Read Online The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen - Free Book Online
Authors: Sarah Addison Allen
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Eating that sandwich would make her feel better. And it would make her feel worse. It was a familiar dilemma. She'd never experienced anything that was simply and entirely good for her. She wondered if such a thing even existed.
She sighed and walked over to Della Lee. She sat on the floor in front of the closet and opened the bag. "I talked with Chloe today. She remembered you, not by name, but that you always ordered this." She unwrapped the sandwich. "She said you were always coming from court. Domestic disturbance and solicitation." She took a bite, not looking at Della Lee. It was always easier after that first bite. No turning back. She had to eat the whole thing now.
"And I'm sure that rankled your prim sensibilities."
"I don't have prim sensibilities." She finally looked up from the sandwich. "Were you really a prostitute?"
"I did it to make Julian jealous. Well, sometimes I would do it for the money too. At one point it was even easy. You'd be surprised how easy some things can be, things you never thought you'd do, when you take self-respect out of the equation." Della Lee smiled and waved her hand dismis- sively when she saw the look on Josey's face. "Never mind. So, Chloe remembered me? That's nice. I wasn't sure she would."
"She asked me to go to the Bald Is Beautiful festival tonight."
"That's great! I knew the two of you would hit it off."
Josey shook her head and took another bite of the sandwich. "I can't go."
"Why not? Wear that sweater you like so much, the one you just took off. It looks good on you. Go and see what happens."
Josey lowered the sandwich. "You think the sweater looks good on me?"
"You know you want to go," she said seductively, leaning forward so that her hair fell over her shoulder, stirring the air with the scent of river water. "Go, then come tell me everything. I'm forming a plan for you."
"Della Lee, you're living in my closet, you're blackmailing me over candy, and you are currently wearing sixteen articles of clothing. It's amazing to me that you think I have problems. You need to form a plan for yourself."
Della Lee shook her head. "I gave up on me a long time ago. There's still some hope for you, though."
Josey approached the stage. She was too late for the bald-head contest, and a band was now setting up. There were lots of college-aged kids milling around in groups, laughing, holding plastic cups of beer, waiting for the music. She spotted Chloe by her hair, a blaze of red shining in the stage lights, like spun cinnamon sugar. She stood near the Bald Slope Ski Resort booth to the right of the stage. The people in the booth were handing out free lift tickets, free CD cases and free skullcaps with the resort's logo on them.
Josey made a beeline for her. She knew people weren't really looking at her. It only felt that way because Della Lee had insisted she wear her hair down, and she was wearing some of Della Lee's makeup.
Makeup. She couldn't believe it.
She used to experiment in her room with tubes of lipstick and bottles of rosewater blush she'd sneak out of her mother's vanity when she was a child, trying to imitate her mother's beauty. But she'd never worn makeup in public before. Her mother always said that, with Josey's coloring, it would only make her look cheap. And Cirrinis were in no way cheap.
That's why Josey had decided not to tell her mother she was going out tonight. It's why she'd waited until her mother had taken her pill and was fast asleep. It wasn't really such a big deal. Her mother might not have even minded Josey going. But more than likely it would have involved a lot of guilt and a lot of criticism, and Josey just didn't want to deal with it.
She was twenty-seven years old. There was something profoundly wrong with sneaking out of the house at her age.
Yet, here she was.
When Josey finally walked up to Chloe's side, Chloe looked relieved to see her. "Josey! I was about to give up on you." She stepped back. "You look great. Wow."
With her
She sighed and walked over to Della Lee. She sat on the floor in front of the closet and opened the bag. "I talked with Chloe today. She remembered you, not by name, but that you always ordered this." She unwrapped the sandwich. "She said you were always coming from court. Domestic disturbance and solicitation." She took a bite, not looking at Della Lee. It was always easier after that first bite. No turning back. She had to eat the whole thing now.
"And I'm sure that rankled your prim sensibilities."
"I don't have prim sensibilities." She finally looked up from the sandwich. "Were you really a prostitute?"
"I did it to make Julian jealous. Well, sometimes I would do it for the money too. At one point it was even easy. You'd be surprised how easy some things can be, things you never thought you'd do, when you take self-respect out of the equation." Della Lee smiled and waved her hand dismis- sively when she saw the look on Josey's face. "Never mind. So, Chloe remembered me? That's nice. I wasn't sure she would."
"She asked me to go to the Bald Is Beautiful festival tonight."
"That's great! I knew the two of you would hit it off."
Josey shook her head and took another bite of the sandwich. "I can't go."
"Why not? Wear that sweater you like so much, the one you just took off. It looks good on you. Go and see what happens."
Josey lowered the sandwich. "You think the sweater looks good on me?"
"You know you want to go," she said seductively, leaning forward so that her hair fell over her shoulder, stirring the air with the scent of river water. "Go, then come tell me everything. I'm forming a plan for you."
"Della Lee, you're living in my closet, you're blackmailing me over candy, and you are currently wearing sixteen articles of clothing. It's amazing to me that you think I have problems. You need to form a plan for yourself."
Della Lee shook her head. "I gave up on me a long time ago. There's still some hope for you, though."
Josey approached the stage. She was too late for the bald-head contest, and a band was now setting up. There were lots of college-aged kids milling around in groups, laughing, holding plastic cups of beer, waiting for the music. She spotted Chloe by her hair, a blaze of red shining in the stage lights, like spun cinnamon sugar. She stood near the Bald Slope Ski Resort booth to the right of the stage. The people in the booth were handing out free lift tickets, free CD cases and free skullcaps with the resort's logo on them.
Josey made a beeline for her. She knew people weren't really looking at her. It only felt that way because Della Lee had insisted she wear her hair down, and she was wearing some of Della Lee's makeup.
Makeup. She couldn't believe it.
She used to experiment in her room with tubes of lipstick and bottles of rosewater blush she'd sneak out of her mother's vanity when she was a child, trying to imitate her mother's beauty. But she'd never worn makeup in public before. Her mother always said that, with Josey's coloring, it would only make her look cheap. And Cirrinis were in no way cheap.
That's why Josey had decided not to tell her mother she was going out tonight. It's why she'd waited until her mother had taken her pill and was fast asleep. It wasn't really such a big deal. Her mother might not have even minded Josey going. But more than likely it would have involved a lot of guilt and a lot of criticism, and Josey just didn't want to deal with it.
She was twenty-seven years old. There was something profoundly wrong with sneaking out of the house at her age.
Yet, here she was.
When Josey finally walked up to Chloe's side, Chloe looked relieved to see her. "Josey! I was about to give up on you." She stepped back. "You look great. Wow."
With her
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