get mad if I wear her Miss Sunflower banner?”
“I don’t think so. And it’s called a sash.”
Lucy was disconcerted by the loud voices from downstairs. It wasn’t like her parents never had an argument—they certainly did. There were times at dinner when she knew there had been a disagreement, by the silence, the lack of small talk, or the extra helping of politeness when one of them asked for the salt. But she hardly even heard them raise their voices to each other, even behind closed doors. Their arguments, whenever they occurred, happened someplace else or when no one else was home. Hearing the voices from downstairs, she thought it was better to argue away from the children.
T hey stood at Jessica’s upstairs window, looking, Lucy thought, like pretty hot young women. They had applied perfume—overdone it, actually—and the smell was overpowering. They were watching as two dark, late-model sedans pulled up the driveway and stopped near the front porch.
“Who are those people?” Hailey asked, as both cars stopped and the driver-side doors opened. Two older women emerged from their separate vehicles. Each woman was tall, angular, and wearing a print dress that was out-of-date as well as out of season, Lucy thought. The women looked similar but different. Like sisters, maybe.
“I think their name is Overcast,” Jessica said. “Something like that.”
“Are they sisters?” Lucy asked.
“Yes.”
“So they’re not married to anyone?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
“Look how they pretend the other one isn’t there,” Hailey said. “Isn’t that weird?”
Lucy had noticed. The two women had emerged from their cars, shut the doors, and proceeded to the front door without even acknowledging each other. They were now out of sight below, under the roof of the portico.
“Overstreet,” Jessica said. “Now I remember their names. They own a ranch or something.”
“Both of them?” Lucy asked. “Without husbands?”
“I think so,” Jessica said. “I met them a couple of times but I don’t like them.”
“Why not?” Lucy asked.
Jessica shuddered. “They’re just icky. And they smell bad.”
Hailey laughed nervously. “Maybe now is a good time to ask about playing outside.”
The three girls looked at each other, knowing Hailey was right. There was no better time to ask parents to do something than when guests distracted them.
L ucy was the second down the stairs, after Jessica. There was a discussion going on between the Overstreet sisters and Jessica’s parents.
Jessica’s dad said, “Yes, I heard about those cows today.”
“And you know we’ve been losing stock that we can’t account for,” one of the sisters said.
“What will this do to the sale?” the other sister asked.
“I don’t know,” Jessica’s dad said. “But we may want to consider lowering the price to keep it attractive.”
“I knew you would say that.”
“We’re against that, you know.”
“It’s just that . . .”
“Cam, we have visitors,” Jessica’s mother said, interrupting him.
Lucy watched as Mr. Logue and the Overstreet sisters paused and looked up toward the stairs.
“My, my,” one of the sisters said. “Look at them. ”
Despite their dresses, the women looked hard, Lucy thought. There was no warmth in their stares. One of the sisters had blue eyes and the other green. Their eyes looked like old jewelry.
“They look like little tarts,” the other sister said, and received a glare from Jessica’s mom.
“What do you girls want?” Jessica’s dad asked.
“Can we play outside?” Jessica asked. “In the back?”
“Dressed like that ?” the older Overstreet sister asked, smiling with her mouth only.
“We can change,” Jessica said weakly.
Jessica’s dad gestured toward Hailey. “Didn’t we agree to throw out those old clothes?” He looked upset, Lucy thought.
“It’s okay, girls,” Jessica’s mom said, standing up, not addressing Mr.
“I don’t think so. And it’s called a sash.”
Lucy was disconcerted by the loud voices from downstairs. It wasn’t like her parents never had an argument—they certainly did. There were times at dinner when she knew there had been a disagreement, by the silence, the lack of small talk, or the extra helping of politeness when one of them asked for the salt. But she hardly even heard them raise their voices to each other, even behind closed doors. Their arguments, whenever they occurred, happened someplace else or when no one else was home. Hearing the voices from downstairs, she thought it was better to argue away from the children.
T hey stood at Jessica’s upstairs window, looking, Lucy thought, like pretty hot young women. They had applied perfume—overdone it, actually—and the smell was overpowering. They were watching as two dark, late-model sedans pulled up the driveway and stopped near the front porch.
“Who are those people?” Hailey asked, as both cars stopped and the driver-side doors opened. Two older women emerged from their separate vehicles. Each woman was tall, angular, and wearing a print dress that was out-of-date as well as out of season, Lucy thought. The women looked similar but different. Like sisters, maybe.
“I think their name is Overcast,” Jessica said. “Something like that.”
“Are they sisters?” Lucy asked.
“Yes.”
“So they’re not married to anyone?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so.”
“Look how they pretend the other one isn’t there,” Hailey said. “Isn’t that weird?”
Lucy had noticed. The two women had emerged from their cars, shut the doors, and proceeded to the front door without even acknowledging each other. They were now out of sight below, under the roof of the portico.
“Overstreet,” Jessica said. “Now I remember their names. They own a ranch or something.”
“Both of them?” Lucy asked. “Without husbands?”
“I think so,” Jessica said. “I met them a couple of times but I don’t like them.”
“Why not?” Lucy asked.
Jessica shuddered. “They’re just icky. And they smell bad.”
Hailey laughed nervously. “Maybe now is a good time to ask about playing outside.”
The three girls looked at each other, knowing Hailey was right. There was no better time to ask parents to do something than when guests distracted them.
L ucy was the second down the stairs, after Jessica. There was a discussion going on between the Overstreet sisters and Jessica’s parents.
Jessica’s dad said, “Yes, I heard about those cows today.”
“And you know we’ve been losing stock that we can’t account for,” one of the sisters said.
“What will this do to the sale?” the other sister asked.
“I don’t know,” Jessica’s dad said. “But we may want to consider lowering the price to keep it attractive.”
“I knew you would say that.”
“We’re against that, you know.”
“It’s just that . . .”
“Cam, we have visitors,” Jessica’s mother said, interrupting him.
Lucy watched as Mr. Logue and the Overstreet sisters paused and looked up toward the stairs.
“My, my,” one of the sisters said. “Look at them. ”
Despite their dresses, the women looked hard, Lucy thought. There was no warmth in their stares. One of the sisters had blue eyes and the other green. Their eyes looked like old jewelry.
“They look like little tarts,” the other sister said, and received a glare from Jessica’s mom.
“What do you girls want?” Jessica’s dad asked.
“Can we play outside?” Jessica asked. “In the back?”
“Dressed like that ?” the older Overstreet sister asked, smiling with her mouth only.
“We can change,” Jessica said weakly.
Jessica’s dad gestured toward Hailey. “Didn’t we agree to throw out those old clothes?” He looked upset, Lucy thought.
“It’s okay, girls,” Jessica’s mom said, standing up, not addressing Mr.
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