Jamie crept up beside the wardrobe. She peeked around the corner, spotting Sarah, who was talking with Isabelle.

“Psst!”

Isabelle and Sarah immediately stopped talking and looked around.

“Psst! Over here!” Jamie hissed.

Sarah rolled her eyes, but went over to Jamie anyway.

“I know what you’re up to!” Sarah said with an accusatory tone.

Jamie tried to make her innocent face. She failed, miserably.

“What’s she up to?” Isabelle asked, clueless.

“Oh, she’s going to tell me how it’s 2016 now, and since Grace is not the girl of the year, American Girl is going to kidnap all the Grace dolls, so we have to find a way to keep them here,” Sarah ranted.

Jamie had blank look on her face. “How did you know?”

Sarah smiled mysteriously. “I know these things.”

“But guys!” Jamie exclaimed, “I have the perfect idea of how to keep her here – Let’s hide her shoes!”

“Real original, Jamie,” Sarah groaned, “Didn’t you learn anything last year?”

“What are you talking about?” Isabelle asked.

Sarah turned to her and said, “Last year she thought AG was going to kidnap you so she hid your shoes behind the daybed so you couldn’t leave.”

“So that’s why they were there!” Isabelle said, understanding.

“Correction,” Jamie said, “I didn’t hide them. Sarah did.”

“That was only because you gave them to me!” Sarah protested, “It was your idea!”

“It doesn’t matter who did it!” Isabelle exclaimed, “What are we going to tell the Grace dolls?”

“I think we should just tell them straight out what the problem is. Hopefully they won’t have a big reaction…” Sarah said, heading towards the patisserie, “Okay, let’s go.”

The Grace dolls were loading up the pastry cart for a day of work on the street when Jamie burst in with Isabelle and Sarah behind her.

“Okay guys!” Jamie shouted, “Your time’s up!”

“What are you talking about?” the Grace with the beret asked.

“Um…Sarah, you take it from here.” Jamie said.

“Oh, right,” Sarah said with good-natured sarcasm, “Well, Grace, both of you, we have something to tell you. Since it’s not your year anymore, there’s a new girl of the year.”

The Grace dolls looked at each other and shrugged. “We knew that.” They said in unison.

“So, um…” Sarah paused, “Do you know who the new Girl of the Year is?”

“Yes! It’s Lea Clark!” The Grace in the beret exclaimed, “I can’t wait to meet her. I hear she’s a world traveler just like me!”

“Wow! That’s…nice!” Isabelle said, not knowing what to say to Grace’s “unusual” reaction.

“I heard Mom saying she was saving up for her!” Grace said, ” I can’t wait to meet her.”

“Whew!” Sarah let out a sigh of relief, “I thought you guys were going to be sad or something.”

“Oh, we were for a little bit, but we can’t wait to meet Lea!” The Grace in the beret exclaimed. The Grace with the headband just nodded.

Over by the pastry cart, a mysterious hand was just inches away from touching a fancy cake…

“JAMIE!”

Jamie’s arm jerked back and she hid her hands behind her back. “I wasn’t going to touch it…”

“Oh, I’m sorry, would you like to buy something?” the Grace in the beret teased, “The cake is $20, if you’d like to purchase it!”

Jamie made a pouty face.

“These treats cost money, you know!” Grace said with a smile.

Jamie sighed.

“Everyone to the pastry cart – let’s have cupcakes to celebrate!” the Grace with a headband announced.

Isabelle, Jamie and Sarah cheered and rushed over.

The Grace in the beret looked surprised, “But Grace! We just made all of these to sell!”

The Grace with a headband smiled and licked the frosting of a cupcake.

“You owe me one,” Grace in the beret said, reaching for her own.

THE END

– American Girl Doll Artist