miss Harper had always referred to Lorelei as Miss Pratchett. She hadn’t bestowed this honor on any of her other students, which made Lorelei feel as if she were different. Better in Miss Harper’s eyes. It was nice to know she still had at least one ally in town, other than Spencer and Granny. And Pearl, she supposed.
“Are all of these people raising money for the theater?” Lorelei asked as she reached Granny, who was putting out bags of sugar cookies with five per bag.
“All of them,” Granny said. “And it took some doing, but we got the church counsel to waive the fee for using the hall.”
“How Christian of them,” Lorelei said, counting the tables forming a U around three sides of the space. “Eighteen stands. Not bad.” Squinting toward a table in the far corner, she asked, “What’s that one over on the end? Did someone not get the baked goods memo?”
Granny looked in the direction Lorelei indicated. “That’s Snow’s Curiosity Shop. Her store sits on the corner of Fourth and Main, not far off the square. Lovely young woman. Claims she can’t bake to save her life, so we let her bring whatever she wants so long as the proceeds go to the cause.”
“Her name is Snow?” Lorelei didn’t know if the woman behind the table was the Snow in question, but considering the giant ball of black curls surrounding the olive-toned face, the name would be ironic if it were.
“Snow Cameron. Been in town about a year, I guess.” Granny looked up from her cookie arranging. “Is that right, Pearl? How long has Snow been here?”
Pearl looked up as if the answer could be found in the dingy ceiling tiles. “Snow rolled into Cooper’s garage last June, so that’s right. She’s been here a year this month.”
They made it sound like the woman dropped out of the sky. A sign of how infrequently newcomers strolled into town to stay, considering Pearl remembered it practically to the day.
“Wait. Cooper? As in Cooper Ridgeway?”
“You’ve got it,” Spencer said, chiming in as he hefted a box of baked goods onto Pearl’s table. “Cooper bought the garage when Tanner Drury’s wife finally convinced him to retire. That was three years ago now.”
Lorelei had no idea why she found the soap opera that was
As Ardent
“I told Rosie that you’d be even more gorgeous than ever, and I was right.” The older woman wrapped Lorelei in a bear hug that threatened to pop a lung. Releasing her as quickly as she’d grabbed her, Pearl pushed Lorelei an arm’s length away. “You could cut glass with those cheekbones, darling. And you’re so thin I can practically see right through you.” With a sigh, she added, “But she’s still as pretty as ever, isn’t she, Spencer?”
“Yes, ma’am. Almost as pretty as you are.”
Pearl tapped Spencer on the arm as her cheeks turned pink. “Oh, go on now. You’re only buttering me up so I’ll save you some of my pineapple upside-down cake. But if you want you a piece, you’re going to have to buy it like everybody else.”
Spencer strolled forward with Pearl on his arm, the pair leaving Lorelei without a backward glance. “Been saving my cash for just that reason,” he said. “Come on, Lor. Time to get to work.”
“Right behind you,” she said, telling herself she was not jealous of the older woman. And to be fair, Lorelei did remember Pearl’s pineappleupside-down cake and wished she’d brought some cash of her own to get a piece. Maybe Spencer would share.
Remembering what Spencer had said in the truck, Lorelei passed through the crowd flashing a friendly smile at anyone who met her eye. It seemed to be working, as she received numerous smiles in return. Gloria Harper, who’d attempted to instill an appreciation of Shakespeare into Lorelei during tenth-grade English class, patted her on the shoulder and said, “It’s lovely to see you again, Miss Pratchett.”
Miss Harper had always referred to Lorelei as Miss Pratchett. She hadn’t bestowed this honor on any of her other students, which made Lorelei feel as if she were different. Better in Miss Harper’s eyes. It was nice to know she still had at least one ally in town, other than Spencer and Granny. And Pearl, she supposed.
“Are all of these people raising money for the theater?” Lorelei asked as she reached Granny, who was putting out bags of sugar cookies with five per bag.
“All of them,” Granny said. “And it took some doing, but we got the church counsel to waive the fee for using the hall.”
“How Christian of them,” Lorelei said, counting the tables forming a U around three sides of the space. “Eighteen stands. Not bad.” Squinting toward a table in the far corner, she asked, “What’s that one over on the end? Did someone not get the baked goods memo?”
Granny looked in the direction Lorelei indicated. “That’s Snow’s Curiosity Shop. Her store sits on the corner of Fourth and Main, not far off the square. Lovely young woman. Claims she can’t bake to save her life, so we let her bring whatever she wants so long as the proceeds go to the cause.”
“Her name is Snow?” Lorelei didn’t know if the woman behind the table was the Snow in question, but considering the giant ball of black curls surrounding the olive-toned face, the name would be ironic if it were.
“Snow Cameron. Been in town about a year, I guess.” Granny looked up from her cookie arranging. “Is that right, Pearl? How long has Snow been here?”
Pearl looked up as if the answer could be found in the dingy ceiling tiles. “Snow rolled into Cooper’s garage last June, so that’s right. She’s been here a year this month.”
They made it sound like the woman dropped out of the sky. A sign of how infrequently newcomers strolled into town to stay, considering Pearl remembered it practically to the day.
“Wait. Cooper? As in Cooper Ridgeway?”
“You’ve got it,” Spencer said, chiming in as he hefted a box of baked goods onto Pearl’s table. “Cooper bought the garage when Tanner Drury’s wife finally convinced him to retire. That was three years ago now.”
Lorelei had no idea why she found the soap opera that was
As Ardent
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