squealed in dismay.
A woman from the Threesies table stood up and pointed at Ally. “Did you say your child wasn’t vaccinated—and that she has Rubella? How could you expose our children to her? How could you?”
“Wait! I didn’t say she had any of those things! And she’s certainly not contagious! My goodness, it’s only poison sumac!”
Too late. The stampede toward the playroom sounded like an 8.0 earthquake.
Bettina clicked her knife against her Baccarat glass goblet. “Ladies, please…PLEASE! SIT DOWN!”
Everyone froze. Glances were exchanged. Did they dare disobey?
Of course not.
Slowly, they made their way back to their seats.
Bettina glared at Ally. “You did an excellent job with the adult holiday party, but let’s face it, it was a snore. That said, I never expected this kind of drama from you. And isn’t your husband a doctor?”
The question took Ally by surprise. “Um…Barry? No! He’s a lawyer.”
Damn! Well, that certainly presents a vexing dilemma, Bettina thought. If she axed Ally for bringing a child who wasn’t contagious to a meeting, she might be facing a lawsuit, and that would never do. Better she should hold her powder. Besides, of all the women in the Onesies, even Bettina had to concede that Ally was the most likeable.
Which brought her to the task at hand: finding the best Onesies mother to join her and the others she’d considered the most worthy—or at least the most malleable—on the T☺p M☺ms Applicati☺n C☺mmittee.
In her opinion, the pickings were slim to none. Had any of the legacies been worthy, they’d already be sitting on the committee. At best they were weak Plan Bs. Still, they too would be put through their paces along with Those Formerly Known as Onesies Probies.
She smiled down on them grandly from the podium. “Ladies, now that I have your full attention, I’m letting you in on a momentous change to our club’s bylaws. From now on, the newest member of PHM&T’s T☺p M☺ms Applicati☺n C☺mmittee—that is, the mother who’ll join us from the Onesies Group—will rise from the ashes of her fellow group members’ failed tasks, like the fabled phoenix.”
Bettina paused so that her oratorical eloquence could be duly appreciated.
From the blank stares of the others in the room, her pause had given everyone else a reason to scratch their beautifully coiffed heads.
Bettina sighed loudly. “Seriously? Okay, this isn’t rocket science, so try to follow.” She reached into the podium and pulled out a tiny glass heart-shaped candy dish filled with folded tabs.
In unison, Lorna, Jillian, Ally and Jade also sighed loudly and resignedly. They’d recognize it anywhere. The challenge tasks they’d pulled from the thick-sided, diamond-etched Baccarat bric-a-brac had been the bane of their existences these past few months.
Bettina ignored them. “I’ll be asking all ten of the Onesies moms to pull a folded tab from this dish. Written on it is a challenge task. Between now and Mother’s Day—quite appropriately, wouldn’t you say?—these tasks will be completed. The current committee will judge who has excelled at it. And this woman—this mother —will be invited to join the committee.”
The loudest gasps came from the Legacy Onesies’ mothers. Whereas they’d enjoyed the trials and tribulations of the probationers, they never dreamed they’d be submitted to it themselves! But what choice did they have?
None, if they wanted to stay in the club.
They bowed their heads in shame.
“Okay now, who will go first?” Bettina asked brightly.
No one moved.
Annoyed, Bettina handed the dish to Kimberley Savitch and waved her hand toward the Onesies table. “Pass it around.”
Smiling slyly, Kimberley placed it in front of Jade.
Jade stared at it for an eternity before closing her eyes and plucking out a tab. Then, opening one eye, she read, “‘Come up with an advanced placement class for the Fivesies.’” She stared at
A woman from the Threesies table stood up and pointed at Ally. “Did you say your child wasn’t vaccinated—and that she has Rubella? How could you expose our children to her? How could you?”
“Wait! I didn’t say she had any of those things! And she’s certainly not contagious! My goodness, it’s only poison sumac!”
Too late. The stampede toward the playroom sounded like an 8.0 earthquake.
Bettina clicked her knife against her Baccarat glass goblet. “Ladies, please…PLEASE! SIT DOWN!”
Everyone froze. Glances were exchanged. Did they dare disobey?
Of course not.
Slowly, they made their way back to their seats.
Bettina glared at Ally. “You did an excellent job with the adult holiday party, but let’s face it, it was a snore. That said, I never expected this kind of drama from you. And isn’t your husband a doctor?”
The question took Ally by surprise. “Um…Barry? No! He’s a lawyer.”
Damn! Well, that certainly presents a vexing dilemma, Bettina thought. If she axed Ally for bringing a child who wasn’t contagious to a meeting, she might be facing a lawsuit, and that would never do. Better she should hold her powder. Besides, of all the women in the Onesies, even Bettina had to concede that Ally was the most likeable.
Which brought her to the task at hand: finding the best Onesies mother to join her and the others she’d considered the most worthy—or at least the most malleable—on the T☺p M☺ms Applicati☺n C☺mmittee.
In her opinion, the pickings were slim to none. Had any of the legacies been worthy, they’d already be sitting on the committee. At best they were weak Plan Bs. Still, they too would be put through their paces along with Those Formerly Known as Onesies Probies.
She smiled down on them grandly from the podium. “Ladies, now that I have your full attention, I’m letting you in on a momentous change to our club’s bylaws. From now on, the newest member of PHM&T’s T☺p M☺ms Applicati☺n C☺mmittee—that is, the mother who’ll join us from the Onesies Group—will rise from the ashes of her fellow group members’ failed tasks, like the fabled phoenix.”
Bettina paused so that her oratorical eloquence could be duly appreciated.
From the blank stares of the others in the room, her pause had given everyone else a reason to scratch their beautifully coiffed heads.
Bettina sighed loudly. “Seriously? Okay, this isn’t rocket science, so try to follow.” She reached into the podium and pulled out a tiny glass heart-shaped candy dish filled with folded tabs.
In unison, Lorna, Jillian, Ally and Jade also sighed loudly and resignedly. They’d recognize it anywhere. The challenge tasks they’d pulled from the thick-sided, diamond-etched Baccarat bric-a-brac had been the bane of their existences these past few months.
Bettina ignored them. “I’ll be asking all ten of the Onesies moms to pull a folded tab from this dish. Written on it is a challenge task. Between now and Mother’s Day—quite appropriately, wouldn’t you say?—these tasks will be completed. The current committee will judge who has excelled at it. And this woman—this mother —will be invited to join the committee.”
The loudest gasps came from the Legacy Onesies’ mothers. Whereas they’d enjoyed the trials and tribulations of the probationers, they never dreamed they’d be submitted to it themselves! But what choice did they have?
None, if they wanted to stay in the club.
They bowed their heads in shame.
“Okay now, who will go first?” Bettina asked brightly.
No one moved.
Annoyed, Bettina handed the dish to Kimberley Savitch and waved her hand toward the Onesies table. “Pass it around.”
Smiling slyly, Kimberley placed it in front of Jade.
Jade stared at it for an eternity before closing her eyes and plucking out a tab. Then, opening one eye, she read, “‘Come up with an advanced placement class for the Fivesies.’” She stared at
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