“But –” I started.

“Noon,” Indy repeated.

“I wanna train with Luke,” Ally put in.

“Everyone wants to train with Luke,” Jet replied.

We all looked at each other. Then we all started giggling.

Once we were done giggling, Indy and Ally went back to work but Jet walked me to the door checking out my bracelet.

I looked at her.

I wanted to ask but I didn’t want to ask. I wanted to know but I didn’t want to know.

Oh hell, I just went for it.

“Jet?”

Her head came around to look at me. I stopped and so did she.

“Yeah?”

“What’s it mean when I guy holds your hand?” I asked.

Her fingers were around my wrist, they moved to wrap around my hand. “It means he likes you,” she replied.

“What’s it mean when he’s a guy like Vance?” I went on.

Her hand squeezed mine. “It means he really likes you,” she repeated.

“What’s it mean when he’s a known player and a guy like Vance?” I kept at it.

She reached out and grabbed my other hand. “Jules, it means he really, really likes you,” she said softly.

I sighed. “I was afraid of that.”

She smiled at me. “I told Roxie and I’ll tell you, trust me on this, don’t fight it,” Jet said.

My voice got low. “I have to.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, I just do,” I lied. I knew perfectly well, I just didn’t want to share.

She nodded. “I understand.”

I blinked at her. “You do?”

“I’ll tell you about Eddie and me sometime. Actually,” she said, her eyes getting bright, “I take that back. Fight it. It’s much more interesting that way.”

“For who?” I asked.

“All of us,” she grinned, “including you.”

Hmm.

That did not sound good.

* * * * *

The girls (and boys) and I swung into the doors at King’s only ten minutes late from my lunch hour.

We’d just conquered Cherry Creek Mall and in the trunk of Hazel I had a new party outfit (with shoes); a new nightie to take to Vance’s on my sleepover; two new sets of very sexy underwear; a cute pair of cords I didn’t really need; a couple of t-shirts I really didn’t need; a fantastic new blouse I really, really didn’t need; and a serious new pair of ass-kicking boots.

This was accomplished because it wasn’t just Indy, Jet and Ally who met me at the mall, Roxie, Daisy, Tod and Stevie had come with.

I stood in different fitting rooms in different stores and they threw clothes at me. In came clothes, out went clothes. Some would go scout other stores and whisk me away on the trot if they saw something I had to try on.

I didn’t need to train with Luke that evening. I’d had the workout to end all workouts at the mall.

But my party outfit was killer and the shoes were amazing.

We’d all just made it through the door when May came trotting up to us, hands moving around in circles at her side, highly agitated about something.

Oh crap.

The minute she made it to us I asked, “Where are Roam and Sniff?”

“What?” she asked, her eyes bright. “They’re in with a tutor, you gotta –”

“They’re okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, hon, you gotta –”

“You look like something’s wrong. What’s wrong?”

“I’m tellin’ you, you gotta –”

“Is it one of the other kids?” I cut in.

She put her hand to my mouth. “Hush, girl. You gotta come with me.” Then she grabbed my wrist but stopped and stared down. “Ooo, look at that pretty bracelet!” she exclaimed.

“May! What’s going on?” I clipped.

She snapped to and said, “Right.” Then she dragged me through the rec room, turning around towards my posse. “Hey ya’ll,” she said as if she wasn’t acting bizarre in the extreme.

“Hey May,” they said, almost in unison.

May took us down the hall into the shared office space. When the nine of us burst through the door everyone in the room looked up and stared.

I wasn’t paying attention to anyone. On my desk was a beautiful bouquet of the most exquisite pale pink roses.

I smiled, May let go of my wrist and I walked forward.

“Holy crap,” Indy breathed.

“Good God,” Roxie whispered.

They all followed me to my desk and we stood staring in silent awe at the roses, such was their magnificence.

I dumped my purse on my desk breaking into the Rose Stupor and Jet said, “I would never have thought Vance was a flower type of guy.”

“Me either,” Ally put in, “more like, edible undies.”

“Ally!” Tod snapped. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking,” Ally defended herself.

“They’re not from Vance,” I told them.

Everyone looked at me.

“They’re not?” May asked.

I reached for the card and shook my head. “They’re from my Uncle Nick. He knows pink roses are my favorites.”

I was a little surprised. Nick was super generous but a specially designed bracelet must have set him back a whack. A dozen pink roses especially roses like this, perfect, so pale pink they were blush, every bloom total perfection must have cost some serious cake. They weren’t even a traditional bouquet with all that baby’s breath in a heavily cut, glass vase. There were just the roses with thin spikes of green shooting out here and there bending around the blooms and a simple, cylindrical vase that was pure class. The bouquet was a work of art.

“Well, that’s damned disappointing,” Daisy muttered from beside me as I gently touched a rose.

“Your uncle is feeling generous this year,” Indy smiled at me.

“Probably thinks she won’t see another birthday,” Stevie murmured.

“Shh, Stevie,” Jet shushed him.

I slid my fingernail under the heavy cream paper of the card’s envelope and pulled it out.

Then I froze.

There was only one letter on the card, nothing else. In black, bold pen it said, “V”.

“Oh my God,” I breathed.