Honey Moon Read Online Free PDF Page B

explained our little mix-up to Chantal, but I did want to speak with Mrs. Booker personally."
    "My Aunt Sophie isn't here. She's suffering from—uh— gall bladder, and what with the pain and everything, she has to stay at home. I'm sort of in loco parentis , if you know what I mean."
    Miss Waring's skillfully penciled eyebrows shot up. "Aren't you a little young to be in loco parentis? "
    "Nineteen on my last birthday," Honey replied.
    Miss Waring looked skeptical but didn't press the issue. "I was explaining to Chantal that we've had to make a slight change in the prize for the winner.
    We're still offering the overnight trip to Charleston, but instead of the television show audition we're hiring a limousine to take the winner and a guest of her choice on a city tour followed by a marvelous dinner at a four-star restaurant.
    And of course Chantal will have the customary make-over at Dundee's Department Store."
    The backstage area was hot from the press of people, but Honey felt cold chills racing through her bloodstream. "No! The first prize is an audition for The Dash Coogan Show! "
    "I'm afraid that's no longer possible. Through no fault of Dundee's, I might add.
    Apparently the casting people have had to move up their schedule—although I do think they could have notified me earlier than yesterday afternoon. Instead of coming to Charleston next Wednesday as scheduled, they're going to be in Los Angeles holding final auditions for the girls they've already picked."
    "They're not coming to Charleston? They can't do that! How are they going to see Chantal?"
    "I'm sorry, but they're not going to see Chantal. They found enough girls in Texas to call off the search."
    "But you don't understand, Miss Waring. I know they would choose Chantal for the part if they just had
    a chance to see her."
    "I'm afraid I'm not as confident as you. Chantal is quite beautiful, but the competition for the part has been enormous."
    Honey immediately leapt to her cousin's defense. "Are you blaming her just because she dropped the baton? That was all my idea. She's a natural actress. I should have let her do that Quality of Mercy speech from The Merchant of Venice like she wanted, but, no, I had to make her twirl that stupid baton.
    Chantal's extremely talented. Katharine and Audrey Hepburn are her idols."
    She knew she was sounding frantic, but she couldn't help herself. Her fear was growing by the second. This contest was the last hope they had for a decent future, and she wouldn't let them snatch it away.
    "I've spoken to the casting director several times. They've seen hundreds of girls just to weed out the final group they're auditioning in Los Angeles, and the chance of Chantal having actually been the one chosen is quite slim."
    Honey set her jaw and tilted up on her toes until she was nearly on the same eye level as the pageant director. "You listen to me, Miss Waring, and you listen real good. I got the contest brochure right here in my pocket. It says in black and white that the winner of Miss Paxawatchie County gets to audition for The Dash Coogan Show , and I intend to hold you to that. I'm giving you until Monday afternoon to make sure Chantal gets her audition. Otherwise, I'm going to get me a lawyer, and that lawyer's going to sue you. Then he's going to sue Dundee's Department Store. And then he's going to sue every Paxawatchie County official who even came within a mile of this pageant."
    "Honey—"
    "I'll be at the store at four o'clock on Monday afternoon." She pointed her finger at Monica Waring's chest. "Unless you've got some positive news for me, that'll be the last time you see me without the meanest sonovabitch the courts of South Carolina have ever seen walking right by my side."
    Honey's bravado collapsed on the ride home. She didn't have the money to hire a lawyer. How could anyone at the store take her threat seriously?
    But there was no place in her life for negative thinking, so she spent all day Sunday and most of