Katie Sprinkles and Surprises by Coco Simon Page B

kitchen, and we started to clean up.
    â€œI don’t know if it’s possible, but I think Mr. Green is even cooler than he was before,” Alexis said.
    Emma nodded. “Definitely.”
    Mia looked at me. “I know it’s still weird that he’s dating your mom, but at the same time it’s kind of cool, isn’t it?”
    â€œYeah, I think so,” I agreed. “I just need some time to get used to it.”

CHAPTER 11
Some Extra Help
    I   t was almost six o’clock when the Cupcake Club meeting ended, and my friends all left, waving good-bye to Mr. Green. I noticed he was sticking around a lot longer than somebody who’d just come to pick up a book.
    â€œI asked Jeff to stay for dinner,” Mom told me when I was done saying good-bye to everyone. “There’s plenty of soup in the Crock-Pot, and I can make some grilled cheese sandwiches to go with it.”
    â€œOkay,” I said, and I realized I didn’t mind. It was actually kind of nice that Mr. Green—I mean, Jeff—was staying.
    I set the table while Mom made the grilled cheese, and I noticed she was making her fancygrilled cheese, with sliced pears and Gruyere cheese on multigrain bread, instead of plain old American cheese on white. It didn’t take long before we were all sitting around the dinner table. It was kind of fun having a new person to sit and eat with us. It’s almost always just me and Mom, and we usually run out of things to say to each other. But Jeff has all these funny stories that he tells.
    Like this one about when he was eleven years old: “So I made these wings out of an old rain poncho and some wood, and I actually thought I could fly if the wind was right,” he told us. “So I waited for a windy day, and then I climbed on top of the garage.”
    Mom was laughing really hard. “Oh no! I can just picture you up there.”
    â€œWhat happened?” I asked.
    â€œWell, they didn’t work, of course,” Jeff said. “But luckily my dad had just had a load of mulch delivered, so it broke my fall. I was pretty smelly, but I didn’t get hurt.”
    â€œDid your dad get mad?” I asked.
    â€œA little,” Jeff replied. “But I’m lucky. He always encouraged me to explore the things I was curious about.”
    â€œI guess Mom does that with me, too.”
    Jeff looked at Mom and smiled, and I sensed another gooey moment was coming, so I quickly got up.
    â€œI’d better go do my homework,” I said.
    â€œWhat do you have tonight?” Mom asked.
    â€œA Spanish worksheet, a paragraph for English, and I have to study for a math test,” I reported, making a face.
    Jeff noticed. “Uh-oh. You’re not digging the math?”
    â€œIt has never been my best subject,” I admitted. “I get confused by some of the algebra stuff, and, well . . . Mr. K. sometimes explains stuff really fast, and I can’t keep up.”
    â€œDo you want some help?” Jeff asked.
    I was a little surprised. “Wouldn’t that be cheating?”
    Jeff laughed. “I didn’t say I’d take the test for you. I said I’d help and answer any questions you have, just like I’d do for any student in after-school help.”
    Mom looked so relieved. “Oh, we’d be grateful!” she said. “I can only help her so much.”
    She looked at me expectantly, but I pretty much thought it was cool that Jeff wanted to help me, so I didn’t object. I went and got my math binder, andwhen I came back, the kitchen table was cleared off and Mom had put on a pot of coffee for her and Jeff.
    â€œIt’s all the equations,” I said, opening up to my study notes. “I never know where to start.”
    â€œThat can be confusing,” Jeff said. “But I can give you some simple tips, so you can figure it out. Let’s start with this first problem here.”
    I