soccer ball?”
Darby shook her head. “No, that’s some other kid. Gabe lives in the blue house at the end of the street.”
Fiona looked at her sharply. “The
blue
house? I didn’t think anyone was living there right now.”
Darby shrugged. “Nan says an American family has bought it to use as a summer house, but Gabe’s family speaks French, so I don’t think it’s the same people.”
“Hmm. Maybe his people are renting it before the construction crew comes in.”
“Construction crew?”
“Yeah. I met the American family last summer,” she said. “They showed me the plans for the new house. It’s a beautiful design. It will fit right in on the street and nobody will know it’s not 150 years old. But it’s going to be all wired up inside. A smart house.”
“Kinda like your Smart Car?”
Fiona laughed. “Kinda.” She put her hand on the doorframe and called through to the kitchen.
“Thanks for letting me share my stuff with Darby, Mr. and Mrs. Chris!”
Nan appeared from the kitchen holding a large plastic container of cookies. “No, thank
you
, dear,” she said in a loud voice. She thrust the cookies into Fiona’s hand andwhispered, “Mr. Christopher is a little old-fashioned, dear. Just ignore his grumbles. It was lovely of you to think of Darby, we do appreciate it.”
“Not at all, Mrs. Chris,” said Fiona, and the moths buzzed around her head as she stepped out of the shelter of the screened porch into the evening air. “If I’d known there would be cookies involved, I would have been over much sooner!”
Darby waved goodbye and bid her grandparents an early goodnight. She’d spied the package for a skateboarding game that looked wicked, so she bolted up the back stairs and spent a happy three hours making virtual ollies and kick-flips off superhuman-sized ramps.
Later, when she stopped to think about it, those were three hours well spent. Because in the end, it was the only time Darby used Fiona’s gift for the rest of the summer.
The next morning Darby awoke with sore wrists from playing with a game controller for the first time in so long. Now that things seemed a bit calmer with Gran and Gramps, she decided it was high time to find Gabe and sort through what had really happened after they had walked through that window.
To be safe, Darby washed
and
dried the breakfast dishes for Nan, and said she’d be back to help some more before lunch.
But Nan had other plans.
“I have a little surprise for you, dear,” she said, rummaging in her purse.
Darby hated hearing those words from parental-type units. Their idea of a little surprise didn’t usually translate into her idea of fun.
Nan waved a pair of tickets that she had dug out of the deep recesses of her purse. “Shawnie Stevens popped over yesterday while you were out and brought me these,” she said cheerily. “She has a special opening of her art show with her husband, Michael, today. When she was so generous to bring over the tickets, I offered to take her to coffee, and she agreed.”
Looked like finding Gabe was going to have to wait. Darby started to worry a little when Nan asked her to wear a dress to the art show, but luckily since she hadn’t actually brought a dress with her, they settled on a nice pair of shorts and the hideous sweater Nan had knit Darby last Christmas.
It was a beautiful morning, clear and hot without even a hint of breeze. As soon as they stepped outdoors, Darby’s hair stuck to her forehead, but she kept the sweater on anyway. Gold star for the good granddaughter.
Shawnie’s art show was on display in a little gallery on Grafton Street near the downtown mall. Darby and Nan arrived just after the doors opened, and only a few people were milling around. Shawnie was at the back of the gallery, but when she saw them she waved and came up.
“Mrs. Christopher! Thank you so much for coming.”
“Darby was thrilled to get the tickets this morning, Shawnie,” Nan said, staring at
Darby shook her head. “No, that’s some other kid. Gabe lives in the blue house at the end of the street.”
Fiona looked at her sharply. “The
blue
house? I didn’t think anyone was living there right now.”
Darby shrugged. “Nan says an American family has bought it to use as a summer house, but Gabe’s family speaks French, so I don’t think it’s the same people.”
“Hmm. Maybe his people are renting it before the construction crew comes in.”
“Construction crew?”
“Yeah. I met the American family last summer,” she said. “They showed me the plans for the new house. It’s a beautiful design. It will fit right in on the street and nobody will know it’s not 150 years old. But it’s going to be all wired up inside. A smart house.”
“Kinda like your Smart Car?”
Fiona laughed. “Kinda.” She put her hand on the doorframe and called through to the kitchen.
“Thanks for letting me share my stuff with Darby, Mr. and Mrs. Chris!”
Nan appeared from the kitchen holding a large plastic container of cookies. “No, thank
you
, dear,” she said in a loud voice. She thrust the cookies into Fiona’s hand andwhispered, “Mr. Christopher is a little old-fashioned, dear. Just ignore his grumbles. It was lovely of you to think of Darby, we do appreciate it.”
“Not at all, Mrs. Chris,” said Fiona, and the moths buzzed around her head as she stepped out of the shelter of the screened porch into the evening air. “If I’d known there would be cookies involved, I would have been over much sooner!”
Darby waved goodbye and bid her grandparents an early goodnight. She’d spied the package for a skateboarding game that looked wicked, so she bolted up the back stairs and spent a happy three hours making virtual ollies and kick-flips off superhuman-sized ramps.
Later, when she stopped to think about it, those were three hours well spent. Because in the end, it was the only time Darby used Fiona’s gift for the rest of the summer.
The next morning Darby awoke with sore wrists from playing with a game controller for the first time in so long. Now that things seemed a bit calmer with Gran and Gramps, she decided it was high time to find Gabe and sort through what had really happened after they had walked through that window.
To be safe, Darby washed
and
dried the breakfast dishes for Nan, and said she’d be back to help some more before lunch.
But Nan had other plans.
“I have a little surprise for you, dear,” she said, rummaging in her purse.
Darby hated hearing those words from parental-type units. Their idea of a little surprise didn’t usually translate into her idea of fun.
Nan waved a pair of tickets that she had dug out of the deep recesses of her purse. “Shawnie Stevens popped over yesterday while you were out and brought me these,” she said cheerily. “She has a special opening of her art show with her husband, Michael, today. When she was so generous to bring over the tickets, I offered to take her to coffee, and she agreed.”
Looked like finding Gabe was going to have to wait. Darby started to worry a little when Nan asked her to wear a dress to the art show, but luckily since she hadn’t actually brought a dress with her, they settled on a nice pair of shorts and the hideous sweater Nan had knit Darby last Christmas.
It was a beautiful morning, clear and hot without even a hint of breeze. As soon as they stepped outdoors, Darby’s hair stuck to her forehead, but she kept the sweater on anyway. Gold star for the good granddaughter.
Shawnie’s art show was on display in a little gallery on Grafton Street near the downtown mall. Darby and Nan arrived just after the doors opened, and only a few people were milling around. Shawnie was at the back of the gallery, but when she saw them she waved and came up.
“Mrs. Christopher! Thank you so much for coming.”
“Darby was thrilled to get the tickets this morning, Shawnie,” Nan said, staring at
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