day, Iâm going to have Mrs. Fitzpatrick drive you across town to meet with a stylist. Max, I think youâre going to need a haircut. And Aidan, maybe we can introduce at least one additional color into your wardrobe?â She looked up from her phone to appraise Ollie, who grinned at her. âOllie . . .â
âYes?â
Donna studied him, then smiled. âActually, youâre perfect just the way you are.â
Ollieâs easy smile indicated that this was not news to him.
Lark rolled her eyes. âIâm going to be late,â she huffed. âHas anybody seen my lunch?â
Aidan and Max both turned to Ollie, who held up a flattened brown bag. âFitzy packed you a tuna mayo sandwich,â he said with a guilty look.
âYou ate my tuna sandwich?â Lark wrinkled her nose. âFor breakfast?â
âI guess my stomachâs still on Greenwich Mean Time,â he said. âIn London, itâs lunchtime.â
âWonderful,â said Lark. âSo what am I supposed to eat when twelve oâclock noon Pacific Standard Time rolls around?â
Donna reached into her purse and pulled out a few dollar bills. âBuy lunch today, honey,â she said. âIâm sure it will be delicious.â
Lark wasnât sure of that at all. But she took the money her mother offered and headed off to the bus stop.
âGrilled cheese, please,â said Lark, smiling halfheartedly across the chrome counter at the lunch lady. âExtra carrot sticks, no tater tots.â
The lunch lady plopped the items onto a plastic plate, ignoring Larkâs request to forgo the pseudo-potato pieces. Then she slid the plate across the countertop. âYou get a dessert with that,â the lady informed her. âChocolate pudding or fruit cup.â
âNeither, thanks,â said Lark.
âTake the pudding,â said Mimi, bounding up beside her. âIâll eat it!â
The lunch lady slapped a cup of slimy-looking pudding onto Larkâs tray, then motioned for her to continue down the line to the cashier. Mimi was practically skipping along beside her as Lark paid, then they made her way to their usual table by the windows. They passed several signs for the upcoming International Fair.
âWhatâs that fair thing all about?â Lark asked, sliding her tray across the table and taking a seat.
âItâs fun, actually,â Mimi explained. âKind of a hands-on way of promoting diversity. Parents and grandparents come in and teach us about their different nationalities through cooking demonstrations and other kinds of cultural presentations. Mostly, itâs a lot of really yummy food!â
Lark eyed her mushy grilled cheese. âGood to know.â
âSo . . . ,â Mimi bubbled, âtell me everything! What are they like? Are they all stuck-up and snobby, or are they, like, normal and down-to-earth? I texted you a zillion times last night, but you never responded!â
âI know,â said Lark, slipping into a chair. âIâm sorry. I was just so tired after the airport and moving the boys into their rooms and all, I went right to bed.â
ââThe boys,ââ Mimi repeated, beaming. âYou say that like youâve known them forever! I still canât believe a real live band is crashing at your house. Itâs so cool.â
âYou know whatâs not cool?â Lark grumbled. âFainting at the airport.â
Mimiâs eyes widened. âTell me everything!â
So Lark gave her the CliffsNotes version of the sign, the song, and the swoon, cringing throughout the entire tale.
âDonât sweat it,â Mimi advised. âIt was probably low blood sugar. Now, back to the boys. Are they as cute as they looked in their video?â
âCuter,â Lark admitted, poking at her unwanted tater tots. âEspecially Ollie.â She bit into her