Dune Road - By Jane Green Page 0,75

the old-fashioned diner, sharing a chocolate milk shake. “Seriously, I can’t believe that you’re related to my mom, and I can’t believe you’re my aunt!”

“Well, thank you.” Annabel pours the rest of the pitcher equally between their two tall glasses. “And I have to say this is totally cool. I love this place. I feel like I’ve stepped back in time to the nineteen fifties. Do you have any idea how lucky you are to live here?”

Tory shrugs. “I guess.”

“And your school! All those cute boys you get to go to school with. So which one do you like?”

Tory flushes.

“Oh come on. When we just passed that big bunch of your friends on Main Street, there were some truly good-looking boys. I’d be a disaster if I were in your place. I went to an all-girls’ school, super-strict, with uniforms, and the only boys we ever saw were the boys at UCS, and even the sight of a black and maroon striped blazer was enough to have me salivating. If they’d been in class with me I’d never have gotten anything done.”

Tory laughs.

“It’s true,” Annabel says. “I would never have done work if there’d been boys to pass notes to. I was utterly boy crazy. So, if you’re not going to tell me, I’m just going to have to guess. If I were a thirteen-year-old girl, I would probably like the boy who had the red checked shirt on. He was handsome.”

Tory blushes a bright red.

“I knew it! You like him.”

“No! I don’t.”

“Oh, come on. I’m your aunt. You’re supposed to tell me these things, and especially if you think I’m cool.”

“You swear you won’t tell Mom?”

Annabel grins and raises her right hand. “Brownie swear.”

“You were a Brownie?”

“God, no!” Annabel laughs. “I was far too naughty. So, go on, I’m right, aren’t I? What’s the story?”

“I do kind of like him, and then my friend Liv said he’d asked her if I was going to this bar-mitzvah party on Saturday night, and she thinks he likes me too.”

“Well, he was kind of gazing at you.”

“He was?” Her eyes light up with pleasure.

“Absolutely. So, a party on Saturday night. What are you going to wear?”

“I don’t know.” Tory’s face falls. “Mom says she can’t afford to buy me anything new, and Dad always says he will, but he forgets. I guess I’ll just wear the black dress I always wear.”

“Hmm. You know one of the jobs of an aunt?”

“What?”

“To spoil her nieces and nephews. Which means I think we should go shopping.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course! Where should we go first?”

“Can we go to Kool Klothes? Please? It’s kind of expensive but they have a huge sale on and I love almost everything in there.”

“Okay.”

“And then can we go to Claire’s? Because they have these earrings that are totally cute and they’re only about five dollars, and they’re amazing, and Maxi and Annie and Natalie have them and I’m the only one who doesn’t and—”

“Whoa!” Annabel puts her hand up, laughing. “Slow down. The answer is yes.”

A phone starts to ring, and as Tory reaches into her backpack Annabel looks at her in surprise.

“You have a phone?”

“Yeah. Everyone has them. We use them to text, though, not for the phone. This is probably Mom or Dad.” She riffles around her backpack, eventually pulling out the phone and flipping it open.

“Hey, Dad. Guess what? I’m in the Beachside Diner with Aunt Annabel.”

Annabel hides a surreptitious smile when she hears this, the first time Tory has called her Aunt Annabel. Oh the power that shopping will give her . . .

“So she said she’s going to take me shopping, and she has Mom’s car, so you don’t have to pick me up, she can drop me at yours . . . uh huh . . . uh huh. Okay, hang on,” and she passes the phone over to Annabel.

“I hope my daughter isn’t being too demanding?” Adam’s voice is familiar, after just one meeting.

“Not at all. We’re having a gorgeous time and now I’m about to take her out and spoil her.”

“I don’t even know how to thank you, but you clearly know the way to a thirteen-year-old girl’s heart.”

“Well, I would hope so, having, once upon a time, been a thirteen-year-old girl myself.”

“Listen, why don’t you join us tonight? I was planning on taking the kids out to Gino’s. It’s a crazy Italian restaurant on the edge of town, family style, completely casual but fun. It’s the kids’ favorite place. I know they’d

readonlinefreenovel.com Copyright 2016 - 2024