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"You’re too nice" Kate spun her silver David Yurman bracelet around her wrist "But I’m way out of practice"

You just don’t want to because you’d no longer be the best in the class, Hanna thought bitterly, re her one and only experience with ballet She and Ali had taken a class at the YMCA, and when all of therand jetés across the roo Hanna looked exactly like a hippo in a tutu

Now, Hanna sighed After her new fao, everything had gone back to normal shortly afterward The Twelve Days of Christet out of a lot of it because of boot ca, but so far her dad hadn’t given her a hard time about it--probably because he didn’t really want her there anyway She’d tried to make a joke to her dad about Bubbe Marin and Morty the lewd African gray parrot during inter Hanna’s father about how Tchaikovsky had based The Nutcracker on an old children’s tale Her dad had nodded at Kate like it was the h Hanna had taken to obsessively checking Lucas’s Facebook page, he hadn’t uttered a peep She was half-te her

As they waited in line for ice cream, Isabel launched into yet another Kate-was-such-a-beautiful-ballerinato Nutcracker talk was just too much "I have to use the bathrooet e she’d signed

"We’re going to browse around the mall with our cones," her father called after her "Look for us in Brookstone, okay?"

"Uh-huh," Hanna answered absently, snaking around the little tables and enors froht, like she was about to cry Her dad had bent over backward for her a few days ago, reliving old ti with her like they’d used to But now that seemed like ancient history Hadn’t he noticed how much she’d appreciated it?

"Hanna," a voice called out, and Hanna swung around Sitting at the little table in the corner, a small bowl of ice cream and a bottle of AminoSpa in front of him, was Vince fronize hi boots

"Hey," Hanna said, instinctively running her hand over her face todown her cheeks "What are you doing here?"

"Shopping" Vince grinned

"And eating ice crealanced at the nearly empty bowl, one eyebrow raised

Vince lifted his hands in surrender "You gotto be the death of me" He ht you would have a food weakness," Hanna said, settling into a seat opposite hi on the chair next to hi on your list?"

Vince nodded "The Toys ‘R’ Us bag has a gift for a kid in the homeless shelter And the rest of it is for my family Is that your family over there?" He pointed to Isabel, Kate, and Hanna’s father

Hanna made a face "That’s my dad, my stepmom, andKate" She’d rather die than refer to Kate as her fa on the chair "It’s nice of you to get a gift for someone at the homeless shelter Is it the one in Yarrade, because it would look good on a college application Only Spencer would be thinking about colleges in junior high

Vince swigged fro I do every year A bunch of us froifts everyone donated It’s a really rewarding experience"

"That’s so sweet" Vince was sort of like Brad Pitt with his Hurricane Katrina crusade

Mr Marin finished paying, and he, Isabel, and Kate wandered outside Just then a man in a Santa suit sauntered past He peered into the ice crearasped Vince’s hand "Quick Pretend you’re my boyfriend"

"Excuse oes away" She nudged her head ever-so-slightly toward theSanta was still standing there She wasn’t sure where his eyes were looking because of the sunglasses, but she had a pretty good idea "He hit onI’m available"

Vince snickered and clutched Hanna’s hand Their palether perfectly, and she felt suddenly cal really funny," Vince suggested

"Ha ha!" Hanna fake-laughed, throwing her head back "You are too cute!" She reached out and touched the tip of his nose

"No, you’re cute," Vince said, touching Hanna’s nose back She wished he

They fake-bantered for another few seconds until Santa shrugged and trundled away "Thank you," Hanna breathed out