Free Persuaded by Jenni James Page B

they laughed at the crazy antics of Mr. Frog. There was something so cute about the kids’ laughter that day—I don’t know what it was, but I couldn’t stop giggling along with them.
    “I love For-oggy!” exclaimed a cute little dark-haired boy. “He’s sooo funny!”
    “I know.” I leaned over and ruffled the boy’s hair.
    “What are you gonna pick, Miss Manda?” asked a sweet redheaded little girl. “You gots ta pick somefin good!”
    “Hmm.” I looked around and saw that of the twenty or so children that had shown up, only three were boys. “How about we read a princess book today?”
    The girls went wild. “Yay! Yay! Pwincesses! Pwincesses!”
    “Shh.” I reminded them gently. “Remember, we’re in a library. We have to use our quiet voices.”
    “Which one is it gonna be?” whispered a girl around four. She was so quiet I had to strain to hear her. “Which pwincess are you reading ’bout?”
    “Well, let’s see.” I glanced over at the shelf full of books recommended by the library. I reached up and pulled down The Princess and the Pea. “Let’s read this one.” I showed the cover to the children and they all quickly wiggled back into their places.
    “The Princess and the Pea . . .” It only took about two pages before I realized I was imagining Gregory as the prince. Good grief. Not even work is safe.
    By the time I walked back to Kylie’s house—which was thankfully only a couple of miles from the library—it was almost 6:00. My day was spent. I wouldn’t have been so tired if I hadn’t gone to the mall first—not like I could’ve gotten out of that one if I tried. Ever since I’ve known Kylie, shopping has been her passion.
    I couldn’t believe she made me travel to every bridal store and retail shop in the Four Corners just so she could find the perfect dress to wear to prom this past year. It was crazy. And then, after all that work, the silly girl didn’t even go. I’ll never understand why someone who wanted to go so badly that she’d take months choosing the perfect dress, accessories, and everything, would suddenly decide not to go. I shook my head in confusion and opened the front door to the Russells’ house.
    “Hey! You’re back,” she called from the kitchen. “What took you so long?”
    “Sydney’s got the car, remember?”
    “Hello? I have keys.” Kylie dangled them in front of me. “Why didn’t you call?”
    “It’s no big deal, really. I like to—”
    Just then, Kylie’s cell rang.
    “It’s Gregory!” She tucked the phone beneath her ear. “Hello?”
    I watched for a few more minutes while she laughed and chattered into the cell. Then I took her glass and mine into the kitchen and placed them in the dishwasher. The counter was still littered with department-store bags. I collected them and slowly climbed the stairs to the bedroom. For all intents and purposes, it seemed Kylie Russell and Gregory Wentworth were an item.
    All of a sudden, the weight of the bags reached straight to my chest. Even after I placed them gently on Kylie’s bed, my chest still felt sore. In fact, my heart felt heavier than it had in a long time. Why does it have to be so hard to watch him fall in love with someone else?
    Three days later I was still debating that question as I rode in the back seat of Gregory’s mustang with Lilly. We were on our way to Moab—job free, stress free, moving free—and it was wonderful. Even a couple of hours of seeing Gregory and Kylie together up front couldn’t put a damper on the excitement and gloriousness of the day.
    “The first thing I’m going to do when I get there is jump in the pool,” Lilly declared.
    I smiled. “I don’t know what I’ll do first. Maybe explore the place. The way Kylie has been talking, it’s massive.”
    “Really?”
    “I love a good mystery, so I’ll have to poke around and get my bearings before I do anything else, you know?”
    Lilly looked confused.
    I grinned. “Aren’t you ever