Janet Evanovich - Full Scoop

Zack leaned back in his chair. "Wow."

"Well?" Mel asked, grinning wide at her mother. Behind her, Everest grinned as well. "What do you think?"

"Um." Maggie tried to find the right words.

"No more orange hair!" Mel said. "And Everest cut it; look, it's all layered. And he showed me how to apply makeup." At the look Maggie shot her, she hurried on. "Just a teeny-tiny bit to tone down my freckles and bring out my eyes."

"It's very subtle," Everest said. "It's called the 'Barely There' look."

"Mom!" Mel planted her hands on her hips. "Say something!"

"Um." Maggie stepped closer. Her daughter's hair was now a lovely shade of red, cut and styled into a flattering look. Her freckles had been toned down as well, and there was a hint of mascara, but Maggie had to admit it all looked very natural. "Honey, you are beautiful," she said.

"Stunning," Zack said. "If you were twenty years older and knew how to cook, I'd marry you."

"Everest's sister knows all about fashion," Mel went on excitedly. "He's going to ask her to help me go through my clothes and—" She paused and looked at her mother. "What?"

Maggie realized she had tears in her eyes. She was still reeling from her phone call less than an hour ago, and she was unprepared for Mel's new grown-up look. She smiled and swiped at her tears. "I'm just so happy that—" She laughed self-consciously. "I can't believe I'm getting teary-eyed over my beautiful daughter. I think I need to blow my nose. Excuse me." She hurried from the room.

Queenie folded her arms in front of her as she studied Mel. "You look so good I'm going to have to put together a little something to protect you from the boys."

"They already have something like that, Granny Queenie," Everest said. "It's called a chastity belt." He slapped his hand over his mouth, and cut his eyes at Mel. "I shouldn't have said that," he whispered.

"I need to check on Mom," Mel said, obviously more concerned about her mother than what was being said around her. She disappeared down the hall.

Maggie was dabbing her eyes with a tissue when Mel tapped on her bedroom door and came in. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes, honey, I'm fine." Maggie forced a smile. "I just—" She shrugged and sat on the edge of her bed. "I've been selfish, Mel. I should have taken you to that new hair salon in town that everyone is raving about. I should have taken you to the mall in Savannah or Charleston, to a store geared toward young people."

Mel patted her shoulder. "It's okay, Mom. We can still go to the mall together. I don't want to hurt Everest's feelings, but I'd rather you help me pick out clothes instead of his sister."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. I still have my birthday money. I could even take you to lunch as long as you don't mind eating a burger."

Maggie smiled and touched her daughter's hair. It was thick and silky and healthy looking, not how she imagined it would look after putting a color on it. "You look very pretty, sweetheart. I'm so proud of you. But you need to know, I've always felt that way about you."

"I'm proud of you, too, Mom."

Maggie gazed into her daughter's green eyes and wondered how proud Mel would be when she learned the truth about her father. "Honey, we need to talk."

"Okay, but I'm really hungry. I didn't eat much of my hot dog after the Elvis guys showed up at our table."

"How about we chat after you eat something?"

Mel started for the door and turned. "Do you think Travis Bradley will notice me now?"

"What do you mean, now?" Maggie said. "Did you not see the way he was looking at you at Harry's?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh- yeah," Maggie said, answering like Mel sometimes did.

Maggie followed Mel into the kitchen and discovered Queenie and Everest had left. She suspected Queenie was annoyed with her. Zack sat at the kitchen table playing solitaire. "FBI guys do a lot of this while on stakeout," he told Mel, as she prepared her sandwich and a side order of chips and dip.

They had just finished eating when the phone rang. Mel snatched it up. "Who else is going?" she asked after a moment. "Hold on." She turned to Maggie. "Caitlin and Emily are going to see the new Johnny Depp movie. It's PG. Can I go?" When Maggie hesitated, Mel added, "I sorta have to know right now because the movie starts at seven-fifteen."

"It's five till seven now," Maggie said.

"This is the soonest they could call. They don't officially get off restriction until seven on account of they missed the school bus twice last week, and their mom had to take them."

"Honey, I don't know if that's a good idea," Maggie said and looked at Zack.

"Mom, I need to get out of this house! I can't go outside and I can't look out my window."

"We could go too," Zack told Maggie, "and sit in the back row."

Mel gave an enormous sigh. "Never mind."

"Or park out front and wait for her," he added.

"I can go!" Mel said and hung up. She started from the room and turned. "Could we please not take the van?"

Maggie made the drive in her car in record time while Zack laid out the rules.

"Stay with your friends and sit in the first row. If somebody you don't know approaches you, use this." He handed her a whistle that hung from a sturdy chain. "See this button on the side? Press it, and I'll be there in two minutes. Then, blow the hell out of the whistle to attract attention. It's a good way to scare people off. Hang it around your neck."

Mel frowned. "I'll look like a dork."

"Tuck it inside your blouse," Maggie said, thankful that Zack had such a gadget.

"We will be parked out front the whole time," Zack said. "Once the movie ends we'll pull right up to the steps, and I'll come in and get you."

Mel gave him a pained look. "I want to walk by myself. It's like twenty feet from the door to the car."

He nodded. "Okay, but don't come out until you see the car."

Mel climbed out and hurried to the glass entrance where Caitlin and Emily waited. Zack watched them buy their tickets and disappear through a doorway. "I'll be right back." He opened the door.

Maggie shot him a questioning look. "But where—"

"I want to know what time the movie ends, and I want to see which theater they're in." He climbed out, hit the master lock, and shot her a quick look. "Keep the engine running just in case—"

Maggie sighed. "I hate this," she mumbled. She folded her arms across the top of the steering wheel and buried her face in it. Someone knocked on her window. She jumped and snapped her head up and around. A policeman stood outside her door. She lowered it a few inches.

"Ma'am, you'll have to move your car. You're in the fire lane."

"Oh." Maggie glanced at the doors leading inside the theater. "Is it okay if I wait for my friend? He'll be right out."

"As long as you don't mind me writing you a ticket for illegal parking," he answered.

"I'll move," she said. She pulled forward and turned down the first aisle, searching for a parking place. She was at the far end of the parking lot when she saw Zack come out. He planted his hands on his hips and looked around. She headed his way.

When he saw her he shook his head and held his hands out in question. He climbed into the car. "I ask you to do one simple thing—" he began.

"You big-shot FBI agents probably don't worry about illegal parking, right?" Maggie said. "If a cop walks up and tells you to move your car out of the fire lane, you just flash your big shiny badge, and say 'beat it, pal.' Am I right?"

Zack nodded. "Yep. That's what we do."

Maggie spied a car pulling from a parking slot near the front and gunned her engine. She backed in so they had a clear view of the front doors.

Maggie cut the engine. "So, how much longer till the movie is over?" she asked with a half smile.