six
Sherbert and Ernie
The delicious aroma of syrup and waffles woke up Brooke and Aly on Saturday morning. That could mean only one thing: Dad was home!
The girls rushed downstairs to the kitchen, straight into their father’s arms.
“Mom told me it’s School Picture Day next week,” he said while he poured Brooke a glass of orange juice. “So, I thought you might want some new School Picture Day outfits.”
“You’re going to take us clothes shopping?” Brooke asked, a string of syrup sliding down her chin.
“Sure,” Dad said. “Why not?”
Mom was usually the one who took the girls to buy new clothes. Sometimes Joan came for a second opinion. But Dad? He thought green plaid pants and yellow polka-dot socks were a perfect match.
“Did Mom tell you where to take us?” Aly asked.
Dad swallowed his bite of waffle. “She said you’d know, Alligator.”
“Our favorite is the shop on Central Avenue. It’s called Kristy’s Closet. Right next to the makeup store Mom likes.”
“Next to the makeup store?” Dad asked.
Aly thought about the street and stores Dad might know. “Right near the bookstore,” she said. “Across from the bank that you and Mom don’t go to.”
Dad nodded. “Got it,” he said. “So, when you’re done eating and all dressed, we can go over to the Closet.”
Brooke laughed through her waffle. “It’s not called the Closet, Dad. Kristy’s Closet. Kristy’s the name of the woman who owns the store. She has very long hair to the middle of her back and comes to True Colors for special occasions, but not every week.
“Aly and I will introduce you once we get there.”
On the ride over, Aly asked what she and Brooke had been wondering since they finished breakfast.
“Dad, why are you taking us shopping?”
“Well,” he said, “I thought it would be something fun to do together. And when I’m on the road, I’ll look at your pictures and your outfits and remember this day.”
“Do you always look at our pictures while you’re traveling?” Aly asked.
“All the time, Alligator,” he said. “I keep both of your school pictures in my wallet, so I can peek at you whenever I miss you. And sometimes I show them to my coworkers.”
“Do you tell them stories about us too, Dad?” Brooke asked. “Do they know we have a dog named Sparkly and that we started a nail salon and that my favorite sandwich shape is a heart?”
Dad chuckled. “I do tell them stories, but I don’t think I’ve told them all of that.”
“Maybe one day we could come on a trip with you,” Brooke said. “And then we could tell them ourselves.”
“We’ll have to see about that, honey,” Dad said, “but I don’t think you’d have fun if you came on a business trip with me. I work all day.”
“And look at our pictures,” Aly added.
“Yes,” Dad agreed. “And look at your pictures.”
“There it is, Dad! Kristy’s Closet!” Brooke screeched.
Dad pulled over and parked, and Brooke and Aly jumped out.
Once they were inside the store, Brooke tried on outfits she thought would match her Picture Day white background:
• an orange sparkly sweater (the exact color of Sherbert and Ernie!)
• a Black Cat ruffled skirt
• a short-sleeved Lemon Aid T-shirt
• a long-sleeved Lemon Aid T-shirt
• Blueberry Blue and Wite-Out striped leggings
• a Pink Cheeks flowered dress
Dad looked over at Aly. “Is she going to put on everything she likes in the entire store?” Dad asked, shaking his head in amazement.
When it was Aly’s turn, she tried on outfits she thought would match her Picture Day green background:
• a White Christmas shirt with We’re Number Blue sparkles
• a That’s So Lavender cardigan
• a Yellow Submarine flowy skirt
• Silver Celebration cropped pants
And then she found it: her outfit.
A dark-pink shirt with a light-pink collar and bows on the sleeves and a teal skirt that looked more blue than green.
Maybe Aly could wear it with her dark-blue leggings and pink high-tops.
“Brookester,” Aly called out, “come out in three seconds so we can both see what we look like at the same time.”
“Okay,” Brooke said. “Three . . . two . . . one . . .”
Both girls walked out of their dressing rooms and turned to look in the mirror.
“You both look lovely,” Dad said.
“You’re dad’s right, girls,” Kristy said. She was standing off to the left, hanging up some clothes.
“We do look good!” Aly said to her sister.
“But we’re both missing something,” Brooke said.
“Well, I’m not wearing the right shoes,” Aly said. “I’m going to wear my pink high-tops.”
“It’s not shoes . . . ,” Brooke said, “it’s hair!”
She darted over to the counter and pulled two clips off the display and came racing back. She handed Aly a teal hair elastic and then clipped an orange butterfly at the end of her own braid. “That’s for your half-up,” Brooke said, pointing to the elastic.
Aly put her hair half up and looked back in the mirror. Brooke was right. The hair accessories completed the looks.
“Now we’re picture perfect,” Brooke said.
Brooke, Aly, and their dad left Kristy’s Closet with two bags full of clothes. They walked down the street, past the makeup store Mom liked, and bumped smack into Suzy Davis and her mom.
“Oh, hi,” Aly said.
Suzy was holding two big bags of makeup.
“What did you buy?” Brooke asked her.
Suzy looked at her mom, then back at the girls. “Makeup for my business,” Suzy hissed. “The one that’s going to be the best business ever on School Picture Day.”
“Oh, right,” Aly said. “The fairy dust and lip gloss. Do you have a lot of appointments? That looks like a lot of makeup.”
Suzy chewed on her lip. “What does it matter to you?” she said finally.
Brooke sent Aly a Secret Sister Eye Message: What’s her problem?
Aly shrugged. “It doesn’t,” she said. “I was just asking.”
Suzy looked up at her mom again, who was on her phone. “I’ve got to go,” she said. Then she grabbed her mom by the elbow and pulled her down the street.
“Do you think she has a lot of appointments?” Brooke asked Aly. “Because none of our customers from the other day made them. At least I don’t think so. No one took a flyer.”
“I don’t know,” Aly said. “People could have always talked to Suzy without us knowing. . . .”
Brooke frowned.
Aly put her arm around Brooke’s shoulders. “Come on, Brooke. Dad said he wanted to take us and Sparkly kite flying at the park. I’m sure that’s one place we won’t run into Suzy Davis.”
seven
Ruby Red Slippers
The mirrors were a hit.
Once they were all handed out, it seemed like kids Aly and Brooke had never seen or met before asked for one. And better yet, appointments for Picture-Perfect Pinkies manicures didn’t stop. Luckily, the spa was open Friday, Sunday, and Tuesday for Picture Day prep. And the charms were coming on Monday.
That left Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning to hand them out. Tons of time. But on Monday morning, on the way to school, two days before School Picture Day, Aly started to get nervous, like she always did before a big Sparkle Spa event.
Even though the spa had been busier than ever, the girls had been able to handle all the extra fingers. And Charlotte had created a “mirror list” for when they next had saved up enough money to order more. But now Aly was worried about Part Two of their Picture Day plan: the charms.
“Mom, can I double-check to make sure the charms are being de
livered today?” she asked.
“My phone’s in my bag, Aly. Can you reach it?”
Aly reached forward and grabbed Mom’s red pocketbook from the passenger seat—it was the exact polish color of Ruby Red Slippers. Aly searched for the e-mail about the charms’ shipment and clicked on the delivery link. Then she clicked again. And again just to be sure.
“Oh no!” she yelped. “They’re delayed one day because of bad weather in Chicago and won’t be here until tomorrow!”
“Don’t worry, Aly,” Brooke said. “We still have some time tomorrow afternoon. And Arnold will be here before our first appointment. I told you, we’ll be superfast charm clippers.”
“But I wanted to prepare all the necklaces today!”
“We can do it at the salon tomorrow, easy peasy,” Brooke told her sister. “Or Lily and Charlotte can do it while you and Sophie and I set up for the manicures.”
“Your sister’s right,” Mom said. “It won’t take long to attach the charms to the necklaces.”
Aly took a deep breath. She didn’t like it when her plans got messed up, especially for the Sparkle Spa. And for Picture Day. A lot of girls were counting on them.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll tell Lily and Charlotte that we’ll need them to do that tomorrow.”
The next morning, first thing after she woke up, Aly ran to the computer in her parents’ home office. As fast as she could, she checked on the charms, expecting to see that they were out on the truck for delivery. But they weren’t.
“Mom!” she yelled through the house. “Mom! The charms arrived too late this morning to get on the truck. They won’t arrive until tomorrow afternoon! But we need them today! Tomorrow will be too late.”
Aly clicked on something that said “more info” and read that another choice was to pick them up at the delivery facility.
“Mom!” Aly yelled again.
Mom came running into the home office. Brooke too.
“The charms aren’t going to be here in time?” Brooke asked. “Now we’re going to be the worst business ever. Even worse than Suzy’s bathroom makeup. We promised necklaces to our customers.” She looked close to tears.
“But, Mom, look,” Aly said, pointing to the computer. “They’re at the delivery facility. Can you pick them up while we’re at school?”
“I’m really sorry, girls,” she said. “I wish I could. But I have a meeting with nail polish sales managers this morning and then have appointments at the salon the rest of the day.”
“Nooooo!” Brooke wailed.
Aly wasn’t wailing. She was in shock. Her mind raced to find solutions. . . . Dad was already on his business trip. . . . Their grandparents lived far away. . . . “What about Joan?” she asked. Joan had saved the day so many times before.
“She took a personal day today,” Mom said. “I think she’s helping her brother move to a new apartment.”
This was the worst news ever. Aly felt like the kite she, Brooke, and their dad flew on Saturday, right after the wind died down and it plummeted to the ground.
Mom checked her watch. “You girls have to finish getting ready for school. You’ll just have to give your customers the necklaces without any charms.”
“But—but,” Brooke said through her tears, “but we promised Eliza her butterfly necklace. She already lost one at camp. We promised.”
“We can always give her the charm on Wednesday, I guess,” Aly said. “Even if it’s after Picture Day.” She was trying to be professional and look on the bright side, but inside, she was just as sad as Brooke. And she was dreading telling their customers the bad news.
That morning at school even more kids requested Sparkle Spa appointments. Aly found Brooke in the hallway before class, and they agreed they’d extend their Tuesday hours to fit in the extra customers.
“Did you tell anyone about the charms yet?” Brooke asked.
Aly shook her head. “I didn’t know what to say.”
Brooke hesitated, then said, “Let’s just wait until people get to the spa to tell them.”
Aly ran her fingers through her hair. Her brain didn’t think that was the best plan, but her heart did, so she agreed.
Staring at the division problem in front of her, Aly wasn’t thinking about how many times 32 went into 3,200. She was thinking about what to say to the Sparkle Spa customers. She’d already made a list in her math notebook:
1. Apologize
2. Explain how they could still get necklaces, just not with charms
3. Tell them everyone would get their charms the next day
4. Make sure to say, “Please don’t be mad at us”
Aly underlined number four, really hoping no one would be too angry with them.
Buzzzzzzz.
Aly nearly jumped out of her chair when the intercom buzzed.
First there was static, and then a voice spoke: Please send Alyssa Tanner to the main office immediately. Tell her to bring her backpack. She’s leaving for the day.
Aly’s stomach fluttered. Did something bad happen? Was Brooke okay? Were her parents? Aly raced to pack up her stuff, took the hall pass her teacher had written out, and headed to the main office.
In the hallway, from the other direction, she saw Brooke running with her backpack. When the sisters turned the corner, they saw Joan standing in front of the office.
“Is everything okay?” Aly gasped.
Joan smiled and jingled the car keys in her hand. “I was thinking about taking a ride out to the delivery facility to pick up some charms. Thought you two might want to come along. Your mom wrote a note to excuse you from the rest of the school day.”
“Are you serious?” Aly asked.
Joan nodded. “How could I not help out when your mom told me what had happened?”
Brooke flung herself into Joan’s arms, and Aly joined her. She hadn’t cried that morning, but now she felt tears starting.
“Why are you crying?” Joan asked. “What’s wrong?”
“I think it’s because I’m happy.” Aly sniffed. “You made everything right again.”
Joan took Aly’s and Brooke’s hands in her own. “Okay, girls,” she said, “let’s get going.”
Because the entire Sparkle Spa team had less than thirty minutes to attach the charms to the necklaces before the first customers arrived, they didn’t stop for one second.
Sparkly whined and kept nudging Brooke’s elbow as she clipped away.
“You have to be extra good today,” Brooke told Sparky, picking him up and putting him in his enclosure. “I know it’s going to be really busy and you’re going to want to play with everyone, but not all our customers like dogs as much as we do, so you have to stay in your corner, okay?”
Just as Jenica walked into the Sparkle Spa, Caleb put the final charm—a butterfly—on the final necklace. Aly couldn’t believe they’d gotten it all done. She wanted to give everyone a huge hug, but that would have to wait until the last pinkie was polished.
eight
Be My Valentine
Even though the spa was crowded, the manicures all went perfectly.
Charlotte gave the girls their necklaces and then helped them pick out polish colors to match.
Lily collected the donations for the teal strawberry.
Aly, Sophie, and Brooke polished and rhinestoned as fast as they could.
Aly was so glad they were doing manicures instead of pedicures, because they took much less time.
Everyone couldn’t stop talking about the charms.
“Did you get a bunny too?” Tuesday asked a second grader named Annie.
“I did!” Annie said. “Wait. Do you have a bunny?”
Tuesday nodded. “Fluffy,” she said.
“My bunny’s name is Fluffy too!”
It seemed like Tuesday and Annie were making new friends at the Sparkle Spa. That was pretty cool.
Joelle, another one of the Angels, said to Mia, “Why do you have two charms?”
Mia touched
the soccer ball and ballet shoes around her neck. “Well, I like soccer and dancing and didn’t want to choose just one.”
As Aly glued green rhinestones onto Parker’s blue pinkies, she heard a commotion at the door.
“I’m sorry,” Caleb was saying. “But you’re not on the schedule. It’s too crowded in here to let people in who aren’t on the schedule.”
When she finished placing the rhinestones, Aly looked up just in time to see Suzy Davis waving a pile of papers at Caleb. “Aly and Brooke let me leave these here last week. I need to refill the stack. For my business. Suzy’s Spectacular Makeup.”
Caleb called to Aly. “Aly? Should I let her in?”
Aly sighed. “It’s okay. Suzy can come in.”
Once Suzy squeezed inside, she made an announcement. “Who’s signing up for Suzy’s Spectacular Makeup? I need to know right now.”
“What is that again?” a fifth grader named Aubrey asked. “There were signs in the bathroom at school, right?”
“It’s my makeup business,” Suzy explained. “Shimmer lip gloss and fairy dust. Tomorrow during lunch in the second stall in the girls’ bathroom near the cafeteria. For Picture Day. It’s five dollars. Are you going to sign up?”
Aubrey didn’t answer.
“Are you?” Suzy asked.
“To be honest,” a soccer player named Maxie said from across the room, “that seems kind of expensive. I’d maybe do it for a dollar.”
“A dollar!” Suzy exclaimed.
“You know, Suzy,” Lily said, “getting more people to come for one dollar might make more money than fewer people coming for five dollars.”
Suzy turned bright red—like Be My Valentine polish—and stormed out of the door. She didn’t leave any makeup sign-up sheets behind.
“Well,” Charlotte said. “That was interesting.”
“Would you really sign up for Picture Day makeup for one dollar?” Brooke asked Maxie.
Maxie shrugged. “Sure,” she said. “I think it would be fun to have fairy dust on my cheeks for my pictures. But you can buy a whole jar of it for three dollars. I know because my cousin has some. It’s not worth five dollars to just get some brushed on your face.”
A Picture-Perfect Mess Page 3