“I didn’t sign a contract.”

Ruthless. Cruella de Sakai. “Grandma, they’re only junior high girls.”

“Well then, you’d better make sure they don’t lose funding.”

“A boyfriend? You’d pull funding just for a boyfriend?” Lex’s voice started to take on a screeching edge.

“If that’s the only way I can make you listen to me.” Grandma turned to walk back into the restaurant, but then she turned on an Italian leather sole to peer at Lex, one eyebrow raised. “And he better be a boyfriend, not a casual friend or a one-time date. None of your chummy volleyball buddies.” The back of her silk suit fell arrow-straight as she marched away.

Lex sagged against the car. Trish collapsed next to her. Jennifer stood wringing her hands, while Venus shifted onto one foot and shoved a hand onto her hip.

Suddenly, the door opened from the car next to Jennifer’s Toyota.

Their cousin Mimi popped her head over the top of the car, eyes wide, swinging her signature calf-length ponytail.

“Whoa! Was she serious?”

Trish bristled. Lex slammed her arm across Trish’s ribcage to keep her in place. Mimi wasn’t exactly Lex’s favorite person either, but she didn’t feel like breaking up another catfight between the two of them.

“You were there the entire time?” Trish’s voice came out only a decimal softer than a roar.

Mimi lifted a delicate shoulder in a careless gesture. “It’s not as if I had time to announce my presence when you dragged Grandma out here.”

“More like you’d rather avoid Grandma entirely.” Venus’s lip curled in a faint sneer.

“Sure, if she’s going to go loco and issue ultimatums like that.” Mimi fluttered a tiny hand in the direction of the restaurant. She paused, eyes narrowing as she stared at the ornately carved doors. “I better go protect myself.”

For some reason, that sounded ominous.

Mimi sashayed away, her teeny four-foot-eight-and-three-quarter-inch body swaying with all the enviable perkiness of a twenty-two-year-old.

Stop it. Lex mentally slapped herself. “Thirty isn’t old, no matter what Grandma says.”

Venus arched a delicate eyebrow at her. “It doesn’t matter. When Mariko gets married, you’ll be the next Oldest Single Female Cousin.”

The OSFC, unofficial family title. Rah, rah. “Why now? I mean, she’s always nagged, but never like this.”

Trish threw up her hands. “Because Mariko’s been OSFC for seven years. Grandma had her to nag until she got engaged.”

Venus snorted. “Why do you think the wedding is so fast?”

Lex scratched her head. “I thought she was prego.”

Trish and Venus groaned. Jennifer bit her lip, turning her smile into a V-shape.

Venus stared at Lex with a thoughtful gleam in those disgustingly elegant eyes. “Why don’t you agree to get implants? Maybe then Grandma will forget about the ultimatum.”

“No way! She’ll tell everyone.”

Jennifer’s brow wrinkled. “But… you’ve never cared before what people thought about you.”

“I’ve never had them staring at my chest before.”

Venus lifted a slim shoulder. “Is it really that bad to add a little padding?”

Lex glared at her. “Get behind thee, 34-C.”

She sniffed. “I wasn’t always a 34-C.”

“Yeah, and your sudden blossoming into gorgeous womanhood didn’t make you a more pleasant person.”

Jennifer gasped, but Venus and Trish just laughed.

“So then, why don’t you listen to me?” Venus’s perfect oval face radiated calm reasonability. “I was so fat, I didn’t even care about my chest size. That stomach virus was the best thing that happened to me. I found I had womanly curves under all that weight. I didn’t have to shop for special-sized bras anymore. And when I could finally fit into a 34-C, I felt better about myself.”

That really wasn’t helping, considering the fact Lex still hadn’t moved out of training bras. “Yeah, well, your losing weight at twenty-five is not the same as my undergoing surgery at thirty.” She crossed her arms. “Besides, getting implants would violate our Pact.”

Venus also crossed her arms. “No, it wouldn’t.”

“We vowed that when we fell under the OSFC title, we wouldn’t act as desperate as Mariko did. Implants are desperate, don’t you think?”

“Wait a minute.” Jennifer glanced at each of them. “I thought we vowed to give our dating lives up to God.”

Lex thought a second. “Uh… that too.” Wasn’t she already doing that? She had no problem waiting around for God to bring the perfect man into her life. The thought of intimacy with any guy still freaked her out a little, even after eight years. She’d get over it eventually, right? And until then, she didn’t have to date.

Well, until today…

“I thought we wanted to make the point that we’re not ashamed to be single.” Jennifer took a deep breath and stiffened her spine. “We have a higher priority than marriage and children.”

“Well, then…” Lex frowned. “Grandma’s ultimatum violates the Pact. I can’t fail my girls’ volleyball team – they have a good chance at playoffs. I can’t exactly wait around and leave my dating life up to God if I have to be non-single in four months.”

Jennifer’s brow furrowed and she opened her mouth, but Venus jumped in. “Oh, come on. We all know you. You’re not going to just cave into Grandma’s demands.”

“Well…” Lex kicked at a rock. “I have been thinking I might be able to find someone else to sponsor the team – ”

“See? You’ll find some way to work around Grandma’s ultimatum.”

“And it’s not just Lex.” Jenn glanced around at all of them. “We should reestablish our Pact, especially now with Grandma being so insistent.”

Lex nodded. “We are not Barbie dolls for Grandma to play around with.”

Jenn’s eyes shone with firm resolve. “We’ll give our dating lives up to God.”

“And we’ll promise not to date desperately just because we come under the OSFC label and Grandma’s fire.” Venus propped a hand on her slender hip.

Lex could do that – she wouldn’t date desperately anyway. She’d have to get up the courage to date at all.

“Pact?” Venus stuck out her hand, palm up.

“Pact.” Lex slapped her hand down. Jennifer laid hers on top.

“Trish?” Venus lifted an eyebrow.

“Yeah, yeah.” Trish joined them.

They broke.

Trish turned away quickly, but Jenn had kilowatts of righteous purity shining from her gentle smile.

Lex flicked her glance away. Jenn always made her feel like such a bad Christian.

“I’m going home. I’ve got to clean up – oh, no. I forgot my purse inside.” She pressed her lips together. She inwardly cringed at the thought of walking back inside the restaurant to face the stares from everyone who’d heard Grandma lambasting her lack of cleavage.

“I left my things too. I’ll walk inside with you.” Trish’s expression radiated sympathy.

“No need. I grabbed them.” Jennifer reached down where she’d laid Trish’s bulky hobo, Venus’s Prada, and Lex’s backpack.

“Thanks, Jenn.” Thank goodness for Jenn’s usual foresight. Lex felt a twinge of guilt for being resentful of Jenn’s spiritual maturity earlier.

“See you guys.” Jennifer got into her own car, while Venus left to find hers.

Trish walked with Lex toward her aging Honda.

“Bye.” Trish gave a little wave.

Lex paused before climbing in. “See you at church?” Trish had been missing church a lot lately.

“Uh… sure. See ya.” Trish nipped into her sporty RAV4 that was parked next to Lex’s car.

Lex paused to stare for a moment, then got in her Honda and thrust the key into the ignition.

The engine sputtered, hacked up a loogie, and died.

Lex turned it again. Click. Click.

She collapsed back against the headrest. “No way.” She jumped out and knocked on Trish’s driver’s-side window before she drove away. “Got AAA?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Trish dragged out her cell phone and her wallet for her card. “You’re such a cheapskate. You drive that death mobile and you don’t have roadside ser vice? You still live with your dad – ”