Take It on Trust

On her radio show, Candid Conversations with Connie, Connie Kendall announces that Whit's End is looking for someone to chair the upcoming Kids Carnival at the hospital, a fun day for children who are hospitalized. Her helper Olivia Parker is surprised that Connie isn't taking the job herself, since Connie's mom always used to run it, but Connie insists it just isn't her "thing" and that she's far too busy. After the show, Olivia introduces Connie to her best friend Zoe Grant, a cheerful, chatty girl who admires Connie's purple-and-pink stationery. Olivia mentions she'll miss next week's show but has exciting news she'd love Connie to "publicize like crazy," and Connie tells her to write it up and leave it on the counter. Then Jay bursts in because the ice cream lever is stuck, and Connie hurries off.

Alone with Zoe, Olivia shares her news. The self-serving announcement is a garage sale she's organizing to raise money for the ethical treatment of a misunderstood beetle. But she also has a top secret: a talent agency that once rejected her called back and hired her for a television commercial. Zoe is thrilled to be best friends with a real-life actress, until Olivia explains the problem - she's the foot model in a commercial for Warts and All foot fungus cream. Nobody can ever know except Zoe and Olivia's parents.

Soon afterward, the commercial is announced over the school loudspeaker. Kids call Olivia "Oedium Olivia" and ask to borrow her socks for science experiments. Humiliated, Olivia is sure Zoe blabbed, since Zoe was the only one she told besides her parents. She refuses to listen to Zoe's denials and declares their friendship over. Zoe is crushed, but Jay believes her completely, telling her, "I'd believe you if you'd said Mars was made of marshmallow cream." Determined to clear her name, Zoe decides to find out how the secret escaped.

Meanwhile, Connie can't find anyone to chair the carnival and threatens to cancel it. When Jason Whittaker gently mentions that the hospital kids are looking forward to the event, Connie accuses him of piling on guilt, arguing with hints he never actually gives - "You hinted even if you didn't hint out loud," she snaps. Finally the truth spills out: the last time Connie saw her mother was in that hospital, and being there is just too painful. She storms off, insisting she'll find somebody else.

Zoe's detective work leads her from clue to clue. Olivia's mother never told a soul, but the letter from the talent agency has vanished from the table where she left it - right next to a pile of Civil War books that Mr. Parker delivered to Jason at the antique shop. Jason passed the books along to Mrs. Franklin, the school librarian, who had them sorted by the one student in detention that day: Jay. Jay admits he found and read the letter, but insists that as a reliable snitch he was checking his sources before spreading the news, and someone beat him to it. Worse, the letter has disappeared from his binder. Jay suggests starting at the other end and working backward, which points them to Mrs. Mays, the school secretary.

While Zoe investigates, Olivia stews at home. Her mom urges her to hear Zoe's side, but Olivia is so hurt that she accidentally spills one of Zoe's secrets to her mother - brave, fearless Zoe has never learned to ride a bike because she's terrified of falling. Wanting revenge, Olivia types up a mocking message about it, addressed to everyone in her class.

Mrs. Mays shows Zoe and Jay the unsigned announcement from her announcement box, written on pretty purple stationery with pink dots. Zoe recognizes it instantly: it belongs to Connie Kendall. When they confront her, the whole mix-up unravels. Jay had absentmindedly left the letter on the Whit's End counter, exactly where Olivia had promised to drop off her exciting announcement. Connie, remembering that Olivia wanted her news publicized like crazy, never dreamed Olivia meant the garage sale, so she happily sent the commercial news to the school. Jay points out that fungus, toes, and TV are "a veritable cornucopia for teasing," and Connie feels terrible. It was all an accident, and Olivia needs to know the truth.

Connie apologizes, and Olivia forgives her easily - but now Olivia feels awful about Zoe. She confesses that she was so angry she typed a message telling the whole class Zoe's bike secret, but when her finger hovered over the send button, she realized Zoe trusted her and she couldn't break that trust. She's sorry she ever doubted her best friend. When Olivia asks, "Trust me again?" Zoe answers, "Always."

Later, Connie tells Jason the girls are closer than ever, and Jason muses that real trust means believing in someone anyway. Connie accuses him of guilt-tripping her again, then admits she's already worked it out herself: God has shown himself trustworthy, and if he's leading her to chair the Kids Carnival, he'll help her do it. Even though it will be hard and will make her miss her mom, she's going to do it anyway - though she asks Jason to be more subtle next time, and he promises, "Oh, trust me, I will."