Free Coming Out by Danielle Steel Page B

afterward to meet their friends. Their noisy presence in the house reminded Olympia of how much she loved having all of her children at home.
    On Thanksgiving morning Frieda arrived in time to help Olympia with dinner. Harry had made the stuffing, Olympia cooked the turkey, Frieda did the vegetables, Charlie made the corn muffins, the girls made sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and Olympia helped Max make whipped cream, to serve on the apple and pumpkin pies at the end of the meal. It was the one meal of the year when everyone contributed and made an effort, and the end result was stupendous. They sat down to dinner at six, and by eight o'clock, everyone was so stuffed, they couldn't move. And, as she always did, Olympia had provided a kosher meal just for Frieda, prepared by a kosher caterer the day before, which she said had been delicious too.
    “I'm going to have to starve for the next three weeks, so I can get into my dress,” Frieda commented, after eating the pumpkin pie with the whipped cream on it that had been Max's contribution to the meal.
    “Me too,” Ginny said, looking worried. Veronica had announced earlier that she had invited a boy called Jeff Adams to be her escort. She said she had met him at school. He was coming down for the weekend of the ball, and he had promised to rent a tux in Providence and bring it with him, so he didn't need to rent one in New York.
    “I hope he's reliable,” Olympia said, looking slightly worried. “How well do you know him?”
    “Well enough,” Veronica said casually. “I've been going out with him for about three weeks.”
    “What happens if you stop dating him before the cotillion? That could be awkward.” Everyone always agreed that boyfriends made bad escorts, because if you stopped seeing them just before the ball, you could wind up without a date.
    “He's just a friend,” Veronica said, looking unconcerned. She had agreed to make her debut, but without any enthusiasm. She was only doing it so her father wouldn't withdraw his share of the tuition for school. But she was still angry about his blackmail and manipulation. She had told everyone repeatedly that she fully anticipated having a rotten time at the ball. She was the original reluctant debutante, but Ginny more than made up for what her twin sister lacked in excitement about the event. She couldn't wait, and had tried on her dress four times in the last two days. It was the ballgown of her dreams. Charlie had checked the night he got back, and said his tuxedo still fit, although he said it was a little tight in the waist, but nothing he couldn't live with for one night.
    Veronica had said that her escort wanted to meet Charlie and Ginny, but he had gone skiing in Vermont over the Thanksgiving weekend.
    “What's he like?” Charlie asked with interest. It would be more fun for all of them if the two escorts got along and had something in common to chat about at the rehearsal and ball. It was going to be a long evening for them.
    “He's on the football team, and he plays ice hockey, too,” Veronica told her brother.
    “Maybe we can all go skating the next day,” Charlie said hopefully, “or to dinner or something. Is he excited to do it?”
    “I don't know. I asked. He said he would. He doesn't have to love it. All he has to do is be there.” Veronica dismissed the possibility of his enjoying it, since she knew she wouldn't. In her opinion, neither would he.
    “Has he ever been an escort at a deb ball before?” their mother inquired, as Veronica looked at her belligerently.
    “I don't know. Why would he? Once would be enough for me.”
    “Some guys actually enjoy it,” Olympia informed her, “hard as you may find that to believe.” She smiled at her, glad that she had finally agreed.
    “I do find it hard to believe. It sounds like a major drag to me.”
    “You may be pleasantly surprised by how much fun it is,” her mother said encouragingly, as Ginny smiled from ear to ear. She had been