is stealing from Cameron," the little girl replied. "So I am laying a trap in her room."
Adrienne raised her eyebrows. What would Kane swipe from Cam? she thought. Size 0 Prada pants?
"She is make me crazy," said Tania."All with this fiddle- fiddle. I find camera in closet, microphone in refrigerator."
"Tania talks to the food in Russian," Emma said, gig- gling.
"I talk to self !" Tania exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "I talk about dinner! I talk about crazy little girl should be playing with dolls and not playing KGB agent! Gospodi pomilui!" She left the kitchen, muttering a long stream of Russian that Adrienne assumed was about Emma.
80 PA R K E R ' S B I G S E C R E T
"I thought I told you no more video," Adrienne scolded Emma.
Emma looked up at her with a completely innocent expression."I thought you meant I couldn't have the camera in front of the hallway powder room."
"Emma--" Adrienne began.
Cameron strode in. "Hello, freakling," she greeted Emma, dropping her miniature Herm�s Kelly bag on the table right on top of Emma's technical manual. She grabbed a bottle of designer water from the Sub-Zero fridge.
"Cameron," Emma said, tossing the Herm�s bag to the floor,"if you existed--which you don't--I'd still ignore you."
"Isn't she darling?" Cameron yanked a wire out of place as she crossed the room. She pointed the pale blue bottle of water at Adrienne. "You, however, are a gift from heaven." Cameron fixed her dazzling approximation of a smile on Adrienne. "Follow me!" Cameron turned and went back out to the living room, swooping up her bag on the way out.
This is going to be bad, Adrienne thought."I'll be right back," she told Emma.
Adrienne stepped into the huge living room, where Cameron was lounging on the suede-covered sofa. Cameron patted the seat next to her. "Come sit by me, Adrienne.Time for a little girl-talk."
81 C O N F E S S I O N S O F A T E E N N A N N Y
Adrienne crossed the Italian-tiled floor and sat down hesitantly. Cameron was a snake, but now that she was seeing Graydon, Adrienne felt she should try to get along with her a little better. Cameron not only was Graydon's half sister, she was an expert at making trouble--something Adrienne really wanted to avoid.
Cameron took a swig of her water, then faced Adrienne. "So, as you know, it is my current mission to have Mimi deposed from her position as chair of the Young Lions Committee of the Library."
Adrienne nodded. She didn't understand why it was such an obsession with Cam, just that it was a major one. Probably because Cam can't stand losing, Adrienne realized.
"Well, this week we had our history essay contest, and we all had to hand in our disks with the essays today."
Adrienne nodded, wondering where Cam was going with this and what any of it had to do with the library. Or with her.
"It's a pity that Mimi didn't hand hers in."
"She didn't submit her disk?" Adrienne asked, sur- prised. From what she had seen, Mimi was no airhead.
Cameron giggled. "Not exactly. She submitted a disk all right. A disk with a really lousy essay that begins `Kings are good. My grandfather was a king. I think kings are really cool with their awesome castles and everything. . . . '"
Adrienne's mouth dropped open. Cam had switched
82 PA R K E R ' S B I G S E C R E T
essays on Mimi? So this was the reason Cameron had developed a sudden interest in homework.
"Pretty brilliant, yes?" Cameron smiled.
"I don't see what any of this has to do with me," Adrienne said.
"I'm getting to that," Cameron said.
Adrienne braced herself.
"I want you to make an anonymous call to the library."
"Saying?" Now Adrienne was even more confused. This was getting weirder by the minute.
"Saying that it is a scandal that Princess Mimi von Fallschirm is the chair of the Young Lions Committee of the Library when she is barely literate. And you have the failing essay to prove it!"
Adrienne stared at Cameron. Unbelievable. She knew
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