LITMIR.BIZ

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important to tell him about this. She supposed it was so he’d know she planned to do him proud. Since he’d asked her to the Homecoming dance, they’d talked several times a day. Just last night, they’d spent almost two hours on the phone.

      Once word got out at school that Andrew Hamlin had asked her to be his date, she’d attracted a lot of attention. Some of the most popular kids were talking to her now—the very ones who hadn’t seen fit to even acknowledge her a couple of weeks ago. She wasn’t taken in by their interest, which struck her as false and opportunistic. While she was friendly and polite, these were not people she wanted as friends.

      “Sorry,” Annie said, sounding as disappointed as Courtney. “Andrew isn’t back from football practice, but I’ll tell him to phone you the minute he walks in the door.”

      Courtney should’ve realized Andrew would still be at school. “I’m so excited.” She had a dress, but it was a hand-me-down from her sister, who’d mailed it as soon as Courtney told her about the date. Rather frilly, it was a pretty pale-blue, much better suited to Julianna than her.

      “It’s so cool that you’re dating my brother.”

      “We aren’t dating,” Courtney reminded her friend. “We haven’t even gone out on a single date, and there’s nothing to say we will after tomorrow night.”

      “You will,” Annie insisted. “Andrew and I talk, you know.”

      Courtney bit her tongue to keep from questioning her about anything Andrew might’ve said. She knew that wouldn’t be right, despite her curiosity. Maybe she’d have a clearer sense of her future with Andrew after the dance.

      Annie would be there, too, with a good friend of Andrew’s from the football team. Everything had worked out so well. Courtney could hardly believe it. Monica had been asked by a friend of Mike’s, and all four couples intended to go out after the dance.

      “As your grandmother would say,” Annie continued, “Andrew’s smitten.”

      Smitten. What a perfectly lovely word. “Oh, Annie, I think he’s just … wonderful.” No adjective satisfactorily described her feelings about Andrew Hamlin. Being with him made leaving Chicago for her senior year almost worthwhile.

      “Who’d send you that kind of money?” Annie wondered.

      “Your guess is as good as mine.” Courtney was beyond conjecture.

      “Your dad?” Annie suggested. “Or your brother?”

      Courtney automatically shook her head. “No, neither of them,” she said.

      “Then who?”

      “I don’t know, but it’s the most fabulous gift I’ve ever received.” The doorbell chimed just then. “There’s someone at the door. Grams is in the kitchen, so I’d better get it.”

      “Okay. I’ll tell Andrew you called.”

      “Thanks.” She could hardly wait to talk to him.

      Hurrying to the door, Courtney opened it and gasped out loud when she saw her sister, suitcase in hand. “Julianna!”

      “Aren’t you going to let me in?” her sister asked. “Courtney, my goodness, look at you! You’re gorgeous. Who would’ve thought those pounds would make such a difference.”

      Tears of joy sprang to Courtney’s eyes as she threw open the screen door. “What are you doing here?” she asked, hugging her tightly.

      In seconds they were both laughing and weeping simultaneously. The commotion was enough to bring their grandmother out from the kitchen. Soon her squeals of delight mingled with theirs.

      “My, oh my, this is lovely,” Grams said, pulling Julianna into the living room. “But—how did you get here?”

      “By plane. The most amazing thing happened. I got an express letter that said my baby sister’s been asked to Homecoming by the star football player. Which I knew, of course. The letter suggested Courtney might need a little help getting ready for the big dance.”

      Her grandmother raised both hands. “I’m telling you right now, I had nothing to do with this.”

      “There was an airline ticket in the envelope,” Julianna explained. “Also included was a long list of instructions. The first was that a car service would arrange to drive me to O’Hare, and that another car would be waiting to pick me up at Sea-Tac. It would then drive me to Grams’s house, but I was warned I couldn’t say anything to either of you in advance.”

      “Well, I, for one, am surprised,” Courtney whispered, her cheeks still wet with tears.

      “I was given a cashier’s check for my expenses, but it’s far more money than I’ll need. I’m thinking we should make an appointment for your hair and your nails as soon as we can.”

      “My hair and nails, too?” Courtney whispered, so overwhelmed she could barely speak.

      Grams looked utterly perplexed. “I wish I’d thought of it, but even if I had, I never would’ve been able to afford all this.”

      “Our carriage awaits,” her sister announced grandly. “Well, the car. But the driver’s in livery.” She giggled. “I mean, a uniform—but isn’t this just like Cinderella?”

      “Why’s the car waiting?” Courtney felt as if she had, indeed, been dropped into the middle of her favorite fairy tale. At the good part, though, when the godmother materializes and waves her wand around. Or godfather, she corrected, and it was a check, not a wand.

      “The car’s going to take us all to dinner,” Julianna said. “We have reservations at Morton’s on 4th Avenue. From there, the driver will drop Courtney and me at the mall and take you home, Grams. We’re supposed to arrange a time and place for him to meet us when we’re finished.”

      “I can’t believe this,” Courtney shrieked, giving way to her excitement. “I just can’t believe this.”

      “I must admit this is some Fairy Godfather you’ve got,” Julianna teased.

      “Let me grab my sweater,” Vera said. “I didn’t feel like cooking tonight, anyway.”

      Courtney led her sister upstairs so they could leave her suitcase in one of the spare rooms. “How long can you stay?” she asked.

      “Just until Saturday afternoon. I have to get back, and whoever arranged this seemed to know that, too.”

      “Have you talked to Jason?”

      She shook her head. “It isn’t him,” she said with a laugh. “He doesn’t have a dime to his name. In fact, he’s always trying to borrow from me—as if I had anything extra.”

      The phone rang just as they were leaving the house. Courtney debated whether she should answer it, and then decided it might be Andrew. With her grandmother’s ancient phone, Caller ID wasn’t an option, even if she’d been willing to spring for it. So phone calls were always a mystery.

      “Hello,” she answered, hoping it was Andrew.

      “You called?”

      “I did. Oh, Andrew, the most wonderful thing’s happened! But I don’t have time to explain everything right now.”

      “Why not?”

      “Because,” she laughed, giddy with joy, “my sister’s here and there’s a car waiting to take me shopping for a Homecoming dress, and Andrew—oh, Annie can tell you about it.”

      “This must be the day for good news.”

      “What do you mean?” Everyone was waiting on the porch, but she had to know.

      “It won’t be official until tomorrow, but I’ve been elected Homecoming King.”

      “Oh,

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