Picture Perfect #4: Between Us Read online

  “Me neither,” Olivia said as they used more magnets to attach the boa around the inside of the locker door. “But if I am, it’ll be worth it. Anything for your cousin.”

  “I’m here!”

  “Me too!”

  Bailey smiled as she saw Vivi and Tess rushing toward them. Tess had her skateboard in one hand. She’d be on it as soon as she hit the sidewalk.

  “Mirror and pic,” Vivi said. She handed the items to Bailey, then smoothed a few flyaway hairs back into place in her sleek bob. Bailey had asked all three of her friends to bring pictures of themselves for Hannah’s locker. She wanted Hannah to know she had some go-to girls if Bailey wasn’t around.

  “Perfection.” Bailey added the mirror to the inside door and used a flower-shaped magnet to stick Vivi’s picture up.

  “I didn’t forget my stuff for tweaking the locker,” Tess said. “How could I, with a reminder text, IM, and phone message?”

  Vivi and Olivia cracked up. “I know, I know, I micromanage,” Bailey admitted.

  Tess gave Bailey a small dry-erase board and a picture. “Let’s all sign it before you put it up,” Olivia suggested.

  Vivi drew a cartoon of the four of them giving big waves. She could draw anything. Then they all signed under their cartoon selves.

  “Anything missing?” Bailey asked when she’d put up all the pictures and stocked the locker’s top shelf with mints, a bottled water, pens—because you could never have enough pens—a couple of hair ties, and a little bottle of hand lotion.

  Her friends laughed again as she pulled a list out of the front pocket of her backpack.

  “You’re asking us?” Olivia said. “I can just imagine your face if one of us actually came up with something that wasn’t on your list.” She stretched her lips into a grimace of horror and bugged out her eyes.

  “Go ahead, mock me! But while you mock, look at how beautiful the locker turned out,” Bailey said as she started going over her list one more time. When she finished, she looked up at her friends. “Do I make you totally crazy with my reminders and lists?” she asked. “It’s just . . . when I know I’ve planned everything out, I don’t have to stress that I’ve forgotten something important. I can just have fun!”

  “Truth?” Tess asked.

  Bailey nodded, bracing to hear how annoying she was.

  “I actually did forget about bringing the locker stuff until I got your text,” Vivi said. That got everyone laughing again. “It’s just that last night I was visualizing myself doing a three-sixty nightmare flip. This blog I read says visualizing can help when you’re working on a new trick. I got kind of distracted,” she admitted.

  “It’s like we’re the Avengers. We all have our superpower. Tess has skateboarding. Vivi has art. You have being organized, Bails. And I’m good at everything—except walking without tripping over all the invisible stuff lying around,” Olivia joked. “We make a great team!”

  “I think so too.” Bailey used a tissue to wipe away a tiny smudge on the locker’s mirror, then nodded. “I pronounce it Hannah-ready,” she declared.

  “I can’t believe it! I forgot to find out if Hannah is a vegetarian or a vegan or eats gluten-free or anything like that,” Bailey moaned. She’d just arranged the ingredients for baking cookies on the kitchen counter. “The cookies have eggs and flour. And the icing has cream cheese! What if Hannah is lactose intolerant?”

  “I guess I’ll just have to eat all the cookies myself,” her dad joked. He sat at the kitchen table working the crossword puzzle in pen. He said doing the puzzle in pencil was for wimps.

  “Maybe I should text her,” Bailey said.

  “Just go ahead and make them and don’t worry about it,” her mom told her. She was at the kitchen table too, having a second cup of coffee. “They’ll be getting ready to head to the airport. Caitlin’s probably frantic. They haven’t had much time to pack and put things in storage and do everything else they needed to do.”

  “Okay, okay,” Bailey muttered. She studied the recipe, even though she almost had it memorized. The star-shaped cookies with thin strawberry slices on each arm of the star were her faves. There was a slice of kiwi in the middle, and the colors of the fruit made the cookies so pretty. She hoped Hannah liked them as much as she did.

  She’d just finished mixing the batter when the kitchen door banged open and Gus came strolling in. He acted like he lived there, because he’d lived next door his entire life. Bailey’s mom called him Bailey’s “brother from another mother.”

  “Greetings, Broadwell family,” Gus called out.

  “Gus, what a nice surprise,” Bailey’s father teased. Gus came over every Saturday morning after he finished his paper route, for a second breakfast. He had his first before he headed out to deliver the papers.

  “Isn’t it?” Gus joked back. He opened a cupboard, pulled out the Cocoa Krispies, poured himself a bowl, and then added chocolate milk from the fridge. “Whatcha making?” he asked as he perched on the counter next to Bailey’s mixing bowl.

  “Fruit star cookies,” she answered, blocking his spoon before he could send it diving into the batter.

  “Make me some without the fruit,” he said.

  “The strawberries are fine. I could do without the kiwi,” her father commented.

  “I’m not making them for either of you. They’re for Hannah. And Aunt Caitlin,” Bailey informed them.

  Gus reached behind him and opened the cabinet with the spices. He pulled out a bottle of Satan’s Rage Hot Sauce. The stuff was as red as Gus’s hair. Bailey’s dad loved it on his eggs. “You know what those cookies really need?” Gus pulled off the top. “Some of this!” He tilted the bottle over the bowl, and Bailey snatched it out of his reach with a squeal.

  A lot of times Gus was fun to hang out with, but a lot of times he was incredibly annoying. Just like a real brother, at least according to Vivi. “Out!” Bailey ordered. “You are banished until this afternoon. At least. I’m making lunch. Cooking and Gus don’t go together.”

  “What’s the big deal? You make cookies all the time, and they’re always pretty edible,” Gus told her, not leaving.

  “Hannah’s going through a really hard time,” Bailey explained. “I know having everything perfect for lunch can’t change that. But maybe it will make her a little bit happier.”

  CHAPTER 3

  HOW TO SERVE A PERFECT LUNCH

  1.Schedule plenty of time to make food.

  2.Create a playlist of background music.

  3.Have a signature drink.

  4.Set table early—make swan napkins!

  5.Make sure flower arrangement is low enough to talk over.

  6.Prepare conversation topics in case no one is talking.

  7.Relax!!!!

  The swan napkins didn’t look swanlike. Or even birdlike. They looked like . . . Bailey stared at them. They looked like lumpy twists of cloth. This was so frustrating. She’d followed the instructions exactly!

  She should start over, except everyone should be here pretty much now. It would be worse if they walked in and she had half the swans redone and half still lumps, wouldn’t it? The decision was made for her when she heard a knock on the door.

  “I’ll get it!” Bailey exclaimed. She straightened her hostess apron. The blog she’d read said it was fine to greet guests in one, and she loved the one she’d found at the thrift store. It was brown with white polka dots, and it had a cute little pink bow on one side at the waist.

  “Here they are!” her grandfather exclaimed when she threw open the door. He gestured to her aunt and cousin, with a huge grin on his face. Her grandmother was beaming too.

  “How are you? How was the trip? Are you exhausted?” Bailey’s mother asked in a rush as she flew over to Aunt Caitlin and gave her a long hug. “And look at you, Hannah,” she continued, even though she hadn’t gotten answers to any of her questions. “You’re so grown-up.” Her mom hugged Hannah too. When she let her go, she said, “This is your cousin, Baile
y.”

  “Hi. I’m glad you’re here,” Bailey said, just the way she’d planned. She smiled at her cousin. She really barely remembered her. Hannah still wore her blond hair long, all the way down her back, but besides that, Bailey wasn’t sure what was the same and what was different. Other than that she was bigger and older, of course.

  “Hi,” Hannah answered. That was all. Just hi. She looked a little dazed. Well, why wouldn’t she?

  “Who wants one of the signature cocktails for the day?” Bailey asked.

  “Cocktail?” Her grandfather raised his eyebrows.

  “Well, mocktail. It’s watermelon lemonade,” Bailey answered.

  “Every occasion should have a signature drink. And your moving here is definitely an occasion,” Bailey’s mom told Aunt Caitlin and Hannah. Bailey nodded. Her mother got it. She understood that Bailey wanted her aunt and cousin to know that their moving to town deserved a celebration.

  “Then watermelon lemonades all around,” her grandmother said.

  Bailey rushed to the kitchen. She had two pitchers of the lemonade in the fridge, and she’d put the glasses in the freezer about two hours ago to frost. She’d made ice cubes out of the lemonade too, so the drinks wouldn’t get all watery when the cubes melted.

  Her mom came in when Bailey was placing the glasses on a tray. “Oooh, frosted glasses. Classy!” she exclaimed. “Why don’t you carry the tray, and I’ll bring the pitcher?”

  “Thanks,” Bailey answered.

  “You’ve done a beautiful job, sweetie,” Mom said. “I’m so proud of how hard you’ve worked to make Hannah and Aunt Caitlin feel welcome.”

  A warm burst of happiness flooded Bailey. “It took a couple lists,” she admitted.

  “I bet.” Her mother got one of the pitchers out of the fridge and led the way to the living room.

  Bailey tried not to stare at Hannah when she took her first sip. But she really, really just wanted her to like it. “Do you like it?” she blurted out, almost before her cousin was able to swallow.

  “It’s really good,” Hannah answered. She took another tiny sip.

  “Hannah’s not crazy about watermelon. Ever since—” Aunt Caitlin began.

  “But it’s different as a drink. It’s really good!” Hannah interrupted, taking a gulp, a gulp that left her glass almost half-empty.

  Bailey noticed that Hannah gave the tiniest of grimaces as she set the glass down. She really didn’t like the mocktail, even though she was being super nice about it. Bailey should have made two signature drinks, so Hannah would have had a choice!

  It was okay, though. Bailey had lots of other great stuff planned to make Hannah’s first day in town extraspecial.

  “So this is Main Street,” Bailey told Hannah. She suddenly wondered if Concord might feel boring compared to all the places Hannah had lived. Her family had even lived in Brazil one year! “I know it’s tiny, but it’s not like everything in town is here. We have a mall pretty close by, and then a really big mall that only takes about fifteen minutes to drive to.”

  “It’s really cute,” Hannah answered. She sounded like she really meant it.

  “I think so too,” Bailey said. “So first up, we have the bead store. My friend Vivi, you’ll meet her at school, is really into crafts. She goes in there a ton. Me, I’m not so crafty, as you might have been able to tell by the swan lumps I made out of the napkins.”

  Hannah laughed. “I’m not really that crafty either,” she admitted. Although Bailey had seen her fold her napkin into a swan that looked exactly like the picture online, before she’d unfolded it again and put it in her lap. She’d done it automatically, like she wasn’t even thinking about it.

  “Then we have the chocolatier. Amazing chocolate. A-maz-ing. And across the street is Gianni’s Pizza. They have the best pizza.” Bailey hoped she didn’t sound like she was bragging. “I hope I don’t sound like I’m bragging,” she told Hannah, deciding it was better to just say it. “I just want you to know you’ll be living in a great place.”

  Hannah nodded, and for a second Bailey thought she saw tears in her cousin’s green eyes, the same green as her own; but Hannah blinked, and if the tears had been there, they had disappeared. This had to be so hard for her.

  Bailey promised herself she was going to try even harder than she’d planned to make Hannah happy here. “Kitty City!” she exclaimed, remembering number nine on her list of How to Make Hannah Feel Incredibly Welcome. She loved that place. And if you were feeling sad and homesick, what could make you feel happier faster than kittens? “It’s this cat rescue place right down the block. I love to go in and visit. Want to go?”

  “Sure,” Hannah answered.

  “Great! Last time there was this big old cat with seven toes on both front feet. Libby, one of the volunteers, told me cats with extra toes are called Hemingway cats. He was so sweet. He had the loudest purr you’ve ever heard,” Bailey said as they continued down the block. “Oh, good! They have kittens!” she exclaimed as they passed the huge glassed-in cat play areas on either side of the entrance.

  Libby was working. “Can we take the new kittens out?” Bailey called.

  “Of course,” Libby answered. “You know we love to get them used to people.” She coaxed the kittens out onto the floor. Bailey gently picked up one with the sweetest little face and handed him to Hannah. “Libby, this is my cousin Hannah. She just moved to town.”

  “Welcome,” Libby said. “I hope you’ll like it here.”

  “I’m sure I will,” Hannah answered.

  Bailey noticed Hannah was holding the kitten away from her body, carefully cupped in both hands. “You can cuddle him. It’s okay.” She pressed Hannah’s hands closer to her body, so the kitten could snuggle against her. The kitten immediately began to knead Hannah’s T-shirt with its tiny baby claws.

  Bailey smiled. Hannah already had new friends—Libby and the kitten. She scooped up another kitten from the litter and giggled when it lightly licked her hand. Its tongue felt as rough as an emery board. “Aren’t you the most adorable little thing?” she murmured. “Aren’t you? Aren’t you?”

  Her cousin sneezed. Then sneezed again. Then gave three more sneezes, without even a second in between them. Bailey reached into her bag for a tissue. Her hand froze when she saw her cousin’s face and neck. They were covered with red splotches.

  “Uh-oh. You must be allergic,” Libby said, taking the kitten away from Hannah.

  “I am,” Hannah admitted.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Bailey wailed. She put her kitten back on the floor and handed Hannah the tissue. “We shouldn’t have come in here. It’s practically made out of cat hair.”

  “I know, but I love kittens,” Hannah said. She sneezed again. She looked completely miserable. “I think I should go home.” Her face squinched up when she said “home.” “Back to your house, I mean, and get some Benadryl.”

  Bailey hadn’t gotten to show Hannah even half the things she’d wanted to. Her tour had turned into a complete disaster!

  “Oh no!” Olivia cried when Bailey called her later that night and told her what had happened. “But why didn’t she just tell you she was allergic?”

  “I don’t know,” Bailey answered. “She said she loves kittens. Maybe she thought she could pet a couple of them without getting a reaction. But by the time we got home, her face was so puffy it was like her eyes had almost disappeared. It was awful.”

  “Poor Hannah. And poor you. I know you wanted her first day to be perfectabulous,” Olivia said. “We’ll make it up to her when we take her to the mall tomorrow. We’re still going, right?”

  “Yep. My mom and Aunt Caitlin are coming too, but they’re going to go off by themselves. We can do what we want,” Bailey answered. “We’ll pick you up at one, ’kay?”

  “Sounds good. Don’t worry. We’ll have so much fun, Hannah will forget her first day ended in sneezes and tears and blotches!” Olivia promised.

  “What else can we tell
you about school, Hannah?” Bailey asked.

  “We’re complete experts now that we’ve been there for two weeks!” Olivia joked, and Hannah laughed.

  They stepped to the side as the mall’s kiddie train moved slowly toward them. “I can’t think of anything, since you’re giving me a tour before school tomorrow. I’m sure I’ll have questions once I’m there, though.”

  “How about questions about living in the South, Yankee?” Olivia teased.

  Hannah raised her eyebrows. “Yankee?”

  “Absolutely,” Bailey answered. “Everybody who wasn’t born and raised in the South is.”

  “Is that a thing? Will people not like me because I’m not from here?” Hannah sounded worried. “We lived in Texas for a little while. Does that count?”

  “Not really. Like I said, born and raised. But don’t stress. It’s no big thing,” Bailey reassured her. “I mean, somebody might joke around about it, but it’s no big deal.”

  “A lot of places, people make fun of new people,” Hannah said.

  “Well, here you have us,” Bailey told her.

  “Right, with two friends, you can’t really be new,” Olivia assured her. “What can we tell her to make her feel more like a local?” she asked Bailey.

  “Oh, here’s something. You and your mom say CON-curd. It’s Con-CHORD.” Bailey emphasized the second syllable.

  “And the mountains are App-a-LATCH-un and not App-a-LAY-shun,” Olivia chimed in again. “Tourists always get that wrong. Not that you’re a tourist. And Cheerwine is not a wine. I seriously heard someone order it in a restaurant like that once. It’s cherry soda.”

  “The yummiest. Did they have it anywhere you’ve lived?” Bailey asked.

  “Uh-uh.” Hannah had started nibbling on her lip. She brightened. “But there were some strange sodas other places. Like in England, there was one called Dandelion and Burdock. It was really made with dandelions! And in Japan there’s this version of Pepsi called Pepsi White. It has a sort of yogurty taste.”

  Olivia wrinkled her nose. “Yogurt Pepsi. Sounds nasty.” She grinned. “I want to try one.”