Beautiful Ties Read Online Free PDF Page A

disapproval.
    “Good point.” I winked while rising to my feet. “Let’s go get that chocolate milk.”

    Five hours and what felt like hundreds of houses later, Pearl and I were finally finished.
    Holy cow.
    My eyes nearly bulged out when I thought about how we would have to deliver all those orders after they came in. Being a Girl Scout nowadays was some serious work. It had still been worth every second though, especially when the last door shut. Pearl had started jumping up and down, knowing she had finally reached her goal.
    “We did it! We did it!” Pearl squealed and launched herself into my arms, hugging me. “Thank you, Abbey! I could never have reached my goal without you!”
    I smiled while returning her embrace, feeling proud. Then, I drew back and gazed down at her. “That was all you, kiddo. You did great!”
    We started to walk back in the direction of our condos that were kitty-corner to each other.
    “ We did great,” she responded.
    I glanced over at her.
    Before I could say anything, the light in her eyes suddenly dulled. “Well”—she sighed—“I better be going. Diane said I needed to be home before she returned from her outings.”
    “Okay,” I replied as we made our way along the sidewalk.
    Pearl started to veer to the left toward her condo as I continued onward to my own.
    She lifted her hand and waved. “See you later!”
    “Bye!” I smiled and waved back before she disappeared out of sight.
    I pondered while closing the short distance to my home, wondering what kind of circumstances she went home to. After letting myself inside, my phone beeped in my pocket. I read the time on the screen to see that I needed to meet Gail in the next thirty minutes. Crap! I quickly read the message from Gail.
Let’s meet at Starbucks for a quick coffee before our shopping date. Thirty minutes or so good?
    I literally ran for the bathroom as I replied to her text.
I’ll be there! See you then.
    She quickly responded.
Okay. ☺
    My phone beeped again, and I was surprised to see a text from Lily. Today, Lily and Kyle were leaving for their honeymoon.
Getting ready to board the plane to Kauai! Eeep! So excited! ☺ P.S. Have fun working with Jason. I want to hear all about it when I get back! ;)
    I smiled warmly at seeing how excited she was about her honeymoon. Then, I shook my head when I read the extra part about Jason. I texted her back.
Yay! Have fun! ☺ And soak up some sun for me. *hugs*
    I wanted to text her more, but I was on a tight time frame here.
    After a record fast shower and drying off, I planned to let my long brown hair air dry since it would allow my natural waves to form. Plus, it was faster. I hurriedly applied my light cover-up, a deep rose blush to brighten my cheeks, and brown mascara.
    I flew into my walk-in closet to choose something comfortable to wear today since my legs were a little sore from all the dancing yesterday. I pulled on a pair of black leggings and matched it with a bright blue dress shirt. Then, I reached for a gray pair of Lucky Brand slip-on shoes.
    I was really excited to see Gail and just spend the day with her. With both of our busy careers, we’d literally had to put each other on our calendars. Gail and I were two peas in a pod. It had been that way since the first day we were introduced in college. From the first moment we’d met, we’d instantly had this mutual understanding of each other and a gift to finish one another’s sentences. I loved that woman like a sister.
    In the kitchen, I grabbed my purse and car keys. Then, I locked up and beelined for the parking garage. I opened the side entrance door.
    “Hello, gorgeous,” I purred to my red-hot Chevy Camaro.
    Some would say it was not normal to talk to a car, but my recent splurge was a sight of pure feminine beauty.
    I did not grow up playing with Barbies. With two older brothers around, they had been the first ones to drag me outside to play in the mud. Whether it was a four-wheeler, dirt