Crush Alert (18 page)

“Well, next time you decide to date my friend’s mom, maybe you could let me know?” She was still a little annoyed, but something about the look in her dad’s eyes made her think she was missing something.

“It wasn’t a date, Charlotte! We went with a whole group of people. A friend of mine at the university had the idea. Why don’t a bunch of single parents get together so we don’t have to spend Valentine’s Day alone? I invited Bif because I thought she might be interested…now, we all had such a great time, the group is thinking of getting together once a month, maybe.”

Charlotte laughed with relief. “You’re not dating?”

Her dad shook his head, then reached over and patted
Charlotte’s shoulder. “No, honey…I…there’s no one right now. But, I do get lonely sometimes, so this group could be a really nice way to meet new people.”

My dad lonely!
Charlotte felt terrible. She never thought of her dad being lonely. He was so busy at school, he had his articles to write, and he had her and Marty. Suddenly, she realized she wasn’t the only one to miss her mom.

When her dad saw the look on her face he sighed deeply. “You know, Charlotte, when you lose someone you love, it sometimes takes quite a while to imagine another person in your life.”

Charlotte ran and hugged her dad. The two of them stood together comforting each other until Marty started jumping on both of them.

“I think he wants in on the hug too,” Charlotte laughed.

The Truth and Nothing but the Truth

After eating more than her fair share of muffins at Montoya’s, Avery lay curled up on the couch, watching Boston College basketball. Scott was sprawled in the arm chair across the room. It was their favorite local team.

“When’s Red Sox opening day again?” Avery asked. Soccer and basketball were her favorite sports to play, but baseball had to be her favorite to watch. She couldn’t stand waiting all winter for her favorite team’s first game.

“Not till April,” Scott yawned.

A commercial came on, and a singing cat tap-danced across the screen, waiting for its owner to fill its food bowl. Mrs. Madden stuck her head in the room. “Are you two going to peel yourselves away from that screen anytime soon?”

“Mom, we deserve a break…,” Avery started.

“Well, I need some help here some time today. This room is a
mess
!” Their mom gestured around at what, to Avery and Scott, seemed to be a pristine and dustless living room.

“Sit down and relax, Mom,” Scott pointed to the couch. To Avery’s surprise, she actually sat, perching with her hands clasped.

“Did you have fun last night?” she asked Avery.

“Sure, Mom.” Avery shrugged, then blurted out before thinking, “What about you? How was your date?”

Scott gave her a look. “Come on, Ave, don’t bug her.”

“Oh!” Their mom looked confused. “I had a wonderful time. But it wasn’t a
date
! Whatever gave you that idea?”

Scott glared at Avery, who jumped up and stared like an undercover detective. “You’re not dating Mr. Ramsey?”

“Mr. Ramsey!” Avery’s mom burst out laughing. “Oh, oh, dear!”

“What?” Avery insisted, standing in front of her mother with her arms crossed.

Mrs. Madden gathered Avery in her arms. “We went out as a big group of single parents. Mr. Ramsey was there, but so were about ten new friends of ours!”

“Really, Mom?” Avery asked, comfortable inside her mom’s hug.

“Really, sweetheart. I would tell you if I had a date.” She kissed the top of Avery’s head.

Scott stood up and stretched. “Cool. I’m meeting some friends. Tell me how the game ends, Ave?”

When her brother left the room, Avery pulled away from her mom.

“I…I wanted to talk to you about something else, Mom.”

“Go ahead, my love.”

And then Avery told her everything—about Dillon asking her to the dance and her turning him down because Maeve wanted him to ask
her
.

“But everything worked out,” Avery finished up, “Because Maeve decided she has way more in common with this dude named Riley—which is totally true because both of them are crazy about music and performing.”

“But here’s the thing,” she tried to explain. “I still feel kind of weird about the whole Dillon situation. I mean, he asked me to the dance so I think he might kinda sorta like me or something, and…”

The basketball game ended in a cascade of cheers. Avery stared at the screen for a minute.

Mrs. Madden nodded encouragingly. “And?”

“How can I play soccer and stuff with him now? Won’t it be weird?”

Mrs. Madden’s lips twitched. “Honey, it’s perfectly normal and fine to be
just friends
with boys. Dillon’s one of your best buddies, and that hasn’t changed. He’ll probably be relieved if you just go back to that,” she said as she ruffled her daughter’s hair.

“You’ll know,” she added, “when you start seeing boys a new way. And there’s no need to be in a big hurry to get there! Someday you’ll find a guy with the perfect sense of humor, intelligence, and…”

“And crazy skill at sports, right?” Avery piped in.

“You got it, kiddo!” Her mom laughed.

Avery smiled. Her mom might get on her nerves a lot, but she always knew the right thing to say to make Avery feel better.

She gave her mom a quick hug. “Okay. I’ll help you clean up after I get some homework done.”

Before taking out her English book, Avery signed onto IM. None of her BSG friends were on, but another name caught her attention. SnwbrdrJ.
Jason
. Compared to Dillon and all the boys at AAJH, he was a totally different kind of dude.

Avery went to her closet and began rummaging through her backpack.
Jason misses me
. An unfamiliar feeling crept up on her when she realized that she missed Jason too.

O
utside, the sun shone off drifts of freshly fallen snow. Marty trudged along beside Avery and Charlotte, his stubby tail drooping, as the girls walked toward Amory Park.

“Poor Marty,” Avery said, stooping down to pet the little doggy. “We’ve got to figure out how to snap you out of your doggy funk.”

Charlotte sidestepped a kid on a skateboard as he zoomed past. “I don’t know what we can do. It’s as if he’s determined to stay miserable—no matter what.”

Avery bent down, grabbed a handful of snow and threw it in the air. “Hey, Marty—want to chase some snowflakes?”

“So I asked my dad about the date,” Charlotte admitted, to get her mind off down-in-the-dumps Marty, who ignored the snowflakes fluttering before him.

“I asked my mom too!” Avery grinned. “So it was nothing after all.” Avery pulled a pack of gum out of her pocket and offered Charlotte a stick.

“Yes, they were just a group of single parents trying to have a happy Valentine’s Day!” Charlotte said as she unwrapped her gum and stuck it in her mouth. “Oh, well. I guess we won’t be sisters.”

“Well, I’m kind of glad they’re just friends, but maybe I can adopt you as a sister, anyway. That would be totally cool!” Avery cracked her gum and grinned at Charlotte.

Avery was adopted, and sometimes she wondered if she had other brothers or sisters out there. If she did, she hoped they were happy, but she also couldn’t imagine any family other than the one she had…except maybe a new sister…a sister like Charlotte.

“I’d like like that too!” Charlotte smiled at Avery. She often wished her BSG friends were her sisters, so if she ever had to move again, they’d come with her. If she had sisters, there would always be someone to talk to any time of night…someone to share secrets with, someone for the good times and the bad.

“What do you think, Marty man?” Avery asked the dog. He sat down in the middle of the sidewalk, nose up and ears pricked.

“He thinks
something
…but what? That is the question,” Charlotte said, gently nudging Marty with her shoe so he would keep walking.

“What’s up, little guy?” Avery asked, noticing that Marty was sniffing in a particular direction.

Charlotte crinkled her forehead and bent down to pet him. Just then, Marty jumped up, yanking Charlotte’s arm so hard she almost fell on the sidewalk. “Ow!”

“Come on!” Avery shouted as Marty led them running
over the packed-down snow to a familiar pink overhang. Today, it was covered with hearts and streamers.

“Think Pink!” Charlotte exclaimed. “That’s it! He wants to see his girlfriend, La Fanny!”

“That’s not La Fanny!” Avery pointed down the sidewalk. Coming from the other direction was Ms. Pink’s boyfriend, Zak, with his dog. The rottweiler’s brown-and-black coat gleamed in the afternoon sunshine as he pawed at the ground, his tail wagging like a windshield wiper. But when he saw Marty, he let out a low growl and bared his teeth.

Avery and Charlotte backed away from the larger dog, their eyes widening. The huge dog was definitely someone they didn’t want to tangle with.

“Brady,” the man chided, gripping the leash tighter, “where
are
your manners?”

Charlotte gasped as Marty’s fur bristled. Suddenly, the little dude’s loud barking rang across the street as he stamped his paws and bared his teeth at Brady.

Avery and Charlotte couldn’t help themselves. They started laughing, and so did Zak.

“What in the world is going on out here?” Ms. Pink appeared in the doorway of her shop with La Fanny peering out from behind.

“Hi, Razzberry,” Zak said, keeping a firm grip on Brady’s leash.

“Marty’s acting like he’s King Kong!” Avery exclaimed.

The tiny dog’s fur bristled with fury as he growled and snarled at the big rottweiler. It was like a canine confrontation between David and Goliath! It was all
Charlotte could do to keep a grip on Marty’s leash. The rottweiler wasn’t sure what to do with the little bundle of Marty attitude either. He kept cocking his head from side to side.

But then La Fanny let out a delicate yelp, and Marty jumped straight up in the air. Brady was so freaked out by Marty’s gymnastics that he let out this huge whine and cowered behind Zak, trying to make himself as small as possible.

Ms. Pink’s lips twitched with amusement. “My, my, what a brave little man you are, Marty!”

“Way to go, Marty!” Avery yelled, gazing with admiration at the little dude. “That dog is five times your size and you’re still ready to take him on!”

Charlotte laughed and reached down to calm her pup. “No way is he going to let Brady take away his pink poodle sweetheart!”

Zak scratched Duke behind the ears. “Cheer up, Brady. We’ll find you another girlfriend. Don’t worry.”

Marty stood next to La Fanny as she bent her nose down in a doggy greeting.

“Charlotte!” Avery gasped. “I know why Marty was depressed. The poor little guy was lovesick. Just look at him.”

“You’re right, Avery,” Charlotte exclaimed as she watched Marty jump all over La Fanny. “He thought Brady had stolen her from him.”

Marty did a flip in the air, and they all laughed.

“He’s his old self again!” Charlotte cheered. She bent down and hugged Marty so tight, he yipped. “I’m so glad.”

“Now that you’re all here,” Ms. Pink announced. “You just
have
to see what I’ve done with the store!” And they all trooped inside with the dogs.

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” announced the eccentric young shop owner.

Avery definitely didn’t care for the color pink as much as Maeve, but she had to admit, Ms. Razzberry Pink had done an amazing job decorating for her favorite holiday. The ceiling inside the store was strung with strands of metallic hearts and lights blinking on and off. Romantic music played quietly while helium heart balloons spun around in the air over a display of Valentine’s cards, fresh roses, and chocolates.

“Wow!” Charlotte declared. “Amazing!”

Zak took off his coat to reveal a hot pink T-shirt, then put on a cowboy hat from a stand near the register. “How do I look?” he asked Avery and Charlotte.

“Um, pink?” Charlotte giggled.

“Good!” He produced a box of chocolates from behind his back. “These are for you.” He leaned forward and gave Ms. Pink a peck on the cheek.

Meanwhile, Marty and La Fanny were dancing around the display of roses, woofing and nuzzling.

“Why don’t we take these crazy dogs out to the park?” Ms. Pink suggested. “I’ll just go talk to one of my assistants. I think we all need some fresh air!”

On the way to the park, Zak talked sports with Avery while Brady, named after the famous football player, it turned out, trailed behind. La Fanny and Marty danced ahead of the group, tangling their leashes together at least
every five minutes.

Charlotte stared at the box of chocolates Ms. Pink was carrying tucked inside her jacket, and remembered the way Zak had kissed her cheek.
Now I know what it feels like to be kissed!
The thought buzzed inside of her like a bumblebee.

Sharing Secrets

After watching the canine sweethearts chase each other through the snow for fifteen minutes, Ms. Pink and her boyfriend said their good-byes.

“I can’t leave the shop for too long on such an important day,” Ms. Pink said as she walked away with La Fanny.

Marty tried to follow, but Avery and Charlotte distracted him with some heart-shaped dog treats Ms. Pink had shared.

As the little dude chowed down, tail wagging and eyes bright, Charlotte cleared the snow off a nearby swing set and sat down. Avery plopped down on the swing next to her and pumped her feet back and forth, rising up into the air. “Whee!” she shouted.

“Ms. Pink and her boyfriend are so cute together,” Charlotte commented, dragging her feet through the powdery snow.

Avery slowed down a bit. “He’s cool, but it’s weird he wears pink.”

“I know, it’s a little matchy-matchy.” Charlotte smiled. “But they’re perfect for each other…besides, he probably just put on the shirt for Valentine’s Day.”

“Hey, Char.” Avery said, suddenly serious, “are you
really going to be my adopted sister?”

“Of course!”

“There’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while now…it’s kind of private.”

Charlotte was surprised. Usually, her energetic friend always told everyone exactly what she felt.

“Remember Jason, my friend from Colorado?” Avery leaned off her swing to pack some snow into a ball.

“Yeah,” Charlotte wondered where this was going.

Avery threw the snowball as hard as she could, and Marty when barreling after it. “We talked on IM today, and I kind of miss him. Is that weird?”

“That’s okay,” Charlotte said. “I mean, I miss Nick, and I just saw him this morning!”

Avery laughed. “Really?”

“Oh, yeah.” Charlotte sighed. Their kiss was so precious and special and important.
Would it spoil the whole feeling to tell Avery?
But Avery, one of her closest friends, had just shared her feelings, and some part of Charlotte was bursting inside to let hers out as well.

Marty came running back and Charlotte reached down to scratch him behind the ears.
If she really were my sister, I’d tell her.

“Nick kissed me,” she whispered, so quietly Avery had to reach over and pull their swings close together. “He kissed me,” she repeated.

“Where?” Avery asked, leaning her head in close to her friend’s forehead.

Charlotte pointed to her lips and held her breath, worried that Avery might laugh or say something to make her
even more embarrassed. But that didn’t happen.

Avery just smiled at her. “Wow, Charlotte! I’m happy for you.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened. “That’s it? I expected you to tease me at least a little bit.”

Avery shook her head. “I don’t tease about important stuff! Have you told the rest of the BSG?”

“No. You’re the only one I’ve told,” Charlotte confessed.

Avery nodded, her expression suddenly serious. “Well, you’re story is safe with me. I’ll take it with me to the grave.”

Charlotte giggled. “Well, I don’t think you need to do that. Just keep it quiet until I’m ready to share with everyone.”

“Sure thing.” Avery hopped off her swing and threw another snowball for Marty. But he ran off in the opposite direction.

“What now?” Charlotte shouted, racing after him.

Love Birds?

Marty came to a stop beside a bench. Miss Pierce and Yuri were sharing a steaming cup of tea. Miss Pierce leaned over and patted the little dog’s head, then waved to the girls.

“Look at that,” Avery whispered to Charlotte. “Are they drinking from the same cup?” The two adults sat close together, and even from where Charlotte stood, she could see the happiness on Miss Pierce’s face. And the usually grouchy Yuri was actually smiling. That’s something you didn’t see every day—a smiling Yuri.

Charlotte just had to know. The mystery had gone on long enough. She wanted to find out what was really going on with her landlady and the owner of Yuri’s Fruit Stand.

“I’m going over to say hi,” Charlotte said.

“Okay…” Avery danced from one foot to the other. “I think I’ll head back home. My mom needs my help, and I’ve got a ton of homework….”

“You still think they’re too old, don’t you?” Charlotte joked under her breath.

Avery giggled, then scampered off, waving to the adults on the bench. “Bye, Marty!” she shouted. The little dude raced in a circle around Yuri and Miss Pierce, barking happily. It was final: The little dude was 100 percent back to normal!

“Glad to see Marty got his spark back,” Yuri pronounced in his funny accent when Charlotte came over to the bench. “See you ladies later? I have fruit to sell,” the grocer said, a big smile still creasing his round face.

Charlotte watched him go, confused. “I’m sorry, Miss Pierce. I didn’t mean to scare Yuri away.”

But Miss Pierce merely patted the bench next to her. “Don’t be silly, Charlotte, dear. I’m always happy to see you…and you didn’t run Yuri off. He has fruit to sell,” she said, and laughed.

Charlotte wasn’t sure if Miss Pierce was being honest or just trying to make her feel better. The older woman always seemed to be concerned about making the people around her feel comfortable and safe.

Charlotte thought back to the early days when she and her father had moved into an apartment within Miss
Pierce’s Victorian house. At first, she had been a little afraid of the reclusive landlady, especially when the BSG broke her rules by exploring the Tower and letting Marty stay there. But Miss Pierce didn’t get angry. Instead, she allowed the girls to turn the beautiful Tower into their club headquarters. That’s just the type of person Miss Pierce was—incredibly kind and welcoming.

Charlotte brushed her concerns aside and sat down on the bench.

“Okay, Miss Pierce. Is there something going on with you and Yuri? Are you two, like, crushing on each other or something?”

Miss Pierce chuckled. “Well, Charlotte, I’m not sure if I would call it
crushing
, but I’ll say this: I enjoy Yuri’s company very much. He is a kind and gentle man, with a keen intellect and a fascinating personality.

“You know,” she whispered conspiratorially. “In Russia, Yuri was a teacher of Russian literature. He knows everything about Tolstoy and all the great Russian writers.”

Charlotte wasn’t sure who Tolstoy was, but one thing was for sure. Miss Pierce was glowing, and she looked beautiful for an older lady.

But Charlotte still had one question to ask. “Miss Pierce, do you mind that Yuri gets a little grouchy sometimes?”

Miss Pierce stroked Charlotte’s hair away from her forehead. “Not at all. Did you know that Yuri loves poetry? Why, he can recite some of Pushkin from heart!”

“Pushkin?” Charlotte rested her head on Miss Pierce’s
shoulder.

“A famous Russian poet, my dear. Listen: ‘The wondrous moment of our meeting / I well remember you appear / Before me like a vision fleeting / A beauty’s angel pure and clear.’”

“Wow.” Charlotte breathed in and out, watching her breath cloud in the frost air.