Ingenue by Jillian Larkin

Author:Jillian Larkin
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Social Issues, Social Science, Drugs, Juvenile Fiction, Social Classes, United States, Historical, Substance Abuse, 20th Century, Alcohol
ISBN: 0385740360
Publisher: Random House Digital, Inc.
Published: 2011-08-09T05:00:00+00:00

Lorraine stared at the tall chain-link fence around the boathouse and the lagoon. The gate was chained and padlocked. “This may be a problem.”

Lorraine hadn’t really loved running through Central Park toward the lagoon in her expensive dress. For one thing, she wasn’t the sort of girl who ran. Running was for people who didn’t mind sweating. And for another thing, she’d had to shuck off her heels and run in her stocking feet, and she didn’t even want to imagine what wet things she’d stepped in. But after a few minutes of galloping through the soft darkness hand in hand with Hank, she forgot to be bothered. For the first time in months, she was having fun.

Hank shrugged, pulling off his derby and flinging it over the fence. “See? That doesn’t look so hard.” He wound his fingers into the chain-link and began to climb. Once he reached the top, he swung over and landed gracefully on his feet.

He looked at Lorraine through the mesh. “Are you coming?”

The moment of truth.

She tossed her purse over. Then she took a deep breath, slipped on her shoes—no way was she leaving them here; they cost a week’s wages—and wedged a toe into the chain-link. Then the other foot, and up a little farther.

This wasn’t so bad! It was like climbing the trellis outside her window when she was thirteen and her mother wouldn’t let her go see Terrell Spitznagle, even though Lorraine had explained that she was in love with him. Though come to think of it, Terrell was now fat and balding and about as interesting as a clump of moss on a rock, so maybe her mother had been on to something.

“Come on, slowpoke!” Hank called. “I’d like to make it onto the water before the sun comes up!”

“Excuse me, you are not wearing heels,” she replied through gritted teeth.

“True, I left those at home tonight,” Hank said, laughing.

Lorraine had reached the top. It was a delicate maneuver, swinging a leg over a fence in a dress. A boy wore pants, sure—that was easy. But for a girl, there were issues of modesty as well the whole impracticality of rolling a skirt up far beyond the knee.

“Umm,” she said, and dropped her leg over the other side, her weight pulling her over, and then it was too late: The hem of her dress was caught on a loose bit of metal.

“Hank!” she yelled, trying not to panic. “I can’t get my dress off!”

“The best thing you can do is jump,” he said, looking up at her. “I’ll catch you.”

Ugh. She anchored her feet in the fence, then sprang away and fell. She grimaced at the distinct sound of fabric ripping. Oh no! Her beautiful lilac Lucien Lelong was ruined.

But then she was in Hank’s arms. He’d caught her effortlessly.

He smiled as he looked at her. “See? That wasn’t so bad.”

She couldn’t help it—she burst into laughter. “Not so bad? I could’ve broken my neck! And I ruined my dress.”

He inspected the damage as he sat her on the ground.

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