New York Debut (13 page)

“But we’re supposed to be in on this too,” said Rhiannon.

“It’s not fair for her to shut us out.”

“I’m kind of glad to be shut out,” admitted DJ. “As long as she’s being kind to Daisy.”

“Well, I heard Daisy laughing before I came down just now,” said Rhiannon.

“That’s right,” said Casey, “laughing so loud she was snorting like a bull horn.”

“I wonder how Eliza will break her of that habit,” mused DJ.

“Don’t worry,” said Kriti. “I’m sure she’ll do it.”

After dinner, DJ was still a little concerned about Daisy.

Why was Eliza being so mysterious? So to be sure all was well, DJ knocked on Eliza’s door. “Everything going okay in there?”

“We’re fine,” called Eliza.

“Do we get to see your progress?” asked Rhiannon hopefully.

“I already told you guys . . .” Eliza’s voice sounded slightly irritated. “The big reveal will be in the morning.”

“Maybe Daisy needs a break,” called out Casey.

“I’m all right,” Daisy called back.

“You’ll see her tomorrow.” Eliza stuck her head out the door. “And don’t forget, DJ, you need to ask your grandmother to allow Daisy to join in the sessions. Then I’ll jump in, okay?”

“Okay.”

“And we can be supportive of the idea too,” said Rhiannon.

“Yeah,” agreed Casey. “Daisy is my friend too.”

“Thanks, you guys,” called Daisy from somewhere in the room.

So it seemed that all was under control. And if Eliza got Daisy to look halfway good, and if they all gently pressured Grandmother, DJ had no doubts that she’d let Daisy in. The big question was would Daisy have what it took to make it to New York? DJ imagined Daisy tripping over her own feet on the catwalk and what Grandmother might say. Still, it seemed worth the chance. Especially considering what she’d overheard Madison say to Tina in the lunch line earlier today. Naturally, the girls didn’t know that DJ, who just happened to be standing behind a post, had also been listening.

“I have it all figured out,” Madison had quietly told Tina. “With Taylor Mitchell off at rehab, we should get in for sure. My mom saw Mrs. Carter at the Chic Boutique yesterday, and she said that Mrs. Carter told her that she was going to pick the taller girls.”

“Fashion Week, here we come,” said Tina.

Just then, the line had moved forward, and DJ had moved out from behind the post. Naturally the two girls pretended not to see DJ — or acted like they didn’t care. Just then Conner had come up. So DJ began talking to him — a good thing since she’d been tempted to inform those catty girls not to hold their breath since Taylor
was
coming home. But that would’ve blown Taylor’s plan for surprising everyone.

Even so, she did tell Eliza and the others about Madison and Tina’s confidence that they were going to New York. Eliza had assured them of her foolproof plan, which included special “tutoring sessions” to ensure that Ariel and Haley would both be chosen. “And, if necessary, I have some other plans to make sure that no one else has a chance.”

“You’re not going to do anything mean, are you?” Rhiannon had asked with concern.

“Of course not.” Eliza had given her most innocent look.

Still, DJ wasn’t convinced. She knew what Eliza was capable of when she was determined to get her way.

“So Haley, Ariel, Daisy, plus the five of us makes eight.” Eliza had smiled like she’d just completed a complicated algebraic equation.

Of course, as DJ was trying to go to sleep that night, she realized there was a flaw in Eliza’s math — she had left Taylor out of the equation. Naturally, Eliza assumed that Taylor wouldn’t make it back from rehab in time to do Fashion Week. DJ was pretty sure Eliza didn’t want Taylor to come back in time. And now Eliza was getting those three girls’ hopes up.

But once Taylor came home, one of those girls would be in for a big disappointment. DJ suspected it would be Daisy. And that made her feel guilty. Why had she gotten involved in Eliza’s little games? Seriously, why did she even care? Except that she didn’t want to see Daisy hurt. She didn’t want her “Ugly Duckling” story to wind up with a sad ending.

The following morning, when Eliza invited DJ to come to her room for a sneak preview, DJ suddenly realized her worries were for nothing.

“Wow,” she said to both Eliza and Daisy. “This is amazing.”

“I know,” agreed Daisy as she stared at herself in the mirror. “I feel like I’m dreaming. I keep pinching myself.”

Eliza shook her finger at her. “And I keep telling her to stop that or she’ll end up with ugly bruises on her arms.”

“You look fantastic, Daisy!” DJ honestly could not believe her eyes. “If I saw you on the street, I wouldn’t know it was you.” She turned to Eliza. “You are
really
good at this.”

Eliza beamed with pride. “Why, thank you!”

Daisy’s previously mousy brown hair now had shining golden highlights and was cut into spiky layers that framed her face and softened her features. The cut of her hair and the highlights made her brown eyes look big and sparkly. And the makeup and concealer were so well done that DJ couldn’t spot a single zit. And Daisy’s outfit, while not over the top, was attractively sophisticated with slim, tapered black pants topped with a pale blue sweater. DJ suspected the cashmere sweater belonged to Eliza since she recalled Grandmother complimenting her on it before. Also, pale blue was Grandmother’s favorite color.

“Very nice,” said DJ. She turned back to Eliza again. “Really, well done.”

“Now, walk,” Eliza commanded.

Daisy slowly walked back and forth across the bedroom, executing a nearly perfect turn. “How’s that?”

“Still needs work,” said Eliza. “But it’s better.” She turned to DJ. “I’ll keep her in flats until she gets better at it. Besides, she’s certainly tall enough for flats.”

“Wait until Grandmother meets her.”

“That’s why I gave you a sneak preview,” said Eliza. “I have a revised plan.”

Eliza’s plan was to be nonchalant. Daisy just happened to be a friend from school who’d stopped by. “Let your grandmother be the one to invite her in,” finished Eliza.

DJ nodded. Eliza was absolutely right. Daisy couldn’t help but catch Grandmother’s eye, and Grandmother couldn’t possibly resist this tall, thin, pretty girl. “Great idea.”

“So you bring Daisy down a few minutes late,” continued Eliza. “Casually introduce her and then leave it to me to lead the conversation.”

“Sounds good to me.”

It was hard to admit it, but Eliza had both brains and beauty. If she could only be a little bit kinder beneath that flawless exterior. Or at least a little more genuine.

“Are you nervous?” DJ asked Daisy as they slowly made their way downstairs.

“It’s weird,” Daisy said quietly. “But I feel incredibly calm.

It’s like I’m someone else now. Does that make sense?”

“As long as you don’t change underneath it all.” DJ turned to glance at the tall, elegant beauty walking beside her. “I liked who you were already, Daisy.”

“Thank you.” But even the way Daisy said this sounded a bit different from before. In fact, it sounded somewhat like Eliza. Hopefully Eliza wasn’t simply cloning Daisy into another one of herself.

“You’re late, Desiree,” began Grandmother.

“My apologies,” said DJ. “But my friend Daisy dropped in.” Then DJ politely introduced Daisy to Grandmother and the others. “I invited her to stay for breakfast.”

“A pleasure to meet you, dear.” Grandmother picked up the silver bell by her plate and rang it. “Set another place, please, Clara.”

“Daisy is on the basketball team with Casey and me,” said DJ as she spread a napkin in her lap.

“I’m surprised that Daisy didn’t sign up for your Saturday sessions, Mrs. Carter,” said Eliza innocently.

Grandmother looked slightly perplexed. “Perhaps Daisy was unaware of what we’re doing here at Carter House.”

She looked directly at DJ now. “Did you tell Daisy about our classes?”

DJ shrugged. “I didn’t think she’d be interested.”

“What kind of classes?” asked Daisy, just as smoothly as Eliza might’ve done.

“Modeling sessions,” explained Rhiannon. “We’re going to model in New York, for Fashion Week.”

“Oh, that sounds exciting.” Daisy turned and smiled brightly at Grandmother.

“Exciting?” Grandmother’s eyes lit up. “Are you interested in modeling?”

Daisy looked down ever so slightly, the same way Eliza would do if she were playing coy. “Oh, I doubt that anyone would be interested in me, but it does sound like fun.”

Grandmother cleared her throat. “Perhaps you’re not aware that I’ve been quite involved in the fashion industry, Daisy. And I can safely say that you seem to have what it takes to make a fine model.”

“Really?” Daisy acted surprised.

“Of course, one never knows until one gives it a try.”

Daisy nodded. “Of course.”

“But if you’re truly interested, why don’t you stay for the session and see how you like it —
for free.”

“Oh, thank you,” gushed Daisy. “That would be great.”

Grandmother nodded as if extremely pleased with herself. DJ almost laughed to see that Eliza made the exact same gesture. Maybe they really were cut of the same cloth. Anyway, Eliza’s plan had worked, and it was clear that she was feeling good. And when they went to the third floor for their session, Eliza kept Daisy close to her. It was obvious that Project Daisy was still in progress as Eliza quietly coached her and Daisy obediently listened. She was obviously enjoying Eliza’s attention. But that wasn’t the only attention she was getting.

As soon as the other girls arrived, it was clear that all eyes were on “the new girl.” No one even recognized her. And when DJ introduced the new mystery model, suppressing the urge to chuckle, they couldn’t believe it was really Daisy Kempton.

Then, as the Carter House girls sat together with Daisy, Haley, and Ariel, it became rather apparent that alliances were forming, lines were being drawn. And both Madison and Tina looked seriously irritated. It was obvious they were being shut out, and they were not a bit happy.

DJ had taken care with her appearance this morning. No way did she want to be her grandmother’s bad example again today. Today’s focus was skin care and makeup. And while DJ wasn’t nearly as polished as Eliza and Taylor, she had learned a thing or two the past several months. She was greatly relieved when Grandmother selected Madison to point out “some common mistakes that young girls make when applying makeup.”

DJ was surprised to feel a twinge of pity for Madison as she stood in front of the group, receiving Grandmother’s overly frank critique of her cosmetics.

“The lips are too harsh,” said Grandmother. “That’s due to the lip liner, which should always be used sparingly. But besides that, the color is all wrong. She’s picked a warm shade when she obviously needs a cool one. Also, you girls need to decide what part of your face you wish to accentuate. Naturally, you should pick your best feature — either your eyes or your lips. Not both.” Grandmother peered at Madison. “In Madison’s case, I’m not sure which that would be. But it’s clear that poor Madison couldn’t make up her mind either. Consequently, she overdid it on both her eyes and her lips. And she ends up looking clownish or like a lady of the night.”

Grandmother droned on at Madison’s expense, and although DJ felt sorry for her, she had to agree that both Madison and Tina tended to overdo the makeup. Perhaps they really were learning a thing or two from Grandmother. Or maybe they would figure out that their chances of going to New York were rapidly diminishing and simply drop out of the sessions altogether. That would make it so much easier for everyone.

After the session ended and Grandmother had made her exit, Eliza offered some extra tutoring help to Haley, Ariel, and Daisy. “That is if you want to stick around after school,” she joked. Of course, they all eagerly accepted.

“First, we’ll practice the catwalk,” she was explaining when Madison and Tina marched over and confronted her.

“Why only them?” demanded Madison.

“Why not?” Eliza stood straighter and eyed them coolly.

“Because it’s
not
fair,” said Tina.

“Not fair?” Eliza gave them a puzzled look now. “What are you talking about?”

“You can’t give them special coaching and leave the rest of us out of it.”

“I can if I like,” said Eliza.

“I’m telling Mrs. Carter,” said Tina.

Eliza just laughed. “Go ahead. For your information, what I do with my time is up to me. Mrs. Carter will probably be happy to hear that I’m volunteering to coach a few girls.”

“Why not coach anyone who wants it?” asked Madison a bit more softly.

“Because I don’t want to.”

“How about you then?” Tina turned to DJ and Casey, who were standing by and watching with interest.

“Me?” DJ actually laughed. “You’d have to be pretty desperate to ask me for help. Everyone here knows that I’m the klutz in the group.”

“That’s true,” said Madison sharply.