“Getting it!” I said.
After dashing back to get Devon her styling cream, I finally made it downstairs to pick up a roller.
“How’s it going?” I asked Kyle as I started rolling paint on the wall like Jonah’s dad had shown us.
“Great. It’s kind of fun painting,” he said, concentrating on the wall. “I told my mom last year I wanted to paint my room and she said no because she didn’t want to do it. But it’s easy. I could do it on my own for sure.”
“So today is like a teaching day, huh?”
“Big lesson day,” he said. “We should get some sort of extra credit.”
“Mickey!” my dad called from the other end of the basement. He pointed to his watch.
I looked at the time. “Be Gorgeous!” I explained to Kyle as I dropped my paint roller and headed for the stairs.
He laughed. “You too!”
Upstairs, as I closed the basement door behind me, Cecilia appeared, startling me.
“Hi there, Miss Mickey!” she said. The scent of her musky perfume wafted around me. She wore a new rhinestone chain on her cat’s-eye glasses that I really liked. “I’ve only seen you in flashes today. How’s it going? Excited about your mom’s demo?” A camera wavered behind her, trying to fit me in the frame in the small space we stood in.
“Yes, it should be very fun!” I said. I tried to subtly glance around her to see inside the salon—it was already pretty crowded with people there for the demo.
Cecilia leaned against the wall as if settling in for a long chat.
“I hear she’s doing some sort of retro styles?”
“I think so,” I said, because I wasn’t sure.
“I’m just wondering,” Cecilia said, “if it’s a bit odd. Isn’t Devon’s specialty retro looks?”
I immediately became defensive. “Devon’s specialty is rockabilly. Like, rock ’n’ roll of the fifties. But not like poodle skirts.” Devon wouldn’t be caught dead in one of those.
“Yes, I know what rockabilly is,” she said. “I’m just wondering if it’s strange that your mom is doing retro as well. What era is she doing?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “I doubt the same thing that Devon does.” I hoped so, anyway. Mom wouldn’t do that—would she?
“Well, it’ll be interesting to see,” she said. The noise level rose from the floor, and I could see Mom’s head bobbing behind Cecilia. She was looking for me.
“Yep! Sure will!” I said, trying to be as calm and friendly as possible. “Well, I better go see—”
“What do you think of the renovations? Everything going smoothly down there?”
“So well!” I said, with even more enthusiasm. I’d seen the show enough times (as in, every single episode) to know that she wanted to get a little dirt out of me about some dramatic downfall that might be taking place. The cameras were down there but she couldn’t see anything until the reveal. And I wasn’t about to tell her a thing. “Anyway, I better get back to Mom. Lots to do!”
I ducked around her, making a dash for the floor.
“Mickey!” I heard for the tenth time today.
Chairs were being set up and the crowd immediately went to take their seats. I helped Megan move in some more chairs, stacking a few near Giancarlo’s station.
“Is that some new look I’m not aware of?” he asked, pointing to my head.
I immediately touched my hair. “What? Is it frizzed out? Is there something in it?”
“Here,” he said, taking my shoulders and turning me to his mirror. “A new spray-on paint trend? I’d go for a darker color, though. This blends too closely to your natural color.”
“Ugh, very funny,” I said, trying to scrape the buttercream paint out of it.
“Here, let me,” he said, picking up his brush. He gently removed the paint and made my hair look a bit more fabulous in the process.
“Thanks, GC,” I said.
“Everything okay down there?” he asked. “You and your mom seem on edge. Normal for you but not for Chloe.”
“Everything is great,” I said, looking over at Cecilia. She stood in the doorway, watching every movement of the staff and clients. I wondered if I should warn Mom about what she’d said about doing another retro demo. But Mom was talking with the customers while she finished setting up, and I knew that there wasn’t time to change it.
The demo finally got started and yes, Mom did a retro style, but she managed to make it look new and modern. She showed how to do a nineteenforties, almost Hitchcock do with soft curls and strands pinned back on the sides. The women loved the classic look, and I was surprised at how easy it was to do. Sticking with her elegant theme, she then demonstrated a modern take on the French twist. She left a few tendrils gracefully framing the model’s face. It was a who-cares take on the prissy style that looked sophisticated yet young. It was the best Be Gorgeous demo we’d ever done, and I’m not just saying that because she’s my mom. Everyone went crazy for it, and I was positive she’d sell a ton of the products she’d used in the demonstration.
I looked to see what Cecilia thought of the whole thing. She was completely unreadable. I saw Mom glance at her a couple of times, probably trying to get a read, too.
“Mom, that was amazing,” I said once the crowd had thinned out.
She let out a deep breath and looked back at Cecilia. “Did Cecilia say anything? What did she think?”
“She wondered why you were doing a retro look since that’s Devon’s thing.”
“Really? What’d she say? Did she seem displeased?”
“No!” I said, backtracking when I saw the look on her face. I shouldn’t have said anything. “She was just curious, that’s all.”
“Maybe I should talk to her,” Mom said.
“I’m sure it’s fine,” I said. Why did I tell her that? Clearly my next projects should be not lying, and learning when to tell the whole truth. “Don’t worry, Mom,” I tried to reassure her. Then I jetted back to the basement.
Downstairs everyone was still painting, but they were really close to being done. Well, except Kristen and Lizbeth. Their section was half done, and Lizbeth was painting a heart on Kristen’s cheek with a fine brush.
“Where’s Dad and Mark?” I asked as a cameraman captured Kristen and Lizbeth painting. Kristen’s hair still looked perfect in the red bandana, and she kept her body angled toward the camera as Lizbeth painted her cheek.
“Outside talking to the flooring guys,” Kyle said as I dipped a roller brush in paint and got back to work. “How’d it go up there?”
“It was good,” I said, rolling the paint on one of the few remaining sections. “I guess. Cecilia said some stuff to me before the demo and I’m kind of worried she didn’t like it. If she didn’t like it then that’s bad. The demo is a major part of Mom’s salon and since it was her day to do it . . . she’ll be humiliated.” And I’ll be humiliated. Even more for getting Mom into this whole thing in the first place.
“I’m sure she loved it,” Kyle said.
“Hopefully.”
“Come on, Matthew,” Lizbeth was saying. “Just a little bit!”
“No way!” he said, backing away from the paintbrush she held toward his face.
“Just a tiny little heart. Or whatever you want!” she reasoned.
As Matthew tried to back away from her he spotted another brush on the floor. He quickly bent to dip it in an open paint jar and held it out to Lizbeth. “Come any closer and you’re getting it!”
“Just a little, tiny something on your cheek. It’ll look so—”
“Don’t even,” he said.
“You guys,” I said. “Come on. We have to finish this.”
They totally ignored me. Besides, Tobias couldn’t be outdone, no matter what it was. He took the roller brush Kristen had just put down and went toward both girls.
“Don’t you dare!” Kristen laughed, backing away. She tried to hide behind Lizbeth, but Lizbeth managed to keep Kristen in front of her.
“Seriously,” I said. “You guys.”
Lizbeth kept backing herself and Kristen away from Tobias’s outstretched hand. “Lizbeth, watch behind you,” I warned.
Tobias lunged for the girls, and they screamed and jumped back, knocking over a can of paint. I watched in slow motion as it spilled over the drop cloth, oozing toward the baseboards. They didn’t even notice.
“Stop!” I said. “Lizbeth, knock it off!” She stepped in a puddle of paint, and that’s when it really hit the fan.
“What is going on?” a voice boomed from the stairs.
Mom.
We all turned to see her standing, horrified and confused, on the stairs, with Dad and Mark right behind her.
“Mickey!” Dad said, coming down around Mom. “What are you kids doing?”
Everyone froze. I moved my eyes but not my head to look at Lizbeth and Kristen. I’d never seen them look as scared as they did now. Welcome to the wrong end of a Chloe Wilson smackdown.
Mom, Dad, Mark, and another camera came down the stairs. Lizbeth and Kristen stood close together, and I swore I could see them shaking.
“Everybody out,” Mom said, not wasting a moment. Neither did my friends. They ran up the stairs like the place was on fire. I started to follow them, but Mom said, “Mickey—stay.”
“Come here,” Dad said from over by the spill. I walked over. “Help me with this.”
We pulled the drop cloth over the paint—luckily no damage was done.
“Mickey,” Mom said, stomping toward me and Dad. “I appreciate your friends helping but this is exactly what I was afraid of. We should have never left you unsupervised.”
“It’s going to be fine,” Dad said in a calm voice. “Okay, Chloe? Everything is going to be fine.”
“Do you see what time it is?” she asked. “We have less than four hours and this place is still a mess. Do you understand how much more work still needs to be done?”
Suddenly, she stopped. Her eyes looked at one of the two cameras filming her. She stood up straight, popped her chin up, and said, “You’re right. It’s fine. We’ll get it done.”
“Don’t worry,” Dad said, and I’m sure he knew she had a bonus moment of panic with the cameras catching her mid-meltdown. “We’re ready to do the flooring. Then the crew can bring in the equipment.”
“It’s still a lot,” Mom said. “Can it be done in time?”
“Yeah, probably,” Dad said. Mom looked at him nervously and he said, “I’m sure it’ll be done. Nothing to worry about.”
“Mom, I’m sorry we made a mess,” I said.
She looked at me and said, “I’m sorry for snapping at you and your friends.”
“Get yourself back out on the floor,” Dad said to Mom. “Let us finish up in here.”
Mom nodded. “Let me know if there are any problems, or if you need anything.”
After she went back upstairs, I thought for a moment Dad was going to yell at me. But he just grinned and shook his head. After helping him clean up the mess, paint had smeared on my smock.
“What a shame,” I said to him. “My poor, beloved smock might be destroyed forever!”
Dad winked and said, “You better get yourself back up there, too.”
Before I went, I asked Dad, “You think we’re really going to pull this off? Save the renovations and make Mom and her salon look good on TV?”
“Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be just fine,” Dad said. But he had a far-off look on his face, like he were wondering if it were true.
CHAPTER 21
We were all back at the diner—me, Kyle, Jonah, Kristen, Lizbeth, Tobias, and Matthew. Dad had sent us here as another treat for all the work we’d done—and because we were starving. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until a burger deluxe with extra-crispy fries was set in front of me.
“How mad was your dad about the paint?” Jonah asked. I sat between him and Kyle, with the others across from us.
“He wasn’t mad,” I said. “But he did look worried about getting it all done in time.”
“They’ll make it,” Kyle said, like he was absolutely sure.
We’d done all Dad felt comfortable letting us help with, and he sent us here to wait until it was time for the reveal. We’d either show how much we’d done or show how big we failed.
And by we I mean me.
“What about your mom?” Kristen said. “Did she totally blow once she kicked us all out of the basement?”
“She didn’t kick you out,” I said.
“But she was mad,” Lizbeth said. “Not that she didn’t have every right to be—Tobias.”
“What’d I do?” he asked innocently. Lizbeth shook her head.
“It’s just that her salon means everything to her,” I said, feeling like I had to defend her. “She has a lot of pressure on her, all because of me. If this show doesn’t end well, her salon could totally crash.”
“It’s not going to crash,” Lizbeth said. “And your mom is amazing. We all think she’s a rock star.”
“I wish I could have worked longer,” Tobias said. “I totally could have laid that floor and installed all that equipment.”
“Like you know how,” Kristen said.
“Dude, I totally know how.”
Kristen took in a breath and said, “What’d I tell you about calling me dude?”
“It was fun to do,” Matthew said, his collared polo the only article of clothing at the table that was paintless. “Thanks for letting us help, Mickey.”
“Please. Thank you for coming,” I said. “I can’t believe you all came out to help me and my mom. It honestly means a lot to me.” I almost said, Especially after all the messing up I’ve done, but I realized that by this point, they understood—otherwise, they wouldn’t be here.
“We’re here for you, Mickey,” Lizbeth said.
“All of us,” Kristen added, then swatted Tobias’s hand away as he snatched an onion ring from her plate.
“Yeah,” I said. “Almost everyone.”
I didn’t mean to, but just like that I put a cloud over the table. Everyone was quiet for a moment, staring at their food.
“Sorry, guys,” I said. “I just wish Eve could have been here. Not because I want an extra helper, but it would have been even more fun. I should never have done what I did.” I looked to Jonah, who had his body turned to me but kept his eyes focused on the door beyond. “And I’ll never do it again. I promise all of you that I’m going to be a better friend.”
“Oh, Mickey,” Lizbeth said. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I know,” I said, even though I didn’t.
“Maybe you should talk to Eve now,” Jonah said.
“I told you,” I said. “I tried. She won’t listen. Not that I blame her.”
“No,” Jonah said. “You should talk to her right now.”
“Jonah, I’ve left five hundred messages. I can’t—”
“Will you look?” He pointed toward the door. I turned and there was Eve, walking uncertainly toward us.
My heart dropped for a moment. Then it started to race. Was she here to yell at me in front of everyone and tell me what a terrible person I was?
She slowly walked toward us. “Hey, guys,” she said.
“Hi, Eve,” Kristen said, looking between us.
“Want to sit down?” Lizbeth asked.
“Give her your seat.” Kristen nudged Tobias.
“Here, sit here,” Jonah said before Tobias could move. He stood up and gave Eve his seat right next to me, then took the empty one on the other side of her.
“Thanks,” she said, sitting down. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and her face looked bright and clean. “So how’d it go today?”
“Great,” Kristen said. “We’re just waiting to see how it ends.”
“It’s going to be amazing,” Lizbeth said. “Who needs professional painters when you have us?”
“Agreed,” Tobias said. “I can’t believe anyone freaked out
about these so-called pro painters not coming. Do you know how many times I’ve painted the walls in my house? It’s not that hard.”
“I think we did a pretty good job,” Matthew agreed.
I sat watching this, wanting to say something but not knowing where to begin. Eve and I had been through a lot. I had so much I wanted to say to her, starting with an apology, but I didn’t know how, especially with everyone there, looking between us, wondering what was going to happen. Why had she even come?
“We’re just finishing up lunch,” Lizbeth said. “You want something?”
“No, thanks,” she said, her hands in her lap like she didn’t know what to do with them.
I picked at my fries, trying to think of something to say short of blurting out I’m sorry!
“Hey!” Lizbeth said. “I have a great idea. Why don’t we all go to the Waffle Cone for dessert? I could so go for some ice cream.”
“I don’t know,” Tobias said. “This place has the best blueberry pie—” He stopped abruptly, Lizbeth having just whacked him in the ribs. “I mean, uh . . . ice cream sounds awesome!”
“Great, let’s go, then!” Lizbeth said, and everyone started tossing their napkins on their plates.
“We’ll see you in, like, five, okay?” Kyle said as he got up.
“Okay, yeah,” I said, swallowing hard as everyone dashed out. Finally, it was just me and Eve. And then, it was very quiet.
“Subtle, isn’t she?” Eve said, breaking our silence.
“Yeah,” I said. “Very. Listen, Eve.”
“Mickey, I have to say something first,” she said. I braced myself. “I just want to say that this is bad. I don’t know what to do.”
“I know,” I said, sinking. “Eve, I’m so sorry. I messed up so badly this time. And I know it. I got caught up in you getting caught up in Jonah.”
“But why did you care?” she asked. “That’s what I can’t figure out. If you really liked me as a friend you wouldn’t have done this. To me or Jonah.”
“I know!” I said. “You’re right. I told Jonah this already but I just got jealous. That’s all there is to it. I’m ashamed of what I did but I didn’t know how to react seeing my two friends go off and leave me.”
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