She wasn’t sure why, but the thought that Ryan didn’t like her back latched on to her brain and wouldn’t let go. Had she been reading everything wrong this whole time? And if he didn’t like her back, he had heard her tell Andrew that she liked someone else. Maybe he knew she liked him and he didn’t like her. How embarrassing!
The thought kept her from falling asleep that night. She looked at the digital clock—it was 10:05, and she didn’t feel sleepy at all. She thought about reading a book, but she had left it downstairs.
Might as well get it, she thought. Reading always helped her fall asleep.
She tiptoed downstairs and found Grandma Miriam watching TV and eating a big bowl of ice cream.
“Grandma!” Isabella said, surprised.
“What?” Grandma said. “I’m old enough to do what I want. Sometimes I like ice cream at night. Want some?”
“Of course!” Isabella replied.
She followed Grandma into the kitchen and watched her scoop out a big bowl of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream. Then they went back into the living room, and Isabella curled up onto the couch next to Grandma. On the TV, an old mystery show with a white-haired lady detective was playing.
“They don’t make shows today like they used to,” Grandma Miriam said, shaking her head. “All the reality shows these days. Bleh!”
“Some of them are good,” Isabella offered. “I like the ones where they have competitions. Like to see who can bake the best cake.”
“Yes, but those dating competitions are awful!” Grandma protested, shaking her head. “I hope you never end up on television looking for someone to marry.” She shuddered.
Then she looked at Isabella. “Are you having a good time, sweetie?”
“Oh, yes!” Isabella answered.
“Good,” Grandma said with a nod. “Now that you’re older, maybe you and Jake can visit more often. I’d like that.”
Then she paused. “And maybe Ryan will visit too.”
Isabella turned red. How does Grandma know that I like him? Then she sighed. “What’s the use? First of all, I don’t even know that he likes me like that. And second of all, he lives in New York and I live in Chicago!”
“On the first count,” said Grandma, “trust me. I’ve seen how he looks at you. And who could not love my Isabella? And on the second count,” she continued. “Did I ever tell you the story of how Grandpa and I lived apart for a year before we got married?”
Isabella shook her head. “No. Really?”
“A whole year,” she replied. “I was only nineteen when Grandpa Ben and I fell in love. I was so happy. But then his family decided to move to Chicago to start up their shoe business there—we were living in Boston at the time. That’s where we both grew up.”
Isabella nodded. “I think I remember that.”
“Well, I was heartbroken,” Grandma Miriam continued. “Grandpa told me we’d figure it out. This was way back in the days before the Internet and cell phones. So we wrote letters to each other every week. We talked on the phone when we could afford it. And after a year, Grandpa came back with a ring and asked me to marry him. And the rest, as you know, is history.”
She smiled, remembering.
“Grandma, I’m not thinking about marrying Ryan.” Isabella giggled.
“Of course you aren’t!” said Grandma. “I’m just saying that where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Isabella thought about this for a bit. “Yes, I guess there is,” she said, standing up.
“Do you want to watch the show with me?” Grandma asked.
“That’s okay, Grandma,” Isabella said. “I’m pretty sleepy now. But thanks for the ice cream. And the talk.”
Grandma Miriam smiled. “Anytime, Izzy.”
• • •
The next morning Grandma woke them up at seven a.m.
“The beach is waiting for us!” she yelled when she opened Isabella’s door. “It’s your last day here! Let’s make it count!”
Isabella jumped out of bed, excited. Grandma’s energy was contagious. Isabella wanted to make the most of the day too.
She dressed in her bathing suit and then headed downstairs. Along with cereal boxes, she saw an old wood box on the kitchen table.
“What’s this?” asked Jake, who walked in behind her.
“Something Isabella wanted to know about,” said Grandma. “Last night I was telling her a story about me and Grandpa Ben.”
“What? I don’t get stories?” Jake asked, pretending to be hurt.
Grandma told the story to Jake as Isabella opened the box. It was filled with letters addressed to “Miss Miriam Applestein” and “Mr. Ben Stone.”
“Oh my gosh!” Isabella said when Grandma had finished her story. “Are these the letters that you and Grandpa sent to each other?”
Grandma nodded. “Every one.”
“Can I read one?” Isabella asked.
Grandma looked at the clock. “We have time. The lifeguards don’t show up until nine. But let me get you a good one.”
Grandma dug through the pile and finally pulled one out. “Here you go, Izzy.”
Isabella carefully took the letter out of the envelope.
Dear Miriam,
Business is good here at the shoe store. But the women in Chicago all have much bigger feet than they do in Boston. Not nice ones like yours. Simon and I saw a double feature last night. Two Western pictures, but the acting wasn’t very good.
Remember when we saw South Pacific at the Rialto? Now, that was a picture! And you are a lot nicer to sit next to than Simon. He smells like frankfurters.
Your last letter made me laugh. Please say hi to Howie for me.
Love,
Ben
Jake laughed. “Big feet in Chicago? Ha! I knew you had big feet, Isabella.”
“It’s really sweet,” Isabella said. “And funny, too. But who were Simon and Howie?”
“Simon was Grandpa’s brother, who died before you both were born,” Grandma replied. “And Howie was Grandpa’s best friend in Boston. Oh, he was a fun one. What good times we had.”
She sounded happy, but she had a sad look in her eyes. She must miss Grandpa a lot, Isabella realized.
“Come on, Grandma,” Isabella said. “The beach is waiting!”
Grandma lived close to the beach, and it didn’t take long to get there after they picked up Ryan. By nine o’clock, they were set up under two giant umbrellas, and each lifeguard chair had a guard in it.
“Last one to the water is a rotten egg!” Jake yelled, and Ryan and Isabella ran after him, laughing.
The water was colder than the pool, but Isabella didn’t mind. She was in the ocean! In March! The sky was a beautiful, cloudless blue, and the sand sparkled white and clean. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day.
They splashed and rode the waves for a while and then, tired out, went back to the umbrellas for a rest. They stretched out on their towels under the shade of the umbrella. The warm sun felt good on Isabella’s wet skin.
“Hey, Bella, get your big feet off my towel!” Jake yelled, giving her feet a little push. Isabella scowled at him.
“Will you quit it with the ‘big feet’ comments?” she said.
Ryan laughed. “You do not have big feet.”
“Thank you,” Isabella said.
“Grandma Miriam showed us a letter this morning,” Jake explained, “from, like, the fifties or something. And my Grandpa Ben worked in a shoe store and said that women in Chicago had big feet.”
Ryan laughed again. “He wrote a letter about that?”
“He wrote tons of letters,” Jake said. “He lived in Chicago and Grandma lived in Boston, so they wrote letters back and forth.”
“Yes, we did,” Grandma Miriam piped up, looking up from her book.
“Well, you didn’t have text or e-mail or Skype and all that,” Jake told her. He turned back to Ryan. “Like, we can text you and stuff after we all go back home. It could be like
we live next door.”
Isabella smiled into her towel. Texting and Skyping Ryan would be awesome, and now Jake had set the stage for it. She quickly forgave him for the “big feet” comments.
“If not, we’ll see each other in August, if I get onto the lacrosse team,” Ryan said.
Oh no, Isabella thought. Does that mean he doesn’t want to stay in touch?
The conversation died down, and all was quiet for a moment. Then Isabella heard Jake texting busily on his phone. She leaned over to his towel and peeked at his screen.
“You’re texting Ashley?” she asked, surprised.
Jake shrugged. “She’s funny,” he explained, and didn’t say anything more. Isabella rolled back over onto her towel.
Jake had seemed unusually curious about the letters. Now she had an idea why. It looked like he was excited about texting and Skyping Ashley!
chapter 12
“DON’T YOU TWO LOOK FABULOUS!” Grandma Miriam cried.
Isabella did a twirl, and the skirt she had bought at Sparks fluttered around her. She had paired it with her new blue T-shirt and a green cardigan she had brought from home.
“I wouldn’t call it fabulous, but it works,” Isabella said.
“Speak for yourself,” Jake protested. “I’m definitely fabulous.”
Grandma Miriam laughed. “Izzy, hold on. I’ve got something for you.”
She left the living room and came back a minute later holding a small white box.
“This is a present,” she said as she handed it to Isabella.
Isabella opened the lid and gasped. Inside was a heart-shaped silver locket. She had seen it before on Grandma, who had told her that Grandpa Ben had given it to her. Isabella had always loved it. The heart was engraved with a pretty design of a rose with leaves all around it.
“It’s for you to have now,” Grandma Miriam said, and she took it out of the box and put it around Isabella’s neck. Isabella ran to the mirror on the living room wall.
“It looks perfect!” Isabella said. She ran back and hugged Grandma. “Thank you so much!”
“I know you’ll take good care of it, Izzy,” Grandma said, and when Isabella broke away from the hug, she saw tears in Grandma Miriam’s eyes.
“I will. I promise,” Isabella said.
They piled into Grandma’s car and picked up Rose and Ryan. This time, Isabella got stuck with the middle seat, and Ryan and Jake sat on either side. Like Jake, Ryan had put on khakis and a short-sleeved, collared shirt for the occasion.
“You look nice,” she said before she could stop herself.
Ryan grinned at her. “Thanks. So do you guys.”
So maybe he had said “guys” at the end, but she was still included in that. Isabella let that roll around in her mind on the ride to the restaurant. It was a nice feeling.
Soon Grandma pulled up in front of the restaurant, which was set on the water, like the seafood place they had gone to earlier in the week. But this one looked much fancier, and Isabella was glad she had worn the skirt.
They got a table out by the water again, and the small breeze from the surface danced across their table.
“They have the best early bird specials here,” Rose announced as she picked up the menu. “You get an appetizer and a dessert!”
Isabella ordered Caesar salad for her appetizer and scallops for dinner. Jake ordered alligator nuggets and crabs.
“Seriously? You’re going to eat alligator?” Isabella asked him, making a face.
“Ashley dared me to,” he said with a shrug, and Isabella and Ryan looked at each other in surprise.
“Well, I’m glad Ashley’s not texting me,” Ryan said. “I’m having the crab cakes.”
When their food came, Jake made a big deal of taking a photo of the alligator nuggets, and then he took another picture of himself eating one. Isabella knew he was texting Ashley.
“Jake, when you’re done with that, please put your phone away,” Grandma Miriam said. “We don’t need technology to enjoy our meal.”
Isabella couldn’t stop thinking as she ate her meal. Jake and Ashley were constantly texting each other. If Ryan liked her, why hadn’t he asked for her number?
Maybe it’s enough that I’ll see him in August, she thought, casting a sideways glance at him. That is, if he makes the team.
“I bet Mr. Stern is going to miss us,” Ryan joked.
“I’m sure he will,” Grandma Miriam said. “He’s not happy unless he has someone to yell at.”
Jake had sucked the meat out of his crab legs and was making them walk across the table. Across from him, Rose was giggling like crazy.
“I can make them do the can-can,” Jake said, making the legs do kicks.
Grandma Miriam shook her head. “Oh, you remind me of Ben sometimes. He was always such a cutup.”
Jake beamed. “Really? I remind you of Grandpa?”
Grandma Miriam nodded. “He had a good heart. You do too.”
“So I have a good heart, and Isabella has big Chicago feet,” Jake said.
Isabella stuck her tongue out at him. “Good heart? Did you hear that, Grandma?”
Ryan smiled. “Twins!”
When they left the restaurant, everyone was laughing and talking about the fun things that had happened during the week. The good mood lasted until Grandma Miriam drove into the condo complex. Isabella knew that she and Jake were flying out early in the morning. This was good-bye—and maybe the last time she would ever see or talk to Ryan.
Grandma drove to Rose’s house and parked out front. They all got out of the car.
“See you around, man,” Ryan said, shaking Jake’s hand.
Isabella stood there, feeling awkward. Then Ryan turned to her and gave her a hug! Her heart was beating so fast, but she could feel the eyes of Jake and Grandma and Rose on them, and it made her palms sweat.
“Well, good-bye,” Isabella said.
“Yeah,” said Ryan.
“Dude, you need to get our numbers in your phone,” Jake said, taking out his own phone. “Give me your number. I’ll send you mine and Bella’s right now, okay?”
“Okay,” Ryan replied, and Isabella thought he looked relieved. Had he been too shy to ask on his own? Thank goodness Jake was so friendly!
Still, she was sad when they climbed back in the car and drove to Grandma’s house. She was about to go inside when she heard Grandma Miriam behind her.
“What do you know? Rose left her sunglasses in the car,” she said. She handed them to Isabella with a twinkle in her eye. “Can you run these over to her for me?”
“Sure,” Isabella answered eagerly. She practically skipped down the sidewalk all the way to Rose’s. Maybe she’d get to see Ryan again one last time.
Probably Rose will answer the door, she thought, not wanting to get her hopes up.
She took a deep breath and rang the bell. The door creaked open and there was Ryan on the other side. He looked surprised to see her.
Isabella held out the glasses. “Your grandmother left these in the car,” she said.
Ryan stepped outside, and Isabella realized it was the first time they had been alone together all week.
“Hey, I’ve been meaning to talk to you . . .” Ryan sounded a little nervous. “Can we e-mail each other or text or something when we get back? I don’t know if I can wait until August to talk to you again.”
Isabella beamed. “Of course! Text me anytime.”
Ryan hugged her again. When he pulled back, she felt his lips graze her cheek.
“Safe travels, Bella. I’ll see you soon!” he said.
“I hope so,” she said, smiling back at him.
Feeling giddy, she walked backward until she couldn’t see Ryan anymore, and he stayed by the door, waving the whole time. Then she turned and floated all the way back to Grandma Miriam’s house.
“How’d it go?” Grandma asked.
“Great,” Isabella said with a big grin on her face. “I’m going to go pack.”
I don’t know if I can wait until August to talk to you again.
She put down the shirt she was folding and picked up her phone, texting Amanda.
Remember that boy Ryan?
Y! Amanda replied.
He likes me back. <3
Lucky!!!!!!!
“Yes, I am lucky,” Isabella whispered out loud.
Grandma Miriam made them go to sleep early and got them up at five the next morning. Isabella yawned the whole way to the airport. Grandma parked and then walked them to their gate.
“Look at you two!” she said. “I think you’ve each grown two inches this week.”
Jake sidled up next to Isabella. “I bet I’m finally taller than you!”
Grandma’s eyes were filled with tears. She enclosed both of them in her arms and gave them a big hug.
“I’m going to miss you,” she said. “They’re giving a Skype class at the library next week. Once I figure out how to do it, you’ll be seeing my face again soon, okay?”
“That would be awesome,” Isabella said.
Then Grandma Miriam left them with a flight attendant, who led them to the boarding area. This time, Isabella and Jake lounged in the seats there, too tired to walk around. After a few minutes, Isabella’s phone started beeping.
“It’s Grandma,” she told Jake. Then she started typing.
Yes, we got to the boarding area ok.
Her phone beeped again. This time, it was her mom.
Are you guys at the boarding area yet?
Yes!!! Isabella texted back.
She looked at her brother. “They are driving me crazy!”
“They’re texting me too,” Jake said.
Isabella’s phone beeped again. She sighed and looked at the screen.
It was from Ryan!
Thanks for saving spring break. Talk soon . . .
Isabella texted back.
Then she sank back in her seat. Spring break had been great after all, she thought. Grandma Miriam was a lot of fun. Florida was really nice. And her vacation was definitely not boring. It wasn’t the spring break she’d originally hoped for. It wasn’t the spring break she’d expected. It had been a lot better. She smiled as the flight attendants told them to turn off their phones. Who cared if it was snowing in Chicago and there were weeks and weeks before she’d get to wear her new spring clothes? She had Ryan to look forward to. Now bring on summer.
Isabella's Spring Break Crush Page 8
