All those sisters . . . “I need some lingerie,” she conceded, “and I’d rather do it by myself.”

“It’s a lot more fun as a group activity.” He charged toward the lingerie department. Button bounced happily in his arms, looking adorable in her pink cap with the bill turned backward.

Nealy was forced to trot to keep up with him. “You’ll be the only man there. You’ll embarrass yourself.”

“Embarrassment is being the only man in the lingerie department when you’re thirteen. At thirty-four, it doesn’t bother me at all. Matter of fact, I’m looking forward to it.” He headed straight for a lacy black nightie that was almost entirely transparent. “I think we should start with this.”

“I don’t.”

“Okay, how about these?” He approached a display of black bikini panties.

“How about not.”

He held up a black demi bra. “Let’s negotiate with this.”

She burst out laughing. “You like black underwear, do you?”

“There’s just something about the way it looks on a fair-skinned woman.”

That sent a sizzle right through her. She made a dash for the Jantzen cotton briefs.

“You’re one cruel woman.”

What was she going to do about him? Cornelia Case was so insecure about sex that she wouldn’t do anything. But Nell Kelly . . . Nell just might have the guts to take a chance.

As she paid for her purchase, she realized she had enough money now to go off on her own again, but a solitary adventure had lost its appeal.

They were leaving the department store when she spotted Lucy charging toward them, her eyes alive with excitement. “I’ve been looking for you guys everywhere. Come on, Nell. Hurry!” She grabbed the packages from Nealy’s hands, shoved them at Mat, and began dragging her forward.

“Wait! What’s going on?”

“You’ll see.”

Nealy looked back at Mat, but he was retrieving one of the packages she’d dropped. She let Lucy pull her, pleased by that fact that she was acting like a normal teenager instead of a hostile burnout.

“I already signed you up. But you’ve gotta tuck in your maternity top so you don’t look pregnant. And, hurry! Ohmygod, they already started.”

“Signed me up for what?”

“This is so cool.” She dragged her toward the center of the mall. “First prize is a TV. It’ll be great in Mabel.”

“Lucy!”

“Hurry!”

A crowd had gathered in front of some kind of platform where music blared, and a group of people wearing numbers were lined up. “Wait a minute. I’m not going a step farther until—”

“Here she is.” Lucy pushed Nealy toward a young woman with a long, dark ponytail. She was carrying a clipboard and wearing a plastic smiley pin.