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“You’re up early,” Tammy said

“I wanted to get an early start on some layouts” I blinked between her and Melanie “What about you guys? Do you and Mrs Stewart have plans?”

“I swear, Selena, you can call ain for about the billionth time

I sighed “I’inia, but you can’t take the West Virginia out of the girl I feel like it’s hard enough to stop saying ‘ma’am’ or ‘sir’ up here in NYC I can’t just call my mom’s friend ‘Mel’ It’d be too weird”

Melanie shrugged and straightened her perfectly coiffed golden ponytail behind her shoulders “Well, whenever you want to, I’m cool with it I want to be that fun mom”

Ta sprees”

“Ooh, that explains it,” I said

“What?” Ta mock offended “I could be up before seven am”

“Not if a sale or a threat at gun point isn’t involved”

“That’s co,” Tammy replied

Mrs Stewart chuckled “I a to take the fifth on that one I had to bribe you with pancakes to get you to consent to be up early this ”

“I thought you wanted to be the fun mom?” Tammy pointed out

Mrs Stewart sighed Then she turned off the burner and moved the pancakes all to a stack on one plate “I feel like even if I did every irresponsible thing I could think of, fro you to every concert, theme park, and fashion show on three continents, then I’d still be theparent next to your dad”

I was glad I hadn’t drunk any of the juice laid out on the table yet If I’d been sipping anything, I would have coughed it back out once Brandon wason, except possibly his secretary, Gina Nothing was yet, exactly We’d had an intimate moment and a fun time at the fashion show Aft

er the dressing roo afterward For all I knew, he’d be willing to throw me back to the sharks I liked the way he made me feel, but I knew all about Brandon Duncan’s reputation Who didn’t? I kneas likely to end up as discarded as Tammy’s mom