Stuck on You by Heather Thurmeier Page B

their GPS arrow, they were heading right into Macy’s. They walked into the building and were instantly greeted by the bright lights of the cosmetic counters.
    “We should have a little look around for you,” Zoe said, eyeing the nearest counter.
    “No, we need to find the cache first, then see if we have any money to spare. I may have to borrow your makeup for a bit.”
    “I don’t think so.”
    “Well, we can’t spend all of our money on needless things, like new eye shadow, when we still have to buy gas and pay parking fees among other things for the next few weeks. You know as well as I do that Chip will never give us more money if we run out. And parking the first day put us way over budget right off the start.”
    Zoe shrugged. “There’s always a price to pay for beauty, so either you pay it or you don’t. It’s your call.”
    Paige thought about it as they wove their way through the large department store trying to find the cache. After riding what had to be the world’s oldest wooden escalators, the arrow finally narrowed down their target area to the shoe department. They searched as inconspicuously as they could but it was tricky in the busy department. With every shoe they peeked into and every table they looked under, the shoppers around them grew more and more interested in what they were doing.
    Of course Evan following them around with his giant camera probably played a part in the spectacle too.
    Finally, tucked back into the corner of the department, they found a shoebox marked with the purple logo of the show. They opened it to find the cache card as well as an envelope. They quickly snapped a picture of Zoe with the cache number, then she opened the envelope, smiling as she read the contents.
    “I think our money problems have been solved.” Zoe held two plastic cards and a note out to Paige to read. “We’ve each won a five hundred dollar shopping spree.”
    “After the show is over we can come back and get everything for my new me,” Paige said, tucking the card into her pocket.
    Zoe reached into her pocket and pulled the card right back out. “We’re going to start your transformation right now.”
    “While we’re racing? We’re already way behind a few of the other teams with our count, we don’t really have time for this right now. Maybe we can come back in a few days after we have more?”
    “Nope. You agreed to listen to me and I say we start now. You’re only putting off the inevitable if you want to snag Miles’s attention.”
    Paige thought about it. True, she did want Miles to see her in a different way. But was she ready for that now? It didn’t seem to make much sense to put it off for much longer. The competition only ran for so long and then the show would be done filming. If she wanted her best chance to catch Miles’s attention, then she may as well do it now. Besides, that way they had many more chances to see each other and to practice her new flirting skills once they started their alliance with the boys.
    “Where do we start first?” she conceded.
    “Right here.” Zoe walked off in the direction of the women’s shoes.
    “But I need my boots for hiking.”
    “Oh, silly girl. You have so much to learn.” She stopped at a large display of shoes, picking up one that had a three-inch heel with thin black crisscrossing straps. “It’s time to introduce you to some of my best friends.”

Chapter Nine
    Paige blanched at the sight of the tall stiletto heels in Zoe’s hands. No way would she ever be able to walk in those let alone hike on some of the trails they’d already been on. Simply impossible if she wanted to complete the show without a broken ankle.
    “Is there a training size for girls like me who like flats?” Paige asked.
    “Sure, we could get you a kitten heel if you’d like, but then I’m pretty sure Miles would be more interested in making sure you were cuddled up nicely on the couch with your blankie and mug of warm milk. Is that what