Pish Posh by Ellen Potter Read Free Book Online Page B

grave,” Annabelle’s father said, shaking his head. Then he winked at Clara and pinched Annabelle’s nose and went back inside.
    â€œSo, Clara,” Annabelle said, “will you come back to visit me again?”
    â€œPossibly,” Clara said. She adjusted her sunglasses. As she walked down the stairs, she began to feel better. Much better. Miraculously, the summer flu had instantly left her body.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    E very table at the Pish Posh restaurant was occupied that very table at the Pish Posh restaurant was occupied that evening, as usual. Clara sat at her little round table in the back, trying hard to focus on ferreting out the Nobodies, but she kept thinking about Dr. Piff. Pish Posh was different without him. You wouldn’t think his absence would matter so much since Dr. Piff was such a quiet and plain man. But somehow Pish Posh seemed a little less glittery and fabulous when he wasn’t there.
    You have failed to notice a most peculiar and mysterious thing that is happening right under your nose.
    Clara thought about Dr. Piff’s words again and gazed around the restaurant. What could be so peculiar and mysterious?
    Her eye caught Mavis Von Mavis, the famous artist, who was eating at a table in the corner with someone whose portrait she had been painting. Mavis Von Mavis held up a brussels sprout and cried, “This is the exact shade of green I will use for your face!” Then she dropped the brussels sprout into her bra for safekeeping, while the woman whose face was going to be painted brussels-sprout green looked decidedly unhappy.
    Mavis Von Mavis was certainly peculiar. But so were many of the other customers at Pish Posh.
    Just then the restaurant’s door opened and in walked Ms. Blurt, dressed in a purple velvet pantsuit. Cinching her waist was a shiny red belt with the words SASSY LADY ... SASSY LADY .. SASSY LADY ... printed all around it. She had attempted to tame her light brown curls by pinning them up here and there, but the effect was that she looked as though she had clumps of caramel corn stuck to her head.
    Oh, no, Clara thought, I forgot all about Ms. Blurt!
    Up front, Clara’s mother was staring at Ms. Blurt with wide, incredulous eyes. Ms. Blurt said something to her, and Lila looked down at the reservation book, then shook her head vigorously.
    Clara got up to explain the situation to her mother, and the moment she rose, all conversation stopped and every eye in the restaurant turned to her in dread. Everyone thought she had found a Nobody.
    â€œYou are not in our book, Ms. Blah,” Lila Frankofile was saying.
    â€œBlurt,” Ms. Blurt corrected her. “Clara Frankofile invited me to dine here tonight.” Her voice resounded loudly in the silence.
    â€œIs this true, Clara?” Lila Frankofile looked appalled, and some of the customers murmured, “Clara Frankofile invited that to Pish Posh? Impossible!” and “She looks just like a stick of grape chewing gum in that outfit.”
    Ms. Blurt blushed to nearly the same shade of red as her Sassy Lady belt and looked at Clara helplessly. Clara hesitated. Ms. Blurt was so obviously a Nobody. In fact, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who was more a Nobody than Ms. Blurt. What would everyone think if Clara admitted that she’d personally invited Ms. Blurt to Pish Posh? Clara opened her mouth, then closed it, cleared her throat, and looked down at the floor.
    â€œI guess I must have misunderstood, ” Ms. Blurt said finally. She gave her belt a sad little tug and turned to leave.
    â€œWait,” Clara said to Ms. Blurt. Then to her mother, “It’s true. I invited her to have dinner at the restaurant tonight.”
    â€œClara, how could you?!” Lila was aghast. “And in any case, we are completely full. There’s not a table to spare.”
    â€œShe’ll dine at my table,” Clara said decisively.
    â€œImpossible!” Lila