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Ordinarily Kate would make a comment about that and force Marah to walk out with her, but her daughter was eht now That hy Kate was here "Okay "

The easy victory surprised Marah Kate smiled at her, touched her shoulder "See you in a minute "

Actually, it took a bit longer than that, but notup "Where are we going?"

"Well, first were going out to lunch "

"You got me out of school to have lunch?"

"And so else A surprise " Kate drove to the diner-style restaurant that was next door to the brand-new multiplex theater on the island

"Ier, fries, and a strawberry milkshake," Kate said when they were seated

"Me, too "

After the waitress took their orders and left, Kate looked at her daughter Slouched down in the blue vinyl seat, she looked thin and angular, a girl bursting into adolescence Her black hair, lory, and her brown eyes revealed every nuance of emotion she felt Now she looked bereft

The waitress delivered their shakes Kate took a sip It was probably her first ice-cream product since the twins birth and it tasted like Heaven "Ashley still being mean to you?" she finally said

"She hates me I dont even knohat I did to her "

Kate had been thinking a lot about what to say, how to handle this first heartbreak Like all hter safe and whole, but soainst, they could only be experienced and then understood That was one of the many lessons this country had learned this year, and even though sos had stayed the same

"In fifth grade, I had two very best friends For years, we did everything together—showed our horses at the fair, had slu out at the lake in the summer Grandma called us the three horse-keteers And then one suaround with boys and went to parties and they never called ain Every day I went to school and sat on the bus by ht I cried before I went to sleep "

"Really?"

Kate nodded "I can still res "