Authors: Lisa Daily
Beauty (36 page)
Spaghetti wandered in then, dragging my stuffed animal monkey—the top hat–wearing one I’d gotten as a gift—into the room with him. “Spaghetti, no!” I said.
My mom hurried over, pulling it from between his teeth. “Bad, Spaghetti,” she scolded. “Molly got this as a gift,” she explained to Hudson.
“I know.” Hudson blushed a little as he looked at me. “I’m the one who gave it to her.”
“How sweet,” my mom said, at the same time I exclaimed: “So it
was
from you?”
Hudson nodded sheepishly. “I know I should have signed my name. But I just … lost my nerve.” My heart lurched happily in my chest as Hudson’s eyes met mine. “It should have been yours from the start,” he whispered.
My mom, clearly sensing something was up, grabbed my dad and Seth by their hands and pulled them away. “Well, you guys have fun tonight, okay?” she said. “It was nice to meet you, Hudson. And Molly, if you leave those flowers on the bench, I’ll put them in water for you!” She winked at me before disappearing into the living room, my dad and Seth following closely behind her.
Hudson put his arm around my shoulder. “Ready?” he asked softly. I looked up at him, trying to read his face. “What?” he said. “Is something wrong, Molly? Are you upset I didn’t sign my name with the monkey?”
“No,” I said quickly. “It’s not that.”
“Then are you not feeling well? Or are you still upset about last night?” He hugged me closer to him, looking concerned. “Are you not up for the dance?”
“No,” I said again. “I’m definitely up for it.” I hesitated. “It’s just … do you notice anything different about me tonight, Hudson?”
I took a step back so he could get a good look at me. His forehead wrinkled up in concentration as his eyes traveled from my dress to my face, lingering on my eyes. My eyes that were just a little farther apart than they had been that morning. “You know what? I do,” he said slowly.
My breath caught in my throat as he stepped forward until we were standing face-to-face. We were so close I could smell the spicy scent of his cologne and hear his breath as it came out in spurts, short and fast. “I should have told you earlier.” He took my hands in his. “You look more beautiful than ever tonight, Molly.” Then he leaned down and kissed me. And it was even better than in his backyard, even better than anything I could have ever imagined. Because this time it was me he was kissing. It was all me.
Table of Contents
Chapter One: The Nature of the Beast
Chapter Two: A Work of (Frizzy) Art
Chapter Three: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the Fairest One of All?
Chapter Four: Welcome to the Twilight Zone
Chapter Five: A Little Birdie Told Me Hudson Taylor Is H.O.T.
Chapter Six: Who Cares about the Beast When You’ve Got Beauty?
Chapter Seven: Just a Little Puppy Love
Chapter Nine: It’s Not Just Clothes in That Closet
Chapter Ten: It’s What’s Inside (Your Purse) That Counts
Chapter Eleven: Flirting With(out) Disaster
Chapter Twelve: When They Said Walk a Mile in Someone Else’s Shoes, They Didn’t Mean Literally
Chapter Thirteen: Everything’s Gone Bananas
Chapter Fourteen: One Hudson Please, with a Cherry on Top
Chapter Fifteen: If the Shoe Fits
Chapter Sixteen: It’s Not Lying If It’s Acting
Chapter Seventeen: Eat, Drink, and Play Monopoly
Chapter Eighteen: Just Because She’s the Queen Bee Doesn’t Mean She Can’t Sting
Chapter Nineteen: The Magic Touch—Ahem, Face
Chapter Twenty-One: Even Sleeping Beauty Plays Hooky Sometimes
Chapter Twenty-Two: You’re Never Too Old for a Muppet Show
Chapter Twenty-Three: She’s a Royal Something
Chapter Twenty-Four: Freaks and Geeks and Dorks, Oh My!
Chapter Twenty-Five: All Hail the Queen
Chapter Twenty-Six: Under the Knife? Over My Dead Body.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Mother of All Cover-ups
Chapter Twenty-Eight: That’s Très 90s
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Who Says You Can’t Do a Do-over?
Chapter Thirty: All Grown Up and Only One Place to Go
Chapter Thirty-One: Wish I May, Wish I Might, Be (Plain Old) Me Again Tonight