“You do?”
“Well, I have a real sharp knife. It’s in my kitchen. I use it for slicing tomatoes and forcing men to my will.”
I drop my head in my hands. “The people in this town are going to think I’m crazy.”
“They already think you’re crazy, but they like it. They’re bored. We’re all nuts here. This is the most excitement we’ve had since one-eyed Bob tried to beat up Jerry with a balloon full of chewed-up gum.”
“What?”
She points at me. “Exactly.”
“I wish I had your confidence.”
She shrugs. “Fake it till you make it. Where’s Princess Buttercup?”
When I introduced Daphne and Audrey earlier, Audrey did the limp noodle shake for a half a second and said, “I love your look, it’s so casual, like you don’t even care. I wish I could get away with that.”
Then Daphne said, “That’s probably the best backhanded compliment I’ve ever been subjected to.”
So, they’re bonding.
I tilt my head toward the door. “She’s cleaning the bathrooms.”
Daphne’s brows lift. “Really? Her boots were stilettos, and her sweater looked cashmere.”
I pick at a chip on the desk. “I just told her to clean the mirrors.” She offered to help, but I would have to show her everything, and she’s not dressed for deep cleaning. So I kept it simple. “She’s probably in there on her phone or doing her nails or posting videos about her Cinderella lifestyle on social media.”
“How is she your sister? How are you not like that?”
“When I was a kid, we didn’t have much money. That came after I had been on The Other Side of Ordinary for a few seasons. She was so young that she doesn’t remember being poor. She only knows the good times. We have the same mom, but we had very different upbringings.” I run my hand through my hair. “It’s not her fault, really. She’s a product of her environment.”
“If you say so.”
Mom didn’t push Audrey the same way as me, but I’m sure she’s manipulated my sister in a thousand ways. It’s what she does. I’m not sure if she knows how else to be.
I shake the thoughts away. “So. Is Jack done with stocking all the inventory?”
We ordered extra for this weekend.
She glances at the clock and then frowns. “Yes, he should be by now. He hasn’t come in here?”
“No, I haven’t seen him.”
She rolls her eyes. “Ten bucks he’s helping Princess Ofelia in there.”
“Twenty bucks she conned him into it.”
When Audrey batted her eyes at Jack earlier, he couldn’t speak for five full minutes.
Daphne’s phone dings and she pulls it out of her pocket. “Carter is here. I’ll get Jack to help with the heavy lifting.” She pushes to her feet. “Do you want to come show him where to put the photo booth stuff?”
When we get out to the lobby, Carter is standing by the door, a frown marring his face.
Audrey’s standing about ten feet in front of him, her back to us, shoulders rigid with tension. What is going on?
Daphne stalks toward them. “Hey, Carter. I’ll grab Jack, he can help pull stuff out of the truck.”
His eyes shift to me and Daphne and his features relax. “Hey. Jack’s already out there moving his car so we can back the truck up to the curb. There are a bunch of boxes with props and extra Polaroids and film.” He pushes open the door.
