âWhat am I supposed to say? Why are we all showing up at Averyâs on a Friday evening?â
âImprovise. Youâre good at that,â Katani told her.
Maeve rang the doorbell, trying to think up a good story for Averyâs mother. To her surprise, a guy answered the doorâa CUTE guy, in fact. He looked like he was about sixteen or seventeen, with sandy-brown hair and freckles.
âHey,â Maeve said, staring. âUhâis Avery here?â
He nodded. âAVERY,â he yelled into the empty space of the room behind him.
Avery came thudding down the stairs, two at a time. âHey,â she said to Maeve, pushing her way past the cute guy. She looked closely at Maeve. âWhy do you look like that? What are you staring at?â
âWhoâs he?â Maeve whispered.
âScott, my brother ,â Avery said, disgusted. She paused, shaking her head at Maeve. âDonât even START, Maeve. Heâs OLD, for one thing. And heâs got a girlfriend. And heâs totally off-limits.â
âI know. Heâs way too old for me,â Maeve muttered. âI just didnât realize that was Scott, okay? Heâs a million times cuter than I remembered.â
âYeah, he got his braces off,â Avery said with a shrug. âCome on, letâs go get Marty settled before my mom comes back.â
Avery âMaeve thought with a sighâwouldnât know a cute guy if she tripped over one. Not even if she had one living under the same roof.
Well, Maeve might just have to make up a few excuses to come over and help look in on Marty. After all, a weekend was an awfully long time to leave a poor helpless little dog like Marty out there in the Maddensâ carriage house!
It took almost half an hour to get Martyâs bed set up in the corner. All the girls thought Avery had done an amazing job of getting the place ready for Marty. The place looked like a cool doggie apartment. She had piled up a ton of old blankets and had made a giant nest for him. Sheâd even laid out a row of new toys for him that she had bought with her allowance. The girls put his water bowl nearby, and his food dish, and hung his leash up on a hook.
âThis looks great, Avery, but donât you think itâs a little cold in here? Do you guys have a space heater?â Maeve asked. âI could go get it,â she volunteered, picturing Scott helping her trek through the big house to find it.
âItâs not safe to use a space heater. Those things cause fires. Besides, heâs a dog. Heâll be okay,â Katani said. âWeâll just tuck some extra blankets around him.â
âUh-oh! My momâs pulling into the driveway,â Avery said quickly. âWe better get going before she finds us.â
âAnd youâre sure she never uses the carriage house?â Katani asked for the dozenth time.
âIâm positive! Look at the place. Itâs just a giant-sized storage bin,â Avery exclaimed. âMarty is going to be FINE. I promise. I love him. I will take the absolute best care of him.I even bought a dog book. Look!â She held up a new paperback on the care and feeding of small dogs. âNow, go have a great time in New York, Charlotte. And the rest of you: DONâT WORRY.â She dropped down to give Marty one more hug. âI promise to shower him with so much attention that heâll be spoiled rotten by the time Charlotte comes back for him on Sunday night!â
Reluctantly, the girls gave Marty a last hug good-night. Maeve thought he looked awfully tiny sitting all alone in that big old carriage house.
But Avery was firm. It was time for everyone to clear out. And time for Avery to indulge in her biggest dreamâa weekend alone with her beloved borrowed, furry friend.
CHAPTER 5
The Perfect Family
O K, kids. We need to talk,â Maeveâs mom said, taking a deep breath.
Here it was, dinnertime,
James Holland
Erika Bradshaw
Brad Strickland
Desmond Seward
Timothy Zahn
Edward S. Aarons
Lynn Granville
Kenna Avery Wood
Fabrice Bourland
Peter Dickinson