Free Infamous by Cecily von Ziegesar Page A

bikini!!!

10
A WAVERLY OWL IS ALWAYS READY FOR THE APPEARANCE OF AN OLD FRIEND ...OR AN OLD ENEMY .
    As the girls trudged up Fifth Avenue and the sidewalks started to turn slushy, Callie wished she’d worn something more practical than her square-toed Missoni flats. She’d expected to be on a plane to Atlanta right now, leaning back in her first-class seat, shoes kicked off. But she was almost deliriously happy she wasn’t—she was going to see Easy again.
Tomorrow.
She couldn’t help pulling off her glove to look once again at the elegant amethyst ring. It was beautiful—simple, of course, because Easy was like that, but beautiful none the less.
    “My feet are going numb,” Callie spoke up dreamily, thinking about how nice it would be to curl up with Easy and have him give her a foot massage. Although, since he was the one going to military school where they made him do who knew what—cross-country treks over rugged terrain, grueling 20K runs, shooting practice—he probably needed a massage more than she did.
    “Get under here.” Tinsley grabbed Callie’s arm and tugged her under the edge of a sophisticated-looking hotel entrance. Callie glanced up and read the beautiful script,
The Granfield.
The three huddled together near the revolving door, letting the heat from the entrance bathe them. “Let’s focus.” Tinsley eyed the two bellhops in distinguished navy and red uniforms who kept breezing through the revolving doors to grab the expensive luggage from the trunks of the long, sleek black cars that pulled up to the curb.
    Callie glanced up the street toward Central Park. A purplish fog had descended with the cold over the remaining joggers and dog walkers.
    “Come on. Let’s not stand out here like plebeians.” Before Jenny and Callie could say another word, Tinsley breezed through the doors, her Prada bag hanging at her side. She strode, with authority, over to the front desk, where a handsome man in a suit stood behind a computer.
    “What do you think she’s saying?” Jenny whispered, gazing around at the black marble floor that managed to look perfectly polished despite the slushy evening outside.
    Callie moved her hand to see how her promise ring sparkled in the glittery light from the chandelier above them. “Dunno,” she answered, absently. “Just hope it works.” They watched with amusement as Tinsley did her best Marilyn Monroe impression, batting her doe eyes and flirting with the clerk.
    “I know you always have an extra room set aside in case Madonna or someone pops in. Don’t you know who
she
is?” She pointed at Callie, who smiled weakly. After an hour of trudging around in the slushy New York weather, Callie’s hair was mashed against her forehead. She probably looked like the Bride of Frankenstein.
    “No.” The clerk glanced over Tinsley’s shoulder at the woman in a fur coat who was approaching the desk.
    “Well, she’s the
governor
of
Georgia’s
daughter.” Tinsley smiled triumphantly, her pearly white teeth like an ad for toothpaste. “Now could we get a room, please?”
    “Sweetheart, we just don’t
have
any rooms.” The clerk shook his head impatiently. “We’re booked months in advance for this weekend. Even Madonna couldn’t get a room tonight.”
    “I doubt that.” Tinsley spun on her heel. “You should be expecting a letter from the governor soon.” She turned to Jenny and Callie and said, “I
had
to get the gay clerk.” They followed Tinsley back out onto the street. “Fuck.”
    Jenny let out a soft sigh. “I mean…we could always go back to my dad’s….” She trailed off when Tinsley shot her a dark look.
    “Let’s grab a cab to the Peninsula. I’m going to have to change our ‘governor’s daughter’ story—it’s just not working.” As Jenny and Tinsley strode purposefully toward Madison Avenue, Callie stopped in her tracks, her eyes looking up to meet the most beautiful white dress she’d ever seen—an A-line gown with draped