Chapter 211

Back then, Bonnie had seen it with her own eyes-Caitlin and Celeste standing in line outside that greasy diner.
But if Celeste really were the Hayes family heiress, why on earth would she be queuing up for food at a place like that?
The Hayes family-what kind of family are they, anyway?
They’re old money. Real high society.
Let’s be honest, the Hayes family’s daughter wouldn’t be caught dead eating at some rundown, low-class diner. Even Bonnie herself wouldn’t stoop that low.
And besides, Caitlin? Divorced, secondhand goods at best. How could she possibly be friends with the Hayes family’s heiress?
Birds of a feather flock together.
Anyone with half a brain could see that Celeste couldn’t possibly be the Hayes family’s daughter. She was just as down-and-out as Caitlin, nothing special at all.
Bonnie’s words suddenly jogged Grace’s memory.
Something clicked. Her eyes widened as she turned to Bonnie. “Oh! I remember now! I’ve seen Celeste too-last month, Bonnie and I were shopping downtown and we saw Celeste and Caitlin waiting in line at that greasy spoon!”
“That place, what was it called? Wally’s Greasy Spoon?” Thıs text ıs hosted at.net
“It wasn’t Wally’s,” Bonnie corrected, “it was Willy’s Greasy Spoon.”
And the only reason Bonnie remembered the name so clearly was because
Ernest Kensington used to eat there all the time, trying to save money.
But ever since Iliana Hadley went into business with Ernest, he’d stopped going altogether.
After all, the Hadley family was finally out of the red.
Grace nodded quickly. “Yes, yes, that’s right, it was Willy’s Greasy Spoon!”
Then Grace turned to Laurel. “Laurel, you have no idea how filthy that place is! The only people waiting in line are janitors and cab drivers-real bottom of the barrel types. The most expensive thing on the menu is, like, $18! Bonnie’s right: if Celeste was really the Hayes family heiress, there’s no way she’d be seen dead at a dump like that with someone like Caitlin!”
Laurel’s face twisted in disgust at the mention of an $18 dish.
Eighteen bucks for a meal? She wouldn’t even spend that little on dog food-her family’s kibble was sixty dollars a pound.
“If that’s the case, there’s no way Celeste is the Hayes family’s daughter!” Laurel frowned, clearly puzzled. “Did I mishear? Maybe the ‘heiress’ thing was a misunderstanding—maybe her name isn’t even Celeste Hayes?”
Bonnie glanced at Laurel and chimed in, “Maybe it’s not ‘Celeste’ as in the ‘heiress,’ but ‘Celeste’ like the color-light, pale, you know?”
“Laurel looked confused. “Light, as in pale?”
“Exactly.” Bonnie nodded.
Laurel raised an eyebrow. “Why do you say that all of a sudden?”
“There’s a transfer student named Paulina Hayes,” Bonnie explained. “She got put
in Class 18, so we can’t see her from our class.”
The only reason they could see Caitlin at all was because Caitlin was in Class 1, while they were in Class 2.
Grace shook her head. “I’m not convinced Paulina’s the one either. The Hayes family doesn’t want Miss Hayes in the spotlight, and besides, our school suddenly got five new students all with the last name Hayes. Doesn’t that strike you as weird? Maybe the Hayes family is pulling some strings behind the scenes.”
Bonnie and Laurel both nodded, thinking Grace actually made a lot of sense.