Page 209 of Ice Princess

Gunner sees me watching the woman closely and whispers, “Do you know her?”

“Something about her seems familiar.”

“Everyone,” Max grins, “I’d like you to meet our new sponsor, Mrs.—”

“Mom!” A voice shrieks.

“Mom?” Max finishes his announcement and then his forehead creases as if he hadn’t meant to say ‘Mrs. Mom’ at all.

“Cordelia,” the woman says in a cultured voice. Her red lips inch up in a sly smile.

“Mom?” I ask, pointing between Delia and the new sponsor.

The usually cool and unflappable Delia looks ready to bolt for the doors. She eyes the exits for a second and then her head whips around like she’s searching desperately for something. Suddenly, she latches onto Renthrow. Wrapping her hand around his bicep, Delia forces a smile and says in a firm tone. “Mom.”

The sponsor’s eyebrows tighten and there’s a warning in her voice when she responds, “Cor-delia.”

The two stare each other down and it feels like a heated but silent conversation.

Renthrow tries to wrench his arm away. “What are you doing?” he hisses.

Delia holds fast, her teeth gritted. “Mom, I’d like to introduce you to my…”

“Daddy!”

Delia’s entire face turns pale as Gordie flings herself at Renthrow’s leg.

“Oh. It’s the cool lady!” Gordie points up at Delia with a giant smile. She bounces up and down. “Daddy, it’s the lady I told you about!”

Delia’s eyes dart between Renthrow and Gordie as if someone’s pulled a sick prank on her. “D-daddy?”

The new sponsor scrunches her nose. “Really, Cordelia?”

I glance at Gunner.

He looks at me and shakes his head slowly.

Something tells me that life in Lucky Falls is about to get a lot more interesting.