Cape High Christmas: A Side Story (Cape High Series) by R.J. Ross Read Free Book Online Page A

okay? It was going to be the best part!)
    He gives up, grinning as Zoe walks over and tugs his arm over her shoulders. "You made them very happy," she praises him, kissing him on the cheek.
    "What did you get?" he asks her.
    "I don't think I should tell--it'll go to your head," she says teasingly before pulling out a painting.
    "Wow, that IS awesome," he says, admiring the painting of him. "You aren't that attached to it--"
    "Nuh uh, this is mine," she says, running away with it.
    "But I didn't get anything!" he says, chasing after her. "Come on, Zoe! We can share it--you can have it on weekends!"
    "NEVER!"
     

Advent Calendar - Day Nine
    "Okay, I should be able to afford it," Aubrey says, closing her bank account website. She pulls back from her desk, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “Mom?” she says, not bothering to yell.
    Liz appears in the room behind her in a flash. “So have you decided to make me your helper?” she asks, excitedly. “I was SURE that Emily would, but then she brought in Dad, which is cheating, right? That’s absolutely cheating. ANYTHING that involves Dad is cheating.”
    “You don’t mind, do you?” Aubrey asks, looking up at her with a little smile. “It means you’re going to have to wear either a hat or the wig, again,” she warns.
    “It’s cold enough out that I can get away with a hat,” Liz says. “So? What are we going to do?” she asks. “I bet it’s going to be huge and showy--”
    “Actually... Um...” Aubrey says slowly. “We’re just going to go buy some coats.”
    “Coats.”
    “Yeah,” Aubrey says. “THEN we’re going to donate the coats to the homeless. I’m going to need your help keeping people in line, and providing the transportation--”
    “And the money for the coats, of course!” Liz says, starting to smile. “You know, if I was in charge of one of these days it’d be a massive showy thing of fireworks and barbecue and--”
    “Well, if you want we could end it that way?” Aubrey says. “I mean, I was just planning on helping some people out, but barbecue would definitely make Jack happy, and I bet a lot of the others would enjoy it, too--but I REALLY want to donate coats. I’ve been saving up my money for something big, and this is the opportunity, right?”
    “You don’t worry about money,” Liz says firmly. “I’ve been making S-class cash since I was about seventeen. It tends to add up. I’ll call the Hall and get the bus. Honestly, they need to make their OWN bus, at this rate. I think I’ll call Nico, instead--”
    “You can’t!” Aubrey says. “If he builds a bus for me to take them on their trip, then that’s breaking the rules--I can only have one helper, right?”
    “That’s stupid, how many of you kids are going to need a bus for this?” she says, looking at the ceiling. “You heard me, didn’t you, big brother? Go make the school a bus you lazy slob,” she says. To Aubrey’s mortification, Nico starts laughing.
    “I was just wondering when someone would say that,” he says. “But since it’s YOU asking me and not Aubrey, then you’re the one that owes me a favor.”
    “Yeah, yeah, as if you weren’t already planning a school bus,” Liz drawls. “Now! We need to call up the closest clothing store--they’ve got a few that have the donation area, right?” she says, bringing out her phone and tapping on the screen. “So we’ll go straight to the store, buy the coats and drop them off at the same time. Once that’s done, considering we’ll have two Liberty boys, we should have the barbecue, right?"
    “The sooner the better,” Aubrey agrees.
    “So tomorrow after lunch works, right? I need to call Mastermental and get the day off!” Liz says before she races away. Aubrey looks at her computer for a moment longer before bringing up stores and donation programs, instead. She aims her phone at the screen a few times and taps on the screen, taking the information. With that done, she heads