Molly lifted a hand slowly to her tousled hair. “You did?”
“Absolutely. You are as pretty as any girl I know. And you’re so much more than pretty—smart and funny and loving and talented, all of which are more valuable than outward appearance. When the time is right for you to have a boyfriend, the boys will notice you. In the meantime, you have a great time and don’t let anyone put you down. Next time they try, hold your chin up and tell them you are perfectly happy with your looks and your life and you wouldn’t trade places with them—or anyone.”
“Okay, I will.”
“And if that doesn’t work, tell me and I’ll go give them a piece of my mind.”
Molly smiled weakly and leaned her head on Kelly’s shoulder. “They really hurt my feelings.”
“I know, baby. I’m sorry.”
“I won’t let them do that to me again.”
“No.” Kelly hoped Molly would talk about this incident with her parents, who would probably know better than Kelly what their child needed to hear. “Molly—Shane’s really worried about you. You think we should go talk to him?”
Molly made a face. “Is he mad at me?”
“Why would he be mad at you?”
“Because I wouldn’t talk to him. I—I didn’t think he would understand. He’s... Well, he’s a guy. And he’s my brother. He doesn’t want me to have a boyfriend anyway.”
Kelly couldn’t help smiling. “Not for a few more years, I’m sure.”
Mopping her face with her hand, Molly swallowed. “A bunch of girls are already going out with guys. That’s all they talk about. But I don’t want to do that right now, Kelly. I just want to hang out with my friends and ride my horses and do things with my family, you know?”
“I know.” She pulled a clean tissue out of her pocket and dried Molly’s cheeks. “And there’s nothing at all wrong with that.”
“Lacy said it’s weird not to have a boyfriend.”
“Hmm. Do you think I’m weird, Molly?”
The child’s eyes rounded. “Of course not! You’re one of the coolest people I know.”
“Thank you. But I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“You don’t?”
“No. I have a lot of friends who happen to be guys, and I enjoy their company very much. But I’m not really looking for a boyfriend until I finish college and get a job. Like you, I’m just not ready for a boyfriend right now.”
“Does anyone ever tease you about it?” Molly asked a bit shyly.
“If they ask, I tell them I’m waiting for someone very special, and I’m not willing to settle for just anyone—unlike some desperate girls who think they need a boyfriend to make them cool.”
Molly’s eyebrows rose. “I think a girl can be cool without a boyfriend. Like you. And Dawne—she hasn’t had a boyfriend since she broke up with jerky Jordan last year—that’s what she calls him now anyway.”
“See? Dawne wasn’t going to settle, either. She knows she deserves someone special, and she’s willing to wait for him. You have plenty of time in the future for boyfriends and romance, sweetie. But you only get to be twelve years old for a little while. It’s a great age—don’t let anyone take the fun away from you.”
Impulsively Molly reached up to kiss Kelly’s cheek. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Kelly cleared her throat. “Now wash your face and comb your pretty red hair and let’s go put poor Shane out of his misery, okay?”
“Okay.” Molly dashed toward the tiny adjoining bathroom and a moment later, Kelly heard water running.
She spent the brief time she waited imagining ways to take revenge on a couple of catty adolescent girls. Glue in their hair gel? Food dye in their makeup? Ants in their C-cups? She would never follow up on those ignoble fantasies, of course, but it gave her a grim satisfaction to imagine retribution for Molly’s humiliation.
Molly returned with a rosy face and a sweet smile that made all her negative thoughts vanish. She stood and held out her hand. “Let’s go see Shane.”
Chapter Seven