Page 109 of Crew Girl

TEAGAN

Ice cream or a bath? Both?

Neither.

One look at the kitchen told her she’d aimed way too high.

Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who’d had a busy day. Her mom and Juliet had, too.

“Ummm… I like the new decor.” There were piles of serving bowls and platters and enormous pepper mills covering every surface.

Her mom and Juliet looked up from the kitchen island, faces streaked with food, and grinned.

“Why does it look like a Crate and Barrel warehouse in here?”

Juliet presented her with a silver-dollar-sized foodstuff. “Eat.”

“What is it?”

Juliet’s eyes narrowed, like it was obvious, but told her anyway. “Yukon Gold rosti with wild salmon caught and smoked by a Northern Territory Inuit tribe who donate their proceeds to education. Free-range, organic, grass-fed Lakenvelder crème fraiche”—she ran out of air, sucked in some more—“and dill. From the earth. Mother Earth.”

Ella gave her a round of applause.

Did Teagan have a moral obligation to free her friend from her mother’s clutches? Probably not. Juliet set fire to things to get people’s attention but there wasn’t a whiff of smoke in the air.

Teagan eyed the canapé Juliet was trying to airplane into her mouth.

Her mother translated. “Tiny hash browns with salmon and a bit of green stuff on top. Edible green stuff.”

Juliet popped two into her mouth, giving a little groan of pleasure when she’d finished chewing.

“I’m guessing this isn’t for the Crab Shack.” Teagan took a bite of her canapé. It was good. Really good.

“We’re catering the Haverford Cup!” announced her mom.

“Seriously?” That was huge. “Congrats. How? Why? Tell me everything.”

Her mom shrugged like it was no big thing. “I was getting ready to come see your competition—”

“I wasn’t, but I was here,” Juliet said, like it was an important plot point.

“Then Richard Regis came over—”

“Josh’s dad? What the—”

“Yes, the one who fired me at Josh’s birthday party. Not a charming man. His poor wife.”

“Total douche,” Juliet added.

“A douche who offered me double my annual salary to do the party.” Teagan’s mom beamed.

“That’s amazing!”

“And good timing. Next month’s tuition is due soon and I was getting a leet-le bit worried.”

“Ella, no!” Juliet said despairingly. “Do not spend all your hard-earned money on Sporty Spice here. Buy something extravagant for yourself. Soz, Teagan. No offense.”

They grinned at each other. “None taken.” Teagan gave her mom a quick squeeze. “I’m really happy for you. What made Mr. Regis—”