Peggy jumped up and went over to her roommate. “Whatever for?” she asked. “It was just a job.”
Amy shook her head and blinked. “You don’t understand—Oh, Peggy!”
“Come on, now,” Peggy soothed. “Tell me the whole story.”
Amy sat perfectly still for a moment, trying to fight back the tears. Suddenly both tears and story came out in a rush. “When I first heard about getting a part in the commercial”—Amy gulped—“I got all excited. I wrote home and told Mama to watch me on the Bob Jordan show.”
Suddenly Peggy understood. She knew Pine Hollow, North Carolina, was a tiny place. Amy’s mother was almost sure to tell everyone about her daughter’s big television debut. Next week at air time, half the population would be glued in front of their sets, waiting to see Amy’s face.
“Everyone will be looking for me,” Amy went on mournfully. “And all they’re going to see is my—my hand! What am I going to tell them?”
“The truth,” Peggy said simply.
Amy looked up in despair. “Oh, I couldn’t!” she breathed. “Mama would be the laughingstock of Pine Hollow.” Another thought seemed to strike her. “Oh, my goodness!” she wailed.
“What’s the matter now?”
“Daddy!” Amy cried, jumping to her feet. “What’s he going to say? You know Daddy wasn’t too keen on my coming to New York in the first place.”