colors in the rainbow, why did it have to be cotton pink?
Standing in the center of the room, eyeballing the very girly material, I reconsidered my choices.
Option 1: I show up to lunch in jean shorts and a tank.
Option 2: I don’t go to the country club at all.
Option 3: I suck it up and wear the damn dress.
Really, in any other color it would be acceptable…but pink? I didn’t care about impressing her uppity friends. I didn’t care about what others thought about me. But what I did care about was TJ. The last thing I wanted was to make this any harder for him. Not that he was having a hard time, but he’d already had a traumatizing year. I owed it to him to try to make living here as smooth as possible. He might be a royal pain in my tush, but if he could survive the summer, so could I.
Ugh. I was going to grit my teeth and bear it. After all, it was only one day—one meal. How hard could it be? It was not as if I would melt like the Wicked Witch of the West if I wore pink.
Sixty-five minutes later I was sitting in the back of a black town car on my way to the country club in an itchy pink dress. Yep. I was late.
Served her right for making me wear a dress.
Rose’s hair was tied up in a sophisticated bun, not a flyaway in sight. TJ’s sandy hair was combed, looking clean and polished, something that never happened at home. We were lucky if he showered once a week. And then there was me. The best I had done with my long blonde hair was run a comb through it. There hadn’t been time to work miracles.
Sinking into the plush seat, the same thought looped on repeat. What the heck am I going to do at a stuffy country club?
Mingle? Doubtful.
Dine on exotic cuisine? Don’t hold your breath.
Tennis? No stinking way.
My kind of club was an underground one with flashing colored lights, floor-shaking mixes, and half-naked peeps. This club was called The Black Crow. To me, it sounded like a strip joint, but what did I know about hoity-toity places?
On the short ride from the manor to the country club, Rose rattled off all the amenities the club offered. From tennis to boating lessons, and it was all at her expense, since she had added us to the approved guest list.
Dollar signs beamed in TJ’s eyes. I gave him a stern look. “Does that include a booze tab?” I asked smartly.
TJ kicked me with his shoe. “She’s joking,” he said, seeing Rose’s displeasure.
Actually, I wasn’t, but no harm in letting them think I was.
I didn’t know what it was, but everything in Raven Hallow rubbed me the wrong way. Even Rose. Sure, she had been nice; however, I hadn’t forgotten that never once had I seen this woman. Unlike Dad and TJ, my trust had to be earned. I didn’t just give it away because of the size of her wallet. I hated feeling like a charity case. There was a very good reason my mom hadn’t ever wanted to return to Raven Hallow, and I was determined to unearth it.
The Black Crow was not as seedy as the name suggested. Tall white pillars flanked a set of stairs that led to a huge wraparound porch in a plantation style, perfect for lazy afternoons or quiet evenings. From behind the black wooden building, I heard the crashing of waves against the rocky shore and a boat horn in the distance. The club was on the harbor, its smooth windows sparkling in the sunlight.
We were seated on the back deck with an impressive view of the waterfront. The golden glow of the sun flashed off the rippling waters as sails from boats whistled in the winds, coming and going from the dock. I loved the water. It reminded me of the lakefront.
A warm breeze blew over my bare shoulders, the sun basking my skin. It felt nice, a change from my usual crazy Chicago summers, where you wore shorts one day and a sweatshirt the next. My complexion could use a righteous tan. Maybe that will be my goal for the summer. Sunbathe on the beach and drink all the Shirley Temples my stomach could handle. I sipped my pinkish drink and
Standing in the center of the room, eyeballing the very girly material, I reconsidered my choices.
Option 1: I show up to lunch in jean shorts and a tank.
Option 2: I don’t go to the country club at all.
Option 3: I suck it up and wear the damn dress.
Really, in any other color it would be acceptable…but pink? I didn’t care about impressing her uppity friends. I didn’t care about what others thought about me. But what I did care about was TJ. The last thing I wanted was to make this any harder for him. Not that he was having a hard time, but he’d already had a traumatizing year. I owed it to him to try to make living here as smooth as possible. He might be a royal pain in my tush, but if he could survive the summer, so could I.
Ugh. I was going to grit my teeth and bear it. After all, it was only one day—one meal. How hard could it be? It was not as if I would melt like the Wicked Witch of the West if I wore pink.
Sixty-five minutes later I was sitting in the back of a black town car on my way to the country club in an itchy pink dress. Yep. I was late.
Served her right for making me wear a dress.
Rose’s hair was tied up in a sophisticated bun, not a flyaway in sight. TJ’s sandy hair was combed, looking clean and polished, something that never happened at home. We were lucky if he showered once a week. And then there was me. The best I had done with my long blonde hair was run a comb through it. There hadn’t been time to work miracles.
Sinking into the plush seat, the same thought looped on repeat. What the heck am I going to do at a stuffy country club?
Mingle? Doubtful.
Dine on exotic cuisine? Don’t hold your breath.
Tennis? No stinking way.
My kind of club was an underground one with flashing colored lights, floor-shaking mixes, and half-naked peeps. This club was called The Black Crow. To me, it sounded like a strip joint, but what did I know about hoity-toity places?
On the short ride from the manor to the country club, Rose rattled off all the amenities the club offered. From tennis to boating lessons, and it was all at her expense, since she had added us to the approved guest list.
Dollar signs beamed in TJ’s eyes. I gave him a stern look. “Does that include a booze tab?” I asked smartly.
TJ kicked me with his shoe. “She’s joking,” he said, seeing Rose’s displeasure.
Actually, I wasn’t, but no harm in letting them think I was.
I didn’t know what it was, but everything in Raven Hallow rubbed me the wrong way. Even Rose. Sure, she had been nice; however, I hadn’t forgotten that never once had I seen this woman. Unlike Dad and TJ, my trust had to be earned. I didn’t just give it away because of the size of her wallet. I hated feeling like a charity case. There was a very good reason my mom hadn’t ever wanted to return to Raven Hallow, and I was determined to unearth it.
The Black Crow was not as seedy as the name suggested. Tall white pillars flanked a set of stairs that led to a huge wraparound porch in a plantation style, perfect for lazy afternoons or quiet evenings. From behind the black wooden building, I heard the crashing of waves against the rocky shore and a boat horn in the distance. The club was on the harbor, its smooth windows sparkling in the sunlight.
We were seated on the back deck with an impressive view of the waterfront. The golden glow of the sun flashed off the rippling waters as sails from boats whistled in the winds, coming and going from the dock. I loved the water. It reminded me of the lakefront.
A warm breeze blew over my bare shoulders, the sun basking my skin. It felt nice, a change from my usual crazy Chicago summers, where you wore shorts one day and a sweatshirt the next. My complexion could use a righteous tan. Maybe that will be my goal for the summer. Sunbathe on the beach and drink all the Shirley Temples my stomach could handle. I sipped my pinkish drink and
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