Page 63 of The Dating Charade

This was nothing like handling a group of kids from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Why did she so blindly think she could ace parenting so easily?

“I’m going to the car,” Cassie said. “I want you to come.”

Star inhaled suddenly and kicked her feet off the stool as she hopped down. “I’m going to Ershanna’s.”

Cassie shook her head. “You’re not going to Ershanna’s.”

“Yeah. I am.”

“No. You’re not.”

“Yeah. I am.”

“Who wants some crab dip?” Cassie’s mother said loudly, and as if in unanimous vote, the group stood, only too eager to rush for it.

Even Mr. Baker, with a shellfish allergy, jumped up to the front of the line.

Her mother turned around. “I think I have more in the kitchen if you want to join me . . .”

The group followed her blindly. If she had said she had a pyramid of toilet paper rolls in the kitchen, they would’ve stormed for it.

Only Bree stayed behind at her post on the carpet, her braid reaching the floor while she opened the refrigerator of the dollhouse with Kennedy. Kennedy set a plastic doll on the bed, though her eyes were glued to Star and Cassie.

Time for a new tactic.

“Fine. You want to walk eight miles, you go for it.” Cassie moved over to her purse, picked up her keys. “Let’s go, girls.”

Both Bree’s and Star’s eyes widened momentarily, neither expecting Cassie to call her bluff. Star practically spit as she accepted the challenge. “Fine.” And with that she blew out of the room, out of the house, without so much as a glance back. Cassie picked up Star’s coat while taking hold of Kennedy’s hand.

Ten minutes later, Cassie’s headlights spotlighted Star as Cassie gripped the steering wheel, the speedometer reading so low it hovered at zero. Star held on to her ribs tightly as she pushed against the wind, houses of nearly identical designs flanking them on either side. There was no moon tonight; even it had no interest in peeking in on this melodrama.

“You got some sort of grand plan for all this?” Bree murmured from the passenger seat. “Because, just on a hunch, I’d say this is one of those no-no’s in the parental rule book.”

“I want to go back to the party!” For the seventeenth time Kennedy jiggled the car seat locks, her bottom lip jutting out a mile long as she looked out the window.

The car crept by a waving, blow-up snowman in a front yard. And then a bobbing reindeer. And then a dozen brightly colored lawn ornaments.

Thirty-five houses down, and Star still hadn’t acknowledged their existence.

Finally, Star shot her head their way. “Go away!”

“I’m not going away, Star.” Cassie leaned her head out the window, heat blasting through the vents. “If you want to walk to Ershanna’s, fine. But she’s just going to turn you back over to me. Why don’t you just get in the car, and we can go home?”

Star shouted something short and vulgar, her words piercing, her tone halfway hysterical, then jumped up on the sidewalk, farther from them.

Cassie threw the car into Park and unclipped her belt. “Take over, Bree.”

“You know what you’re doing?” Bree asked.

“No clue.” Cassie slung her coat around her as she jumped out of the driver’s seat.

And without pausing, she pushed her hands in her pockets and jogged up onto the sidewalk. Star stared straight ahead, jaw so clenched it threatened to break a tooth. She didn’t stop.

“Look,” Cassie began, “I’m sorry you had to wait around so long at church the other day.”

Star turned her head away, walking faster.