“Look in the mirror, Ivy. They make your complexion positively glow,” Lacey said.
“Then eat your heart out, because they’ll never find their way around your neck,” Ivy said irritably. The sincerity in Lacey’s voice had to be some kind of trick. Lacey never said nice things to her. She still wanted the pearls; it was that simple.
Ivy stared at her sister with a mixture of disgust and jealousy. She always thought of Lacey as having been created and then shellacked, all five feet ten inches of her. There was never a hair out of place, never a nail broken or a chip in her nail polish. She applied her makeup as if she were following a road map—a dab here, a dash there, blended, blended, blended. She was a farther uptown version of Christie Brinkley with none of the model’s winsomeness. Everything about Lacey was perfect, from the top of her fashionable hairstyle to the tip of her manicured toes. Hard, glittering eyes, high, sharp cheekbones, small, elegant nose that was usually in the air, and a thin mouth that rarely, if ever, smiled. There was nothing real about Lacey. The feathery eyelashes, the porcelain caps on her teeth, the artificial nail tips and silicone breast implants. Where, she wondered, was the real Lacey Buckalew?
Lacey’s hackles rose. Why couldn’t she and Ivy be nice to each other? Why did they have to end each meeting, each conversation, on an angry note? Or was it a jealous note? As they made their way back to Tess’s bedroom, Lacey decided it was all her mother’s fault.
Tess’s narrowed eyes took in the dull brown dress and the string of pearls. The dress did nothing for Ivy’s figure. She blinked, her eyebrows arching at the clear, rosy, almost ethereal complexion of her younger daughter. Even so, she looked dowdy next to her glamorous sister, who had poured herself into a black sheath skirt with a sparkling sequined top. So very fashionable; a mannequin, hard and glittering.
Tess sighed. She just knew that the way Ivy was dressed was some kind of omen. Things were not going to work out. She didn’t like the calculating look in Lacey’s eyes, either. She’d seen that look before. It meant Lacey was determined to do something, something her mother wouldn’t approve of. It had to be Cole Tanner. Lacey hadn’t been the same since they’d broken up. Thrown into the same company with Cole, she might do something tonight that she’d regret later. She’d talk to her in the car, Tess decided. Better yet, she’d warn her. Cole would have to be history.
Author photo by M2IFOTO © 2006
FERN MICHAELS is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Sisterhood and Godmother series, Tuesday’s Child, Southern Comfort, Betrayal, Return to Sender, and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are more than 70 million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret.
Visit her website at fernmichaels.com.
THE BLOSSOM SISTERS
In a richly rewarding novel filled with unforgettable characters, #1 New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels explores the enduring bonds of family as one man loses everything—only to find the freedom to create a bold new life....
Gus Hollister owes all his success to his feisty grandmother, Rose, and he knows it. It was Rose and her sisters, Iris and Violet, who raised Gus, sent him to the best schools, and helped him start his own accounting business. Rose even bought the house Gus lives in with his wife, Elaine.
But now, Gus stands to lose everything: his home, his car, and his business. Worse, he’s alienated his beloved grandma, who tried to warn him about Elaine’s greedy, gold-digging ways. Gus, blinded by infatuation, refused to listen, so Elaine has locked him out of the house he was foolish enough to put in her name.
Heartsick and remorseful, Gus returns to Rose’s Virginia farmhouse, seeking shelter. But it won’t be easy to make amends. Despite their pretty floral names, there’s nothing delicate about the Blossom sisters. Unbeknownst to Gus, they’ve also been running a very lucrative business from home and don’t want interference. Yet family and forgiveness go hand in hand, and Gus isn’t giving up.
With the help of close friends, new associates, and some very sprightly ladies, Gus begins to repair the damage he’s done and help the residents of Blossom Farm begin the next phase of their business. He might even be finding the courage to love again. Because no matter how daunting it can be to start over, the results can surpass your wildest expectations—especially when the Blossom sisters are in your corner....
A Kensington trade paperback on sale May 2013!
BALANCING ACT
One of the most acclaimed storytellers of her time, #1 New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels weaves unforgettable tales of love, family, friendship, and self-discovery. Together in one volume for the first time, here are two classic stories about following your heart—wherever it leads....
ALL SHE CAN BE
Rita Bellamy has had enviable success as an author, but it came at the expense of her marriage. Now she’s starting over in a small lakeside cottage, slowly rebuilding the confidence that was shattered. But is the younger man next door a fun, frivolous diversion or something much more?
FREE SPIRIT
Moving to Washington, D.C., to be with Griff should be the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Dory’s life. Yet there are adjustments, too, and sacrifices she never expected. And soon Dory must weigh the price of love against everything she hoped to gain....
A Zebra mass-market paperback on sale April 2013!
GOTCHA!
They’re back ... !
In her much-loved New York Times bestselling Sisterhood series, Fern Michaels proves that payback is worth waiting for, especially when it’s delivered by expert hands. And although the Sisterhood has officially put their vigilante days (mostly) behind them, some challenges are impossible to resist....
The steadfast friends known as the Vigilantes have learned a lot since they started righting wrongs on behalf of underdogs everywhere. But sometimes justice is a long time coming. That’s the case with Julie Wyatt, whose story is one that sadly strikes close to home for the original founder of the Sisterhood, Myra Rutledge, and her best friend, and fellow Sister, Annie. Julie’s son, Larry, died under mysterious circumstances and Julie is convinced her greedy daughter-in-law, Darlene “Jimmy” Jimson, had something to do with it. She desperately wants to get a confession out of Darlene, and to ensure the safety of Larry’s daughter, Olivia.
Arriving at Julie’s home in picturesque Rosemont, Alabama, Myra and Annie begin to piece together a plan. There are other newcomers in town, too, including Julie’s new tenant, Mace Carlisle. As Mace warms to Julie’s wonderful home cooking and easy companionship, Myra and Annie dig deeper into Darlene’s shady dealings, closing in on her to set the trap. And as events unfurl in a way that no one could have predicted, each will learn the true meaning of loyalty, courage—and the kind of friendship that can create miracles....
A Zebra mass-market paperback on sale July 2013!
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Copyright © 1989 by Fern Michaels
Ballantine mass market edition: July 2011
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