Free The Bachelor and the Beauty Queen by Carolyn Hector

had planned on having for dinner with her assistants.
    â€œI just need to add the shrimp,” Lexi told Kimber. “Do you cook?”
    â€œNo, ma’am,” Kimber answered, her head low and eyes on the floor, probably wishing the shaggy red throw carpet would swallow her alive.
    Lexi shook her head and her smile softened with the understanding of regretting doing something stupid. Kimber sat with her elbows on the countertop and watched Lexi measure the amount of water she needed to feed everyone downstairs and set the pot to boil. “Do me a favor. Turn on the fan. It’s the switch by the bathroom door.”
    Without needing any direction, Kimber headed over to the white wall with the panel and flipped the switch. Lexi reached into the cabinet and took down her bag of grits. She smiled over her shoulder at Kimber. “Don’t tell my mama you saw me using quick grits. She’ll disown me.”
    Kimber smiled weakly.
    â€œWhen cooking shrimp, I don’t want to risk getting any smell on those dresses.” Lexi inclined her head toward the back wall. “The dresses up here are very important to me,” said Lexi. She watched Kimber slide onto one of the bar stools, head still hung down.
    Kimber burst into tears. “I’m sorry I took the dress, Miss Lexi!” When she glanced up, her tear-filled eyes pleaded with Lexi.
    â€œOh, honey, how did you even get it?”
    â€œDuring Philly’s last workshop,” Kimber started to explain. “I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to take advantage of you, Miss Lexi. You allowed me to use your private bathroom when I was on the phone, crying, with my boyfriend, and well, I got nosy and went through your racks of dresses. There were so many I didn’t think you’d even notice.”
    I didn’t , Lexi thought to herself.
    â€œI was so desperate to make sure my boyfriend noticed me.”
    Yet again, Lexi’s mother’s words rang in her ears, the ever-nagging I told you so when it came to Lexi’s decision to create and wear dresses. As she came around the kitchen bar, Lexi remembered wanting to grow up and impress a boy—it didn’t make the situation right, but she understood. She wrapped her arm around the girl and gave her a hug. Hugging her saddened Lexi. With no prospects for a romantic partner, the only love and advice she’d give out would be to her niece, Jolene, and other young girls like Kimber.
    â€œYou do realize you’re too young for something like this?” Lexi stroked her shoulders. “I was too young for it, and you don’t want to make the wrong impression.”
    â€œPlease don’t tell my uncles I stole your dress!” Kimber blurted out in panic.
    â€œI’ve already taken the heat, sweetie,” said Lexi, thinking about how much it had cost her. “No point in two of us being in trouble.”
    On Friday night, while she had been in his arms dancing, Stephen claimed he planned on keeping an eye on things. She was already going to be punished. Why ruin Kimber’s summer? Besides, what did Stephen plan on doing with a bakery? Did he bake? She pressed her lips together and thought of her mental score card. He might earn a few points if he did.
    â€œFor the record, I was older than sixteen when I wore the dress, over twenty-one. Whoever you were trying to impress can’t be worth the trouble,” Lexi continued. “He’s not the kind of boy you want to be around.”
    â€œNo, ma’am.” Kimber shook her curly head. “Uh, Marvin’s not like one of those boys.”
    Odd that she said Marvin. The relationship between the two struck Lexi as simply friendship. “Marvin, or whomever you’re really trying to impress. Remember, it is always easy to be the bad girl,” she told Kimber with a wagging finger. “The average teenager strives for the bad-girl routine, but you strike me as above