furious.â
âBut you did your best,â Lexi insisted. âAnd for what itâs worth, Meredith, I thought you did a really great job.â
Meredithâs jaw dropped. âYou did? You do?â
âYeah, I mean the baton accident wasnât your finest moment, but you look really pretty.â
Meredith looked down at her red ball gown. The skirt was now dotted with her tears.
âYou too. I mean, you look better than you usually do. And your speech and talent were pretty goodâfor an amateur.â
Lexi smiled. From Meredith, that was a major compliment!
Jeremy and the PLC girls raced to the edge of the stage to greet her.
âGive the woman some room,â Delaney said, holding them back. âMake room for the Ultimate Talent Queen.â
Lexi blushed. âOh, itâs no biggie.â
âAre you kidding? My girlfriend is a pageant queen!â Jeremy said, planting a kiss on her cheek. Lexi loved the sound of the words âmy girlfriend.â
Ava was the next to grab her and pull her into a bear hug. âLex, you were incredible! Who knew you had it in you?â
âI did,â Herbie said. âBut does anyone ever listen to me? Noooooo!â
âMaybe we shouldâonce in a while,â Lexi teased. âFor an advisor, you do give pretty good advice.â
âThen may I advise you now to go wheel in your cupcake tower before this crowd mutinies?â he said. âWe have hungry people here who need Peace, Love, and One Thousand Cupcakes!â
⢠⢠â¢
The PLC girls gathered in the reception room in front of their towering cupcake display.
âDad, you deserve the crown for Best Builder,â Sadie told her father.
âI love how the tower rotates,â Kylie added, admiring how the mirrored shelves gently spun and reflected the lights of the ballroom.
âInteresting,â Herbie said, peering under the bottom shelf at the displayâs motor. âA simple but elegant mechanism.â
Kat Grabel was the first judge to make her way into the after-party.
âAre these the cupcakes you mentioned in your speech?â she asked Lexi.
Lexi smiled. âYes, try one, please!â She handed the judge a perfect pink velvet.
Kim took a nibbleâthen a huge bite. âMmm, mmm! I wish I had a crown to give for Best Cupcake. Ladies, yâall would take the prize!â
Within minutes, all the contestants, judges, and audience members poured into the room and mobbed the cupcake display. Soon all that was left of the thousand cupcakes were a few crumbs.
âIâd say they liked them,â Delaney said, elbowing Lexi. âThat Kat lady especially. I think I saw her put a few in her purse!â
Laura reached up and took the sugar crown off the top of the display. âWould you mind if I kept this for my collection?â she asked Lexi.
âSure, if you want it,â Lexi replied, flattered.
Laura smiled. âAnd if you ever want to enter another Starz pageant, we would be proud to have you competeâwith or without your amazing cupcakes.â
Fitzy interrupted: âBut preferably with cupcakes!â She had a white buttercream mustache over her top lip. âTheyâre just so good.â
By Sunday night, everything in Lexiâs life was back to normal. She had gently placed her rhinestone crown on a shelf over her desk where she could admire it, and was working on her latest art homeworkâa painting of a rainbow unicornâwhen her mom knocked on her bedroom door.
âThereâs someone here to see you,â she said.
Lexiâs face lit up when she got downstairs and recognized a familiar freckled face waiting in her living room.
âHarleigh!â she squealed. âWhat are you doing here?â
âMy mom and I wanted to ask yâall a favor,â she said. âMy thirteenth birthday is coming up, and we were wondering if Peace, Love, and Cupcakes