coffee.
Not quite the von Klaus family, was it?
“Honey?” Charlotte’s mom called from downstairs.
Crap. Charlotte rolled her eyes. She was in her ratty tank and boxers, flopped back on her four-poster bed among all the ragged stuffed animals she refused to throw out. She clutched her shiny silver cell phone to her chest. “Yeah?” she yelled back.
“Did you walk Stella?”
Charlotte groaned. “Later, Mom. I promise.”
Thank God the house was so big. Since the divorce thirteen months ago, it had grown even bigger. Charlotte and her mom could literally go days on end withoutbumping into each other. As for Dad, he was trouncing around Manhattan with Little Miss Graduate-Degree-in-Business, otherwise known as Rachel Monroe, who because of her “brains” (not because of her size-D cup), had made Dad “feel like a man again.” Those were the exact words Dad had used. To Charlotte. (Even Dr. Gilmore had been appalled.) But at least he’d had the decency to leave Mom and Charlotte this fine eighteenth-century manor, once featured in House & Garden , while he played out his mid-life crisis in an apartment Charlotte refused to visit. Charlotte had already transformed his “study” into a “blast-My-Chemical-Romance-loudly room.”
“Okay, then, sweetheart, I’m off to the club,” Mom called back. “That darling Ethan is giving me a special tennis lesson! Do you want a ride?”
“No, thanks!” Charlotte yelled, thinking she’d rather walk there barefoot.
A moment later, Charlotte heard the blessed sounds of the garage door opener.
Ah.
A paw scratched at her door, followed by a plaintive whine.
“I would sell my soul to Satan for some quiet,” Charlotte said out loud. “Satan? Are you out there? Do you hear me? I’ll offer bargain rates!”
She hopped out of bed and stormed over to her door, allowing Stella to shamble in. The dog could never stand to be alone. He jumped right up on the covers, nestling in among the stuffed animals with a contented sigh.
Too bad you’re so cute , she thought angrily.
Charlotte tossed her hair over her shoulders, tugged up the strap of her tank, and dialed Georgia’s cell.
“C?” Georgia answered on the first ring. She sounded out of breath.
Suddenly, Charlotte felt a twinge of nerves. She sat on the edge of her bed. “G, what’s going on?” She jumped right into it.
“What do you mean?”
“Why did you ditch us at dinner last night?” Charlotte asked, chewing on her thumbnail. “Why didn’t you just tell us you went to meet Valerie and Marcus?” Charlotte still remembered the shock she’d felt while watching that random trio. She and Caleb hadn’t stayed for much longer once Brooke had left, so Charlotte didn’t know what the three of them had ended up doing.
There was a brief silence on the other end. “You followed me?” Georgia asked, incredulous.
“I thought you were going to see Ethan.”
“I was going to meet Valerie,” Georgia stated tersely. “Just Valerie. And you guys were being so weird about her that I—”
Charlotte laughed. “Of course we were being weird. We don’t know her. And isn’t it obvious that she’s trying to get Marcus?”
There was silence. Then Georgia spoke up. “Maybe she was just being friendly.”
“Well,” Charlotte replied, fiddling with her friendship bracelet. “He’s not such a catch anyway.”
Georgia cleared her throat, then gave a nervous laugh. “Hey, how about instead of going to the club today, I pick you up and we go shopping? We can look for outfits for my July Fourth picnic.”
“Well, okay. Sure.” Charlotte managed a smile. “That sounds like fun. I’ll call Brooke—”
“Wait. That’s my other line,” Georgia cut in. Click.
Charlotte’s smile faded. Something was going on with Georgia, but she couldn’t figure it out. Something in her voice was different—edgy— click.
“Hey, C, I gotta run,” Georgia said. “I’m sorry. It turns out I can’t go
Not quite the von Klaus family, was it?
“Honey?” Charlotte’s mom called from downstairs.
Crap. Charlotte rolled her eyes. She was in her ratty tank and boxers, flopped back on her four-poster bed among all the ragged stuffed animals she refused to throw out. She clutched her shiny silver cell phone to her chest. “Yeah?” she yelled back.
“Did you walk Stella?”
Charlotte groaned. “Later, Mom. I promise.”
Thank God the house was so big. Since the divorce thirteen months ago, it had grown even bigger. Charlotte and her mom could literally go days on end withoutbumping into each other. As for Dad, he was trouncing around Manhattan with Little Miss Graduate-Degree-in-Business, otherwise known as Rachel Monroe, who because of her “brains” (not because of her size-D cup), had made Dad “feel like a man again.” Those were the exact words Dad had used. To Charlotte. (Even Dr. Gilmore had been appalled.) But at least he’d had the decency to leave Mom and Charlotte this fine eighteenth-century manor, once featured in House & Garden , while he played out his mid-life crisis in an apartment Charlotte refused to visit. Charlotte had already transformed his “study” into a “blast-My-Chemical-Romance-loudly room.”
“Okay, then, sweetheart, I’m off to the club,” Mom called back. “That darling Ethan is giving me a special tennis lesson! Do you want a ride?”
“No, thanks!” Charlotte yelled, thinking she’d rather walk there barefoot.
A moment later, Charlotte heard the blessed sounds of the garage door opener.
Ah.
A paw scratched at her door, followed by a plaintive whine.
“I would sell my soul to Satan for some quiet,” Charlotte said out loud. “Satan? Are you out there? Do you hear me? I’ll offer bargain rates!”
She hopped out of bed and stormed over to her door, allowing Stella to shamble in. The dog could never stand to be alone. He jumped right up on the covers, nestling in among the stuffed animals with a contented sigh.
Too bad you’re so cute , she thought angrily.
Charlotte tossed her hair over her shoulders, tugged up the strap of her tank, and dialed Georgia’s cell.
“C?” Georgia answered on the first ring. She sounded out of breath.
Suddenly, Charlotte felt a twinge of nerves. She sat on the edge of her bed. “G, what’s going on?” She jumped right into it.
“What do you mean?”
“Why did you ditch us at dinner last night?” Charlotte asked, chewing on her thumbnail. “Why didn’t you just tell us you went to meet Valerie and Marcus?” Charlotte still remembered the shock she’d felt while watching that random trio. She and Caleb hadn’t stayed for much longer once Brooke had left, so Charlotte didn’t know what the three of them had ended up doing.
There was a brief silence on the other end. “You followed me?” Georgia asked, incredulous.
“I thought you were going to see Ethan.”
“I was going to meet Valerie,” Georgia stated tersely. “Just Valerie. And you guys were being so weird about her that I—”
Charlotte laughed. “Of course we were being weird. We don’t know her. And isn’t it obvious that she’s trying to get Marcus?”
There was silence. Then Georgia spoke up. “Maybe she was just being friendly.”
“Well,” Charlotte replied, fiddling with her friendship bracelet. “He’s not such a catch anyway.”
Georgia cleared her throat, then gave a nervous laugh. “Hey, how about instead of going to the club today, I pick you up and we go shopping? We can look for outfits for my July Fourth picnic.”
“Well, okay. Sure.” Charlotte managed a smile. “That sounds like fun. I’ll call Brooke—”
“Wait. That’s my other line,” Georgia cut in. Click.
Charlotte’s smile faded. Something was going on with Georgia, but she couldn’t figure it out. Something in her voice was different—edgy— click.
“Hey, C, I gotta run,” Georgia said. “I’m sorry. It turns out I can’t go
Similar Books
