Frogs & French Kisses #2 by Sarah Mlynowski Read Free Book Online Page B

now someone innocent is going to get blamed. And it can’t be me because then people will know, but I don’t want it to be someone else because that would be so unfair.” Miri then climbs into the spot next to our mom, and I plop down on the corner of the bed.
    My mom pats Miri’s hair. “So you were trying to save the cows,” she says.
    We nod frantically. “Yes!”
    “I see.”
    Okay, now that she knows, everything will be fine. Mom will tell us how to fix the situation, and all will be taken care of. Problem solved!
    “So how are you going to fix it?” Mom asks.
    What? “Um, us?” I say.
    “I said you’re allowed to use magic. But I also said that you have to face the consequences. And that means not expecting me to clean up your messes.” She shakes her index finger at us. “You two are on your own.”
    Miri sinks into the mattress. “Do you have any advice?” she squeaks.
    “Yes. Next time you cast a spell, think about what you’re doing. Where did you think the cows were going to go?”
    “Somewhere safe?” my sister answers.
    “Yes, but where?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Now you do,” Mom says sternly. “So you’d better be more careful next time.” And then she . . . smiles?
    Where did that come from? “Are you okay, Mom?”
    “Sorry,” she says, still smiling. “Just thinking about something else.”
    Something else? What could possibly be distracting her from our moving cows across the state? “What’s up with you?”
    She aims the remote at the TV and clicks it off. “Lex called today.”
    “Lex?” Miri looks confused. “Luther?”
    “Yes, Superman’s nemesis called Mom,” I say, and lie across Miri’s legs. “What planet were you hatched on? Lex is the old guy from the bus.” I can’t believe he called already. It’s only been a day since we got back. He’s obviously desperate. “What did he want?”
    “To take me out to dinner,” she says, her smile widening.
    Miri pulls the covers over her head. “I don’t want you to date again! You’re going to forget all about us!”
    “Never ever,” Mom says reassuringly.
    “Well, I’m not worried,” I say. “I want you to date again. Just not him. You’re not going to go, are you?”
    “Of course I am,” she says. “Why wouldn’t I? Didn’t you think he seemed nice?”
    “Nice and old,” I say. “He probably eats dinner at five o’clock and orders the early bird special.” Miri giggles from under the covers and I add, “You should be dating younger guys.” I join Miri under the covers and then sit up so it feels like we’re in a tent.
    My mom sighs. “Don’t be mean, Rachel. And it’s not like any other guys are knocking down my door.”
    “When are you going out with him? Saturday night?” At least someone in this place has a date. I lift the comforter and pull my mom underneath with me.
    “No,” she says, sitting up beside me. “I told him I’d be happy to go out with him on the weekend of the eighth.”
    Apparently Mom plays hard to get. No last-minute plans for her. Someone’s been reading her dating books. “That’s in three and a half weeks!”
    “It’s not that long,” she says. “And it’s the next time you girls are at your dad’s.”
    “We’re not babies, Mom,” I huff. “You’re allowed to have a life when we’re here. Dad has a life. You should too.” I can make out her shrugging shoulders in the dark. “So what did you agree to?” I ask. “A Saturday-night dinner?”
    “I didn’t. I told him to call back closer to the date.”
    “That’s good,” Miri says casually. “Since he’s so old, by then he might have kicked the bucket.”
    My mom snorts, and then the three of us laugh, and our tent feels warm and cozy like a cocoon. “I should start dinner,” Mom says, and reaches to dismantle our hideaway.
    “Don’t,” I beg. I don’t want her breaking this bubble. I don’t want to return to reality just yet. I don’t want to worry about cows or going