After finishing their shopping spree, the girls excitedly rushed to pick out outfits for their first event, the tea party. Florence was determined to make a statement with her outfit, but she had to convince Susannah about not wearing a fascinator.

"Come on, Sue, it's not really my style," Florence pleaded, holding up a delicate headband adorned with flowers and feathers.

"But darling, it's a tea party! A fascinator would be perfect!" Susannah insisted, trying to sway Florence's decision.

Florence sighed, knowing she had to stand her ground. "I appreciate the sentiment, but I'd feel more comfortable without it. I can meet you in the middle and agree on wearing a bow-clip."

In the end, Susannah relented, seeing the determination in Florence's eyes. The two girls settled on their outfits, and they both looked stunning in their elegant dresses, perfect for a tea party affair.

Laurel dropped them off at the country club, expressing her motherly concern. "I just want you to know that if you decide you hate it or if the girls are mean, or even if the food is bad, you can text me. I promise I won't say 'I told you so.'"

"We'll be fine, Laur," Florence reassured her, but Laurel's worry was still apparent.

"Humor me?" Laurel requested Belly, wanting to ensure her daughter's safety, "Use our code phrase, and I'll be right there. You remember it from when you were little, right?"

"Lemon Jelly Belly," both mother and daughter repeated simultaneously, sharing a smile filled with memories. Florence felt a pang of longing for her mother, especially during these important moments in her life.

"Well then, you two have fun, okay?" Laurel said before driving off, leaving the girls in front of the club entrance.

 
As the girls approached the club's entrance, they spotted Jeremiah walking by the poolside, carrying some towels in his hands. Belly's face lit up with excitement as she called out to him, "Hey!"

However, he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts and didn't hear her at first. Florence, not one to be deterred, called out in a louder voice, "Hey, Jeremiah!"

Finally, he turned his gaze towards the girls and did a double-take in surprise. "Oh, my God. Uh, Belly, Flo. Wow. I didn't even recognize you guys," Jeremiah laughed in amazement.

Belly playfully narrowed her eyes at him, "Tell me the truth. Um, do I look like a fool?"

Jeremiah chuckled nervously, "Um... Uh, no, y-you look good. You look good," he stuttered, clearly impressed by their transformation.

Florence smiled, watching the interaction between Jeremiah and Belly. She could sense that Jeremiah was a bit taken aback by Belly's changed appearance.

"Um, let me walk you over," Jeremiah offered, placing the towels he was carrying on a side chair. He then extended his arms, one for each girl on either side, and they gladly accepted his chivalrous gesture as they linked arms and walked into the club house together.

⋅• ━━━ ••⋅⊰☁︎︎☀︎︎☁︎⊱⋅•• ━━━ •⋅

Florence's Outfit to Deb Tea

As they reached the entrance of the tea room, Jeremiah couldn't resist teasing Florence and Belly about their elegant fascinators. "I-I still never thought I'd see the day where you were wearing a fascinator," he commented with a playful grin, "I don't know how Florence convinced mom to let it slip."

Inside the room, the chatter gradually quieted down as all eyes turned to the girls. A woman approached them, clearly displeased to see Jeremiah without a shirt. "Jeremiah," she greeted in a disapproving tone, "It's always a pleasure."

"Paige," Jeremiah replied nonchalantly, "This is Belly," he introduced, trying to ease the tension, "I mean, uh, Isabel Conklin, the young woman my mom told you about, my future wife," he chuckled, earning a playful slap from Belly.

"And this is Florence Sinclair," Jeremiah continued, "my best friend."

"They're late," Paige replied, clearly annoyed by Jeremiah's tardiness.

"We're so sorry-" Belly started to explain, but Paige cut her off.

"You two are at Table Two," she instructed them, clearing a path for the girls to enter.

As Florence and Belly walked into the tea room, Jeremiah couldn't resist his love for the food at the event. "Are tho- those little Brie and fig jam sandwiches with the prosciutto?" he asked excitedly.

"Don't you dare," Paige warned, but Jeremiah couldn't resist. He darted towards the food counter and grabbed a few sandwiches, causing Paige to scold him, "Those are for the girls. Jeremiah, those are for the girls!"

"Just-just one," he pleaded, trying to stuff one into his mouth before making his escape, "Knock 'em dead," he said to Florence and Belly before running out of the room.

The girls couldn't help but laugh at Jeremiah's antics. His mischievous and carefree nature always added an element of fun to any situation.

As Belly and Florence settled at the table, they exchanged nervous glances when they noticed the presence of Nicole and Shayla, the girls from that night's beach party. The atmosphere was a bit tense at first, but Belly tried to break the ice and ease the awkwardness with a friendly smile. She knew she couldn't change the past, so she decided to focus on making the best of the present.

"Hi, Nicole, Shayla," Belly greeted warmly, "How's your day been so far?"

Nicole seemed a bit surprised by the friendly approach, but she smiled back. "It's been good," she replied, "The tea party is nice, right?"

Shayla chimed in, "Yeah, it's not bad. I actually enjoyed it more than I expected."

"I'm sure we'll all have a good time together," Florence added, trying to keep the conversation flowing smoothly. "Have you been to any other events yet?"

As the conversation went on, the awkwardness slowly wore off and the girls began to enjoy their time.

"Excuse me," Belly interrupted the conversation as she slipped out of the room. Florence's eyes followed to catch a glimpse of Cam, and she understood where Belly had snuck off to.

"So is this your first time here in Cousins?" Gigi asked Florence as the latter shook her head.

"No, I've been coming here for my entire life," she replied, "well, I haven't been here the last 3 years but besides that, I always come here for the summer."

"Yeah, she's, like, family friends with Conrad and Jeremiah," Nicole added.

"So why did you miss the last 3 years?" Shayla asked curiously.

"Um, well," Florence hesitated, "my mother died when I was 14, and I never really had the courage to come back here without her after that. This year Susannah insisted, and I couldn't say no. I'm like, I didn't say no, I missed Cousins way too much, I didn't even realize until I got here."

Just as the weight of Florence's words settled in the air, Belly returned, a radiant smile on her face. Florence turned her gaze toward Belly, a playful raised brow teasingly asking for an explanation. Belly, in turn, blushed under the attention and playfully looked away, leaving the story of their interaction untold. The room, once again, buzzed with conversation, each person carrying their own narrative within the larger tale of the Cousins summer.