Chapter 16 She pouted , " You won't let me learn ? Fine . I'll get Dad to sign me up . One day , I'll totally crush you - and don't jealous ! " you dare get I knew Yvonne was a gifted kid who picked things up quickly . But jealous ? Not at all . I was already ready to cut ties with her . Soon enough , I wouldn't be in her life anymore . That afternoon , she stuck to me like glue . While I was in class , she napped nearby . When I practiced violin , she played games , looking bored out of her mind . Later , I asked if she wanted to go visit her grandma , and she lit up , practically jumping at the offer . I called Sally . She was over the moon and immediately had the servants prepare Yvonne's favorite mini cakes and yogurt . " Grandma ! " Yvonne darted into Sally's arms . " Oh , sweetie . Look how tall and gorgeous you've gotten . " Sally cupped Yvonne's face , covering it with kisses . I set Yvonne's backpack on the couch and told Sally , " I've got dinner plans tonight . Yvonne can stay over , and I'll pick her up tomorrow around noon . " Sally glanced up at me . " You've been running around a lot lately . Prepping for work ? " Yvonne spoke up loudly . " Mom's always going out to eat . She even had lunch with a bunch of people today . " Sally's brows creased . I was still a Holcomb , and no mother - in - law would be thrilled to see her daughter - in - law always running around . " Yvonne , " I said , shooting her a warning glance , " haven't I told you ? Kids shouldn't interrupt adult conversations . " Yvonne's bottom lip stuck out . She buried herself in Sally's arms , shooting daggers at me . Sally had clearly overthought things . She looked at me seriously and warned , " I don't care who you befriend . But don't you dare make friends with the wrong crowd . The Holcomb name's on the line here . Don't make trouble for Jared . " Back in the day , those words would've crushed me . I'd have freaked out , doubting myself and wondering if I'd messed Then I'd clamp down and act " proper " to keep everyone else satisfied . Now , I just replied flatly , " Got it . No worries . " Sally nodded . Probably because I'd never done anything improper , she seemed pretty trusting of me . After leaving the Holcomb residence , I swung by to pick up Melissa . The second she got in the car , she started ranting about the cases she'd handled that day . She got more fired up by the minute , cursing guys for being so damn ungrateful . Those divorce cases must've soured her on love . I just let her vent , not saying much . Suddenly , she tugged at my sleeve and grinned , " Guess who's treating tonight ? " 1 blinked . " Who ? " up . " Our class president from college . He's killing it now - heard he's a manager at some big tech company . Dude's got a bright future , Melissa said dreamily . 1/2 1 teased , " Then go for it . You're acting all goofy over him ." " Please . He wouldn't even look at me twice ," Melissa sighed , then dramatically pouted . " With a knockout like you around , I'm just the backup ." I burst out laughing . Melissa was quirky as ever . Sure , she always said the most random stuff , but she was still my best friend , the one who kept my boring life interesting . Soon , we arrived at the restaurant , and our old classmates were clustered near the entrance . As we approached , their eyes immediately lit up . " The beauty queen's here ! " someone called out .