Sugar and Spice by Sheryl Berk Page B

furious.”
    â€œBut you did your best,” Lexi insisted. “And for what it’s worth, Meredith, I thought you did a really great job.”
    Meredith’s jaw dropped. “You did? You do?”
    â€œYeah, I mean the baton accident wasn’t your finest moment, but you look really pretty.”
    Meredith looked down at her red ball gown. The skirt was now dotted with her tears.
    â€œYou too. I mean, you look better than you usually do. And your speech and talent were pretty good—for an amateur.”
    Lexi smiled. From Meredith, that was a major compliment!
    Jeremy and the PLC girls raced to the edge of the stage to greet her.
    â€œGive the woman some room,” Delaney said, holding them back. “Make room for the Ultimate Talent Queen.”
    Lexi blushed. “Oh, it’s no biggie.”
    â€œAre you kidding? My girlfriend is a pageant queen!” Jeremy said, planting a kiss on her cheek. Lexi loved the sound of the words “my girlfriend.”
    Ava was the next to grab her and pull her into a bear hug. “Lex, you were incredible! Who knew you had it in you?”
    â€œI did,” Herbie said. “But does anyone ever listen to me? Noooooo!”
    â€œMaybe we should—once in a while,” Lexi teased. “For an advisor, you do give pretty good advice.”
    â€œThen may I advise you now to go wheel in your cupcake tower before this crowd mutinies?” he said. “We have hungry people here who need Peace, Love, and One Thousand Cupcakes!”
    â€¢ • •
    The PLC girls gathered in the reception room in front of their towering cupcake display.
    â€œDad, you deserve the crown for Best Builder,” Sadie told her father.
    â€œI love how the tower rotates,” Kylie added, admiring how the mirrored shelves gently spun and reflected the lights of the ballroom.
    â€œInteresting,” Herbie said, peering under the bottom shelf at the display’s motor. “A simple but elegant mechanism.”
    Kat Grabel was the first judge to make her way into the after-party.
    â€œAre these the cupcakes you mentioned in your speech?” she asked Lexi.
    Lexi smiled. “Yes, try one, please!” She handed the judge a perfect pink velvet.
    Kim took a nibble—then a huge bite. “Mmm, mmm! I wish I had a crown to give for Best Cupcake. Ladies, y’all would take the prize!”
    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.
    â€œI’d say they liked them,” Delaney said, elbowing Lexi. “That Kat lady especially. I think I saw her put a few in her purse!”
    Laura reached up and took the sugar crown off the top of the display. “Would you mind if I kept this for my collection?” she asked Lexi.
    â€œSure, if you want it,” Lexi replied, flattered.
    Laura smiled. “And if you ever want to enter another Starz pageant, we would be proud to have you compete—with or without your amazing cupcakes.”
    Fitzy interrupted: “But preferably with cupcakes!” She had a white buttercream mustache over her top lip. “They’re just so good.”

By Sunday night, everything in Lexi’s 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 homework—a painting of a rainbow unicorn—when her mom knocked on her bedroom door.
    â€œThere’s someone here to see you,” she said.
    Lexi’s face lit up when she got downstairs and recognized a familiar freckled face waiting in her living room.
    â€œHarleigh!” she squealed. “What are you doing here?”
    â€œMy mom and I wanted to ask y’all a favor,” she said. “My thirteenth birthday is coming up, and we were wondering if Peace, Love, and Cupcakes