Kindred Spirits by Phoebe Rivers Read Free Book Online Page B

grinned at my dad.
    â€œMy summer look.” My dad patted his closely cropped sandy curls. “I get sheared in the summer. Just like you, Buddy boy.” He bent down to pat Buddy’s furry head.
    For a moment, my dad’s and Henry’s hands rested side by side.
    â€œLily and I were going to the boardwalk. Midnight Manor just reopened,” I said. “Is that okay?”
    â€œWhat about this mess?” His brows knit together, deepening the crease between his eyes.
    â€œI promise I’ll clean it when I get home. Really and truly.” I crossed my heart with my finger.
    â€œOkay, kiddo. Deal. What about Buddy boy here?”
    â€œI have to watch him today,” Lily said.
    â€œA haunted house is no place for a dog. I’m doing some repairs around here before dinner. How about you leave Buddy with me? I could use a canine assistant.”
    â€œWow! That would be great.” Lily offered my dad the leash.
    â€œNo!” Henry wailed. A voice only I could hear.
    â€œOne sec,” Dad said to Lily. “Let me change out of my office clothes. I’ll be back for Buddy boy.” He hurried down to his bedroom on the second floor.
    Lily turned to me. “I’m going to use your bathroom. Watch Buddy, okay?”
    â€œSure.” I grabbed Buddy’s leash as Lily headed downstairs.
    â€œDoggie!” Henry cried again. He wrapped his arms protectively around Buddy. Buddy’s tail wagged.
    I had no idea whether Buddy could see Henry, but the dog definitely knew Henry was there. And Henry was so calm with Buddy.
    Could I let Henry hang out with Buddy and my dad? I wouldn’t be gone too long, and Henry would be so happy.
    No way. It would be crazy to leave mischievous Henry out with no one to watch him.
    But he’d have a meltdown if I tried to get him back inside the closet.
    What to do? Lily and Dad would be back soon.
    That was when I spied Eleanor running her hands over my computer keyboard. That was when I had my great idea.
    The line to get into Midnight Manor snaked all the way to the arcade.
    â€œWe’ve been here twenty minutes and barely moved,” Miranda Rich complained to us as we arrived and took our place in line behind her. Avery Apolito, Luke Goldberg, Garrett Moscato, and Nate Liu stood together toward the middle of the line.
    â€œI’m talking to David.” Lily hurried to find her cousin, who was working at the haunted house this summer.
    The rest of us watched the tourists line up to play games of chance.
    â€œThat one’s new,” I said, pointing to the nearest booth. A teenage boy with shaggy hair and a peelingsunburn monitored a softball toss. Three milk bottles were stacked in a pyramid atop a platform. The object was to knock all three bottles down with one throw of the ball.
    â€œI’ve been watching it,” Luke reported. “It doesn’t seem like a trick. You just have to whack the bottles at the right spot to make them all fall.”
    We discussed strategies. Many games on the boardwalk were designed to be nearly impossible to win. We all knew the darts had blunt tips and the balloons were underfilled, making the chance of popping them almost zero. And we stayed away from the basketball throw, because the hoops were slightly oval instead of round. No way a ball was going in.
    â€œLook at that big green bear!” Avery squealed, waving at the grand prize hanging from the ceiling of the softball-toss booth. “That’s probably the best prize on the boardwalk.”
    â€œThat’s not one of the cheapo ones,” Luke agreed.
    â€œLook how cute its face is!” Avery exclaimed. “And it’s even bigger than I am.”
    â€œMaybe we should hang you up as a prize,” Garrett teased.
    â€œI’d be an excellent prize.” Avery was at least six inches shorter than all of us, but she didn’t care. She was a gymnast, and gymnasts needed to be tiny to do all those