“Just wanted to say how excited I am for you girls,” Mom’s regular customer Mrs. Bass said as she poked her head in from True Colors. “I think you should consider a bookshelf in the new space. I’d be happy to fill it for you.”
“That’s actually a pretty good idea,” Aly said. Mrs. Bass was always giving away books that her kids had outgrown. Aly and Brooke had about five or six books each from her, including one Aly really liked called Matilda by Roald Dahl.
Brooke nodded and then yelled, “Thanks, Mrs. Bass!”
“What else are you going to do in the new space?” Zorah asked. Sophie was giving her a We the Purple manicure.
Aly and Brooke didn’t have a chance to answer, though, because just then Suzy Davis walked through the door.
“I’m really, really happy for you guys,” Suzy said, flopping onto a beanbag chair, not sounding happy at all.
“Are you okay, Suzy?” Charlotte asked. Aly was surprised, since Charlotte was the person who got along with Suzy the very least. But Suzy did look pretty bummed.
“I’m glad that the Sparkle Spa is getting a new space,” she said. “But my mom told me that Aly and Brooke’s mom said that I can’t have Suzy’s Spectacular Makeup. It’s because of how I messed up when I worked at the Sparkle Spa a few months ago.”
Suzy was actually quiet for a few minutes. Then she added, “You guys forgave me, I don’t know why your mom won’t.”
Aly and Brooke looked at each other. It’s true that Suzy had tried to steal their clients and the soccer team’s celebration party. But in the end, it had all turned out fine, and Aly and Brooke had forgiven her. Aly hadn’t realized that the client and party stealing was the exact reason for Mom not wanting to have Suzy’s Spectacular Makeup.
Aly sent Brooke a message: Should we try to fix this?
Yes, Brooke answered.
Later that afternoon, when both the Sparkle Spa and True Colors were closed, Mom and Joan were cleaning up their salon and Aly and Brooke were cleaning up theirs.
“So what are we going to do?” Brooke asked Aly. “About Suzy, I mean.”
“Let’s make a list,” Aly said. Lists almost always helped Aly organize her thoughts. And Brooke almost always had great ideas.
Aly grabbed a marker and a piece of paper of the grayish color of Clouder Than Words nail polish.
First she wrote:
Reasons Suzy Should Be Allowed to Have Suzy’s Spectacular Makeup
Then the girls brainstormed.
1) For three days, she marched in front of True Colors with her Sparkle Spa signs, which shows that Suzy is supportive and dedicated.
2) The idea about sharing space was hers from the start, so Suzy is smart.
3) Suzy’s makeup booth at the school carnival helped the girls tie the boys, which means Suzy is a good team player.
4) People like Suzy’s Spectacular Makeup, so she knows what makes a successful business.
5) Even though she sometimes says mean things, Suzy is usually telling the truth, and telling the truth is good (even if being mean isn’t).
Aly read over the list. “Should we delete the last one?” she asked.
Brooke pushed up her glasses and nodded. “Yes,” she said. “Maybe that’s the best idea.”
Aly crossed out number five and folded the list. Then she and Brooke walked into True Colors.
“Mom, Joan,” Aly said after she flattened out the piece of paper. “We’re so excited about the new Sparkle Spa.”
“Yes, we are,” Brooke added. “More excited than we’ve ever been about anything ever in our lives, I think.”
Aly smiled. She’d been a little nervous, but Brooke with all her chatter made her feel calmer. Aly cleared her throat. “So we’re excited about the new Sparkle Spa, but Suzy’s really sad about not being able to open her makeup business. I know you may not believe us, but we want to help her.”
Aly saw Joan raise her eyebrows at Mom, who was silent for a few moments. Finally she spoke. “Joan was just telling me how much Suzy has grown over these last months.”
Hmmmm, Aly thought, Joan was talking to Mom about Suzy? Was Joan fighting for Suzy too?
“Well,” Brooke said, “I don’t know about that. I don’t think she’s any taller than she was before. But Aly and I came up with a bunch of reasons we think she would be a good choice to be part of the new True Colors space.”
“Here,” Aly said, handing Mom the list.
Mom pressed her lips together as she slowly read it.
“Okay, girls,” she said. “Since you and Joan are so in favor of this, I’ll include Suzy’s Spectacular Makeup in the new space under two conditions: One, this is a one-month trial period. If Suzy doesn’t behave perfectly for thirty days, she’s out. And two, she gets a corner of the Sparkle Spa, not her own separate space. What do you think?”
The sisters looked at each other.
“Okay,” Aly and Brooke said together. “It’s a deal.”
“Mom, can we talk to Sawyer about how to fix the space?” Aly added.
“That sounds like a perfect plan,” Mom said.
Aly wasn’t sure if she would use the word “perfect,” but she was pretty sure Suzy would agree to the plan. And the biggest surprise to Aly was that she really hoped Suzy would say yes. She had kind of gotten used to her and wouldn’t mind having her around. Even if Suzy did say practically a million times that the Sparkle Spa smelled like a dog.
But how would Aly break the news about Suzy to Charlotte and Lily? Would they still want to be a part of the new Sparkle Spa?
nine
It’s a Cele-great-tion
The next week flew by. Aly and Brooke couldn’t believe everything that had happened in just seven days.
Brooke got a 93 on her spelling test.
Aly finished reading Jacob Have I Loved.
And the girls had pancakes for dinner twice.
Also, they found out that there was going to be a separate, beautiful table for the teal strawberry jar in the new Sparkle Spa—the best place to remind everyone to make a donation. That made Lily really happy.
And Charlotte found out there would be a big wipe-off calendar on the wall in the new Sparkle Spa, perfect for keeping track of all the customers. That made her really happy too.
In fact, Charlotte and Lily were both so happy that when they found out Suzy was going to get her own makeup corner, it didn’t bother them as much as Aly thought it would.
Still, they weren’t thrilled.
“Will she be there all the time?” Lily asked. “And will she have to contribute to the donation jar?”
The girls were in Aly and Brooke’s backyard, relaxing in the grass as Sparkly ran under and around their legs, yipping and yapping.
“Probably not all the time,” Aly answered. “And we will discuss the donations with my mom and Suzy’s mom. Maybe Suzy can have her own jar for donations. I think that’s a good idea.”
“What do we do if she’s mean?” Charlotte asked.
“Well, she is Suzy, so we’ll have to expect some meanness. But if she’s really mean, we tell our mom,” Brooke added. “And then she tells Suzy’s mom. And Suzy gets into trouble.”
“Well, okay,” Charlotte said. “At least we won’t have to deal with her all by ourselves.”
With the Suzy questions answered, the girls started planning the Grand Sparkle Spa Reopening.
“We need a special occasion manicure, of course,” Charlotte said. “And a Color of the Week.”
“I’ve been thinking about this,” Brooke said, leaning back in the grass, staring straight up at the sky. “I think we should do a version of the rainbow sparkle pedicure, but with the new colors in the Sparkle Spa: pink, yellow, purple, green, and bright orange, for Suzy’s area.” Orange was Suzy’s favorite color, so the girls told Sawyer to use it for the makeup corner. They hadn’t told Suzy, though. They wanted it to be a surprise.
“I like that!” Sophie said. “Maybe the order should be pink, orang
e, yellow, green, purple.”
“Ooh, nice!” Brooke smiled, and scratched Sparkly behind his ears.
“I think so too,” Aly added. “How about It’s a Cele-great-tion for the Color of the Week?”
“And what about a charity for the reopening day donations?” Lily asked.
“Maybe we can give it to Biggie Bigs?” Charlotte suggested. “You know, that program where older kids help younger kids with their homework after school. Caleb and I used to get that kind of help when we were in kindergarten.”
“I remember,” Lily said. “I like that idea.”
“Or maybe we give it to one of the programs that people started at school for recycling or helping people with sports?” Brooke suggested.
Then Sophie jumped up. “I know!” she said. “Let’s donate the money from the first day to a charity that Sawyer chooses. She helped make the Sparkle Spa so beautiful!”
“That,” Aly said, “is the perfect idea. She’s coming to the opening, so we can ask her then.”
Brooke and Aly insisted on picking up Suzy Davis and taking her to the grand reopening a few days later.
“I could’ve gone with my mom,” Suzy grumped when they went to pick her up. “And I wouldn’t be squished in the backseat with the two of you.”
Brooke rolled her eyes.
“I kind of like being squished,” Aly said.
Suzy gave her such a funny look that Aly started laughing. And then Suzy did. And then Brooke. But after the laughing was over, Suzy seemed bummed again.
“There’s something really awesome in the Sparkle Spa we want you to see,” Aly told her, wanting to cheer her up, but not wanting to give away the surprise.
“Whoop-dee-do,” Suzy said.
Brooke rolled her eyes again, and the girls didn’t talk until their dad announced, “We’re here!”
Brooke and Aly quickly pulled Suzy out of the car and walked her through True Colors to the back of the salon.
“You can do the honors,” Brooke told Suzy.
“What honors?” Suzy asked.
“Just open the door!” Aly said.
“What?!” Suzy practically shrieked. “Did you . . . ? Are you . . . ? Am I . . . ? Is this real?!” She was gazing at a bright-orange-colored wall with SUZY’S SPECTACULAR MAKEUP! in green stenciled letters on it.
“It’s real!” Brooke said.
Aly looked at Suzy, who had started crying.
“Are you okay?” Aly asked her, pretty sure that she had never, ever in her entire life seen Suzy cry.
“I’m more than okay,” Suzy said. “I’ve never been this okay in my whole life. How did you make this happen?”
Aly shrugged. “We have our ways,” she said. “And Joan helped.”
Suzy walked over to her corner and started checking out the drawers. The cabinet was tall and orange, and it was right next to an orange chair. “This is absolutely perfect for my makeup,” she said.
“We know,” Brooke answered. “It’s exactly what professional makeup artists use.”
Mrs. Tanner and Ms. Washington showed up at the door. “What do you think?” Suzy’s mom asked her.
“It’s . . . it’s great,” Suzy said. “Thank you so much.”
Aly was shocked again. Now Suzy was being polite!
“There’s one rule,” her mom said. “You have a one-month trial period. You have to be on your best behavior. And even after that month, Mrs. Tanner or I can take your makeup stand away if you aren’t treating your clients or your friends properly.”
“I understand,” Suzy said. “Mom, can we go home and get my makeup? So I can start taking clients at the grand opening?”
Ms. Washington smiled. “Dad and Heather are on their way over with your makeup as we speak.”
“Really?” Suzy asked. “Thank you!” she said again.
A few minutes later, the new True Colors and Sparkle Spa were packed with people.
First Charlotte, Lily, and Sophie arrived. Then Heather and Dr. Davis along with the True Colors staff. Soon all the True Colors regulars—Mrs. Howard, Mrs. Franklin, Mrs. Bass, Miss Lulu, Mr. Shu, Mrs. Jackson, Mrs. Amin, Miss Mallory—walked in, followed by the Sparkle Spa regulars—Daisy, Violet, Annie, Jayden, Zorah, Keisha, Hannah, Eliza, Tuesday, Clementine, and all the Auden Angels.
Joan’s husband, Isaac, came too, holding Sparkly. And everyone fit, with no problem from the health department!
Aly looked around. She couldn’t believe what she and Brooke had started. It was a business, sure, but it was also a community—a family, really—who loved to have fun, be sparkly, and donate money to help people or places in need.
Brooke stood next to her sister. “The new Sparkle Spa is pretty amazing, isn’t it?” she asked.
Aly put her arm around Brooke’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “It absolutely is, Brookester,” she said. “It absolutely, positively is.”
How to Give Yourself (or a Friend!) a Grand Reopening Special Occasion Pedicure
By Aly (and Brooke!)
What you need:
Paper towels
Polish remover
Cotton balls
(Or you can just use more paper towels)
Clear polish
Pink polish
Orange polish
Yellow polish
Green polish
Purple polish
What you do:
1. Put some paper towels on the floor—or wherever you’re going to put your feet—so you don’t have to worry about your polish messing up the floor. (Two layers might even be better, especially if the floor underneath is not the kind that’s easy to clean.)
2. Take a cotton ball or a folded-up paper towel and put some polish remover on it. If you have polish on your toes already, use enough to get it off. If you don’t, just rub the remover over your nails once to get off any dirt that might be on there. (You want your polish to look as smooth and as beautiful as possible. And you don’t want to have dirty feet!)
3. Rip off two more paper towels. Roll the first one into a tube and twist it so it stays tube-shaped. Then weave it back and forth between your toes to separate them a little bit more. After that, do the same thing for your other foot with the second paper towel. You might need to tuck it in around your pinkie toe if it pops up and gets in your way while you polish—you can also cut it to make it shorter. (If you don’t have any scissors handy, you can also try to rip it. Or you can go find some scissors. Aly always knows where the scissors are. A lot of times, I forget.)
4. Open up your clear polish and put a coat of clear on each nail. Then close the clear bottle up tight. (For this particular pedicure, it’s a good idea to start with your big toe and then end with your pinkie toe because of all of the different colors we’re going to use.)
5. Open up the pink polish. Use it to polish both your big toes. Put the cap back on tight. (I always give the polish top an extra twist so it definitely won’t spill if it gets knocked over.)
6. Open up the orange polish. Use it to polish both your pointer toes. Put the cap back on tight. (I won’t say it again, but you know what I’m thinking.)
7. Open up the yellow polish. Use it to polish both your middle toes. Put the cap back on tight. (I’m thinking it again!)
8. Open up the green polish. Use it to polish both your ring finger toes. Put the cap back on tight. (And again!)
9. Open up the purple polish. Use it to polish both your pinkie toes. Put the cap back on tight. (And one last time!)
10. Repeat steps five through nine.
11. Blow on all your toes, or just let them dry for a minute or two. Then open up your clear polish. Do a top coat of clear polish on all your toes. Close the bottle up tight. (This top coat helps the colored polish not to chip.)
12. Now your toes have to dry. You can fan them for a long time, or sit and make a bracelet or read a book or watch TV or talk to your friend (or sister! Or brother if you have one of those!) until you’re all dry. You can also use a computer or a ph
one and look up things you can do to help in your community and read about that while you’re waiting. Usually it takes about twenty minutes for toes to dry, but it could take longer. (Which is why we try to find fun things to do while our nails dry. Otherwise, sitting in one place for twenty minutes makes my brain go a little crazy.)
And now you should have a beautiful grand reopening special occasion pedicure! Even after the polish is dry, you probably shouldn’t wear socks and sneaker-type shoes for a while. Bare feet or sandals are better so all your hard work doesn’t get smushed. (And so you can show off your multicolored pedicure!)
Happy polishing!
About the Author
JILL SANTOPOLO is a big fan of sparkles. She’s also a big fan of sisters. And spas. And writing. In addition to the Sparkle Spa books, she’s the author of the Alec Flint Mysteries. You can find her online at www.jillsantopolo.com. Or you can find her in person in New York City, where she likes getting her nails painted with Good as Gold nail polish.
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Read more books!
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ALADDIN
SIMON & SCHUSTER, NEW YORK
Visit us at
simonandschuster.com/kids
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Jill-Santopolo
Also by Jill Santopolo
Book 1: All That Glitters
Book 2: Purple Nails and Puppy Tails
Book 3: Makeover Magic
Book 4: True Colors
Book 5: Bad News Nails
Book 6: A Picture-Perfect Mess
Book 7: Bling It On!
Book 8: Wedding Bell Blues
Book 9: Fashion Disaster
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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