by Laura Dower
“Okay, okay!” Madison nodded, walking out quickly.
The streets were wet, but the air smelled warm and sticky like summer. Madison hurried along, umbrella overhead. Staying in downtown Far Hills was so much fun, she thought as she crossed a busy street. She was right here in the middle of everything.
Since it was raining, the cyber café and bookstore was packed with senior citizens, moms, dads, babies, and high-school kids. Aimee jumped out from behind the register the moment she saw Madison enter the store.
“You’re here!” Aimee squealed, dashing over to the door.
Mr. Gillespie let out a loud, “Shhh!” He didn’t want Aimee or her friends disturbing other customers.
“Hey,” Madison said meekly. She shoved her umbrella into a stand by the store’s front door and skipped over to a table in the back. Fiona was sitting there reading a copy of Teen Scene with a picture of pop star Nikki on the cover.
“What’s up?” Fiona asked when she saw Madison.
“I have to get back to the front to help Dad, but you guys wait here. I get a break in ten minutes,” Aimee said.
Madison watched Aimee go back to the front of the store. “Are you the only one here?” Madison asked Fiona.
Fiona shrugged. “No,” she said, pointing into the “cyber” part of the store. “My brother’s here, and so is Egg.” She smiled. “And the other guys, too.”
Fiona’s twin brother, Chet, was seated around a computer monitor with Egg, Hart, and Drew Maxwell, all friends from school. They were laughing at something on the screen. Madison’s eye caught Hart’s, and he nudged the other guys. They started to walk over.
“Hey, Maddie!” Egg called out, slapping her on the back the way he always did. Sometimes Madison was sure that Egg forgot she was a girl. He treated her like one of the guys half the time.
“Hey, Finnster,” Hart said, sitting down.
Madison sat between him and Drew. Egg and Chet took seats on the other side of the table next to Fiona.
“This stinks.” Egg groaned. “We had swim lessons in the rain this morning, but I wanted it to be sunny. I need to get a tan. I need to keep my glow,” he complained.
Madison snickered. “Yeah, getting a tan is a good reason to be a lifeguard.”
“At least I’m doing something for the summer,” Egg teased.
Madison pursed her lips like she was about to say something nasty in response, but she said nothing.
“How’s the house painting going?” Hart asked Chet.
“Dad is bugging me because it’s a Victorian, so it needs all these different colors. At least he’s paying me to do it,” Chet said. “Until I go to camp.”
“That’s so cool,” Hart said.
“You never said your dad was paying you,” Egg wailed.
Chet nodded. “At least I’m not living in the library like my sister.”
Fiona punched him. “Shut up!” she said. “What’s wrong with the book-a-thon? Reading is good for you. And the prize is two hundred dollars. That’s like getting paid. Besides, you don’t even read books!”
“I do so read books!” Chet yelled. He broke up. “I read the manual for my Robo-Bug computer game.”
All the guys laughed.
“So all three of you started lifeguarding?” Madison spontaneously asked Egg, Drew, and Hart at the same time. “How is it?”
Drew answered first. “Yeah, we’re learning how to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and all that,” he explained. “The American Red Cross teaches it. We practice on rubber people. Started today. It’s funny.”
“Nah. It’s dumb,” Egg said.
“It saves lives,” Hart said seriously.
Egg made a face. “Are you kidding me?”
Madison wondered what it would be like to practice mouth-to-mouth on a real person—like Hart. Was it like real kissing? She turned away so she wouldn’t stare at Hart’s lips.
“Hey, Egg, we have the most important job at the pool,” Hart said.
“Come on!” Egg said. “We’re junior lifeguards. We’re not actually saving anyone. This isn’t Teen Beach Movie, for Pete’s sake.”
“You shouldn’t really joke about saving lives,” Fiona said aloud.
The table fell silent.
“What do you—” Egg started to say, but cut himself off. “Yeah, well… I guess you’re right. Sorry, Fiona.”
The other boys snickered. Before liking Fiona, Egg never apologized for saying stupid stuff. But now…
Madison liked it when the “new and improved” Egg appeared.
“So what did you say you’re doing for the summer?” Drew asked Madison. “I forgot.”
She put her finger up to her chin like she was in a serious thinker pose. “I could do almost anything…” Madison started to say.
“You can still do the book-a-thon with me,” Fiona said.
“Nah,” Madison said. “You keep saying that, but I told you I don’t want to.”
“Aren’t you volunteering at the animal clinic?” Egg asked. “You always do that. You and Dan.”
Madison rolled her eyes. She was friends with Dan, but the way Egg said that it sounded like she was more than friends.
“I’m not working at the clinic. I’m not spending the summer with Dan,” Madison said quickly. She looked over at Hart. “Actually, I was thinking of just hanging by the pool for a while.”
Hart smiled. “And if you fall in the water, we’ll save you,” he said.
Madison smiled back.
It was a definite moment.
Of course, all good moments must come to an end. Madison’s moment ended three seconds later. Aimee bounded over from the front counter.
“Hiya, everyone! Didja miss me? Have you guys decided what we should do this afternoon?”
“It’s still pouring rain out,” Drew said. “I say we should go to the movies.”
“I can’t,” Chet said. “Dad wants us back home by four.”
“Really?” Egg said, looking over at Fiona. “Bummer.”
“We have to help our parents cook for this church potluck supper thing,” Fiona explained.
“I can go to the movies,” Hart said. “Who else can go?”
He looked right at Madison.
Be home by five. She could hear Dad’s voice inside her head.
“I have to go home, too,” Madison said. “Double bummer.”
Drew, Egg, and Hart decided to brave the rain and walk over to the Far Hills triplex alone. Aimee got behind the bookstore counter again.
Disappointed, Madison and Fiona packed up their stuff and headed for the door.
In the doorway of Mr. Gillespie’s cyber café, he’d posted an enormous bulletin board with the words COMMUNITY CHEST on top. The board was covered in colored file cards with all different kinds of messages and handwriting. People advertised futons, free kittens, and ten ways to make more money at home. There was even a book readers’ classified section of the bulletin board, where people posted their favorite reads in order to get matched up for a date.
Madison didn’t usually read the messages, but today she stopped and glanced at the rainbow of file cards. Fiona looked over the board, too.
“Hey, Maddie,” Fiona said. “Did you see this? You have to read this one.”
Madison looked under the bulletin board section marked JUST POSTED. Fiona pointed to a crisp pink file card with neat lettering on it.
Wanted: Mother’s Helper for
2½-year-old boy.
Need someone during the week and some Saturdays to play with my son while I am with my newborn baby girl. Duties: feed lunch, play games, take to Lake Dora pool, and other activities. A parent will always be around to help you. We have 2 cats and live in a safe area near Blueberry Street. Some experience is a plus.
Must be at least 12 years old.
Call Mrs. Sandra Reed anytime.
555-1010
“Maddie, this is so perfect for you!” Fiona said.
“But I do
n’t have any experience,” Madison said. “How am I supposed to baby-sit? I don’t know. It sounds hard.”
Fiona plucked the card off the board. “Here, you should call her. It’s right down the street from your house! Baby-sitting can be hard—but it can also be a lot of fun. Oh, it’ll be so easy. You’ll get paid for going to the pool. And she has cats! What’s better than that?”
Madison’s head was spinning.
Was this the big summer opportunity she’d been waiting for?
She folded the card and stuffed it into the pocket of her shorts before heading back to Dad’s apartment in the warm rain.
Chapter 3
“HELLO? IS THIS MRS. Reed?” Madison’s voice quivered as she spoke into the receiver. She clutched the pink file card in her hand.
“Hello?” a woman answered on the other end of the line. Her voice was soft and deep. “May I help you?”
“I’m calling about the card on the cyber café board,” Madison explained. “About the baby-sitting…er…mother’s helper job.”
“Oh,” Mrs. Reed said. “That’s terrific! What’s your name?”
“Madison Finn,” she answered. “I’m twelve.”
“Very good. Have you ever baby-sat before?”
Madison paused and took a breath. “Um…not really. I pet sit sometimes. I volunteer down at the animal clinic. Does that count?”
Mrs. Reed laughed. “Well, now, pets and kids aren’t exactly the same…but that’s okay. Experience isn’t entirely necessary. I’d like to give someone a chance to get experience. This won’t be a hard job at all.”
“Oh?” Madison said, sounding more intrigued than ever. “What does the job involve…exactly?”
“Well, playtime, really,” Mrs. Reed explained. “Going to the Lake Dora pool, taking Eliot to activities. It depends. It will be fun.”
Madison could feel her pulse race. It actually sounded fun.
“Tell me a little more about yourself,” Mrs. Reed asked. “Do you have brothers and sisters?”
Madison explained that she was an only child. She told Mrs. Reed all about Phinnie and her laptop computer and her mom, the film producer. Mrs. Reed seemed very happy to “meet Madison by phone.”
“I’d like to meet you in person,” Mrs. Reed suggested. “And I’ll need to speak to your mom or dad, too. Can we arrange that?”
Madison felt her hands shaking a little. She was nervous. Mrs. Reed made everything sound so official right away—like a real job.
“Okay, that’s fine,” Madison said. “I’m sure I can meet you soon….”
“How about tomorrow morning?” Mrs. Reed asked.
“Well, I can ask my dad.”
“Good! Do that!” Mrs. Reed said. “I’ll wait for you two to call me back. Okay? Madison?”
This was all moving so fast, Madison couldn’t believe it.
“Okay,” she answered with a gulp.
“I have a feeling this may work out perfectly,” Mrs. Reed said as Madison said good-bye.
“Thanks,” Madison replied. “I hope it does work out. Perfectly.”
When Madison put down the receiver, she jumped into the air like an acrobat and clicked her heels together.
“I got a jooooobbb!” she cried, running into the dining room. Dad and Stephanie were setting the table for dinner.
“What did you say?” Dad asked.
“I did it, Dad! You are now looking at the possible baby-sitter for the summer!”
“That’s great,” Stephanie said. “Congratulations, Maddie.”
“All I need is for Dad to talk to Mrs. Reed—she’s the woman with the baby. Mrs. Reed says she needs to make sure that you say it’s okay, since I’m twelve. She wants to make sure I’m a good person for the job.”
Madison was talking faster than fast.
“Of course!” Dad said, “isn’t that how these things usually work?” He looked over at Stephanie for reassurance.
“I’m sure you have a few questions, Jeff,” Stephanie said matter-of-factly. “Let’s call Mrs. Reed after we finish eating.”
Dad grinned. “Maddie, I am so proud of you.” He leaned over and lifted Madison right up off her feet. “To think that I was giving you such a hard time about finding something to do this summer,” he gushed. “I only wanted you to get out of the house so you wouldn’t be stuck inside all day. But a job—with responsibilities—that’s impressive.”
Stephanie’s taco dinner was deliciously spicy, but all Madison could think about was baby-sitting. Her stomach flip-flopped. She could barely make dinner conversation. It was a big deal—especially since she’d only just dodged the summer job question with her friends that afternoon. All Madison wanted to do was tell Aimee and Fiona and Mom and everyone else who mattered…NOW.
Immediately following the meal, she bolted into her room to go online—and left Dad to call Mrs. Reed.
The moment she logged on to her laptop, Madison found her keypal Bigwheels online, too.
That was a very good omen.
Monday
“Maddie!” Dad’s voice echoed through the apartment. “I just got off the telephone….”
Madison looked up from the computer monitor. Mrs. Reed and Dad had finished talking—already!
“I’ll be right there, Dad!” Madison called out. She typed another message to Bigwheels at the same time.
“That Mrs. Reed is a nice woman…” Dad said as he strolled into Madison’s room, “I think I know her husband—oh, honey, I didn’t realize you were online.”
“I’m not anymore,” Madison said. She clicked the sleep function key and her screen went black. “Dad, tell me. What did you say? What did she say? Did she ask you questions about me?”
Dad sat on the edge of Madison’s bed. “We had a very nice chat. I think that you made a good job choice. Her son, Eliot, sounds like a good kid. He’s been struggling a little bit since his sister was born.”
“Struggling?” Madison asked.
“Yeah, it’s hard when there’s a new baby in the family. She wants him to get the right amount of attention this summer. That’s why she needs a helper,” Dad said. “I told her it sounded like the perfect job for you.”
“So what do I do now?” Madison said. Her knee was bouncing up and down. Her arms f
lapped like wings. Madison couldn’t keep any body parts still.
“Maddie.” Dad laughed. “Just relax. I’ll drive you over there in the morning and you can meet. I’m sure she’s going to offer you the position. She sounded enthusiastic. She just wants to see how you and Eliot get along in person.”
Madison’s skin felt all hot like it did when she ran too fast or when she bumped into Hart in the hallway at school. She was about to get her first job. She had to remember to breathe.
“What if Eliot doesn’t like me?” Madison asked.
Dad shook his head. “That’s impossible,” he said in a booming voice.
The morning ride over to Mrs. Reed’s house took forever. Madison plucked at the seat belt pulled across her chest and kicked at the car floor mat. On the way to the Reed house, she and Dad drove past Madison’s house on Blueberry Street, which seemed weird. As much as she loved staying at Dad’s, she missed her room and the half-full closet of clothes she’d left behind.
Madison turned so she could see the front porch, wishing she were there right now.
“This must be the place,” Dad said as he pulled into a driveway around the corner.
It was the house Madison had guessed it would be. Mrs. Reed lived in a brick, two-story house with rows of black-eyed Susans along her fence. Madison and Phin had passed it on their daily walks before.
Dad walked Madison up to the door and rang the bell. When Mrs. Reed opened it, he reached out to shake her hand, but her arms were full. She was holding her newborn baby girl.
“Hello!” Mrs. Reed said. “You must be Madison Finn!” She juggled the baby girl into one arm and reached out to shake with the free hand.
“She’s so cute,” Madison said softly.
The baby cooed.
“This is Becka,” Mrs. Reed introduced her. She opened the door wider and invited Madison and her father inside. “Please have a seat. I know Eliot will be right down.”
Dad and Madison went into the living room. There were colored plastic toy trucks and trains piled at the side of the room. Madison and her dad took a seat on a long leather couch.
Mrs. Reed called upstairs. “Eliot! Eliot! We have guests! Come downstairs, please.”
Madison squirmed in her seat. She couldn’t wait to see her new friend. She hoped he wouldn’t spit in her face or run screaming from the room as soon as he saw her sitting there.
