Read Online A Tale of Two Pretties by Lisi Harrison - Free Book Online Page A

belts.”
    “Hmmmm.” Massie wandered over to a wide black belt and rubbed it between her fingers. “Ehma-puh-leather! It’s not even real!”
     She let go, and it wriggled down to the scuffed linoleum floor.
    Claire reached into her tote and pulled out her depleted bag of C&Cs. “Anyone want one?”
    “What are C&Cs?” Kristen asked, waving away the sugar treat.
    “Claire and Cams.” She blushed. “Part of my Christmas gift.”
    “What else did he get you?” Massie asked.
    Claire couldn’t believe she had kept the rest of his gift so quiet. But she couldn’t find the right way to tell her friends
     that the new photography class meant she’d be late to every GLU sleepover. Assuming she’d even be included once they moved
     apart. “He sang me a song,” she said, downplaying the
awwww
factor so they’d lose interest and change the subject.
    “How ah-dorable,” Kristen said to a red corduroy blazer. She whipped off her tweed toggle coat and handed it to Claire so
     she could try it on. “Mirror?” she asked. Claire pointed halfway down the aisle, and she took off. “Mass, what do you think?
     Cute over a hoodie, right?” Kristen straightened the cuffs.
    “I’ll be the judge of that,” Massie said, hurrying toward her.
    Claire stood back and watched them scrutinize the blazer. Clothes were fine, and shopping was fun because it meant hanging
     out with friends. But she couldn’t imagine breaking down the pros and cons of anything unless it had to do with risky surgery
     or going to war.
    She readjusted Kristen’s coat in her arms, and something fell from a pocket and landed on the floor. All she could make out
     was an official-looking letter with an embossed soccer ball. Claire wondered if it had anything to do with her mysterious
     soccer commitments. Unfolding it was the only way to know for sure. And that was immoral.
    But what if the fluorescent lights happen to catch it just the right way as Claire was returning it to the coat and she happened
     to see through the paper? Not as bad, right?
    She bent to retrieve the piece of paper and surreptitiously held it up to the light. Several words stuck out:
“Soccer Sisters”… “Daily practices”… “Saturday morning games.”
Claire’s brows furrowed. Had Kristen been accepted to some soccer team?
    “I’ll take that,” Kristen said, coming up behind Claire and grabbing the letter.
    “Oh, it fell out,” Claire said, expecting an explanation. But all she got was a red-cheeked explanation about how Kristen
     always found old junk in her pockets.
    Claire blinked at Kristen, then cleared her throat. The piece of paper wasn’t old junk. It had a date on it… from four days
     ago. Their eyes met in a gaze that was more charged than Massie’s old credit cards.
    Was Kristen keeping a secret, too?
    “
Ehma
-finally!” Massie’s screech startled Claire. She and Kristen turned to find their friend triumphantly holding up a pair of
     BCBG booties. “They’re from this season. And they’re 50 percent off!”
    The girls applauded her find.
    She shoved them into Claire’s hands, along with a fistful of crumpled bills. “Can you puh-lease pay?” She wrapped her scarf
     back around her head and lowered her Dior sunglasses before glancing furtively around the store. “I’m not quite ready for
purchasing
.”
    With a sigh, Claire agreed. Operation middle-class makeover was progressing, even if it was only by one BCBG bootie step at
     a time.

WESTCHESTER, NY
THE MARVIL HOUSE
Monday, December 27th
4:43 P.M.
    “Hello, sweetie!” Merri-Lee cried, like she wasn’t even mad Dylan was thirty-five minutes late for call time. She leaned forward
     and kissed her daughter on the forehead and then ushered her inside.
    “Um… hi, Mom!” Dylan’s red curls got caught in her Laura Mercier gloss as she swiveled her head around in search of the production
     crew. But the Marvils’ front foyer was empty.
    “How was your day, pickle?” Merri-Lee looped