Sink or Swim by Laura Dower Read Free Book Online Page A

today had been such nonstop action. Couldn’t Eliot just sit and play nicely while she spent more time hanging out, talking to her friends?
    Eliot was tugging at Madison’s shorts again. “Wanna go to pool,” he said assertively. “Come on.”
    Madison grabbed his wrist, and the two walked over to the kiddie-pool area. The pool wasn’t very deep, but it looked hazardous all the same. There were dozens of toddlers and moms and brothers and sisters, and everyone was splashing at the exact same time.
    In other words, Madison thought, it was the one place on the planet she didn’t want to be.
    And into the pool they went.
    Madison helped Eliot put on an inflatable water float that looked like a little horsey. He looked cute when he wasn’t yelling at her.
    They walked down to an area near the wading pool steps. Eliot and another little girl got into a mini-splash fight. Madison broke it up when the girl splashed her.
    “Eliot, let’s swim,” Madison suggested. “The water’s a little deeper over there.” It was about three feet deep. Eliot kicked and dog-paddled his way over with Madison behind him. The horsey kept him afloat.
    “This is fun,” Eliot said when they’d been in the water a few minutes.
    Madison laughed to herself. It was a lot of fun, she thought, apart from the noise, aggravation, heat, and wet.
    And Eliot was enjoying himself. He’d stopped fussing at last.
    Soon they got a little tired and went back into the shallower part. Eliot took off his inflatable horsey and picked up a plastic boat he wanted to try out. They launched it from the side of the wading pool. By now some people had left the water, so there was more room to play. Madison began to enjoy Eliot—and her job. She also wanted to make sure Eliot stayed safe.
    “Hey, let’s put horsey back on,” Madison suggested, fastening it around his body again. Eliot dunked himself and his boat into the pool and laughed.
    “Giddyap, horsey!” he said.
    From across the pool, Madison saw Egg and Drew strutting around the pool area, arms overflowing with towels. They had laundry duty today. Egg saw Madison looking and stuck out his tongue. She stuck hers out, too.
    Splash!
    Madison turned back around again to see what Eliot was doing. But he wasn’t in the water anymore. He had jumped up onto the main pool deck and glanced back as if to say, “Wheee! I’m free!”
    “Eliot!” Madison yelled. “What are you doing? Come back here, Eliot.”
    “No!” he yelled, laughing. He started to skip away. “No, no, no!”
    “STOP THAT KID!” Madison yelled.
    She nearly landed flat on her face as she jumped out of the pool after him.

Chapter 6
    “I DON’T THINK SO!” Hart said as he grabbed Eliot and held him close.
    Madison scampered over to where Hart and Eliot stood, a few yards from the kiddie pool.
    “Oh—thanks—Hart—Eliot—why?” Madison was breathless.
    Hart smiled. “This little guy’s fast.”
    “Fast!” Eliot repeated. “FAST!”
    Madison quickly looked around to see if Mrs. Reed had seen what happened. She was over by the snack shop, holding Becka and chatting with another mom.
    Whew.
    Madison wiped her brow dramatically and tried grabbing Eliot’s hand, but he started to wiggle away again.
    Hart leaned down and grabbed Eliot’s plastic horsey. Hart reeled him in.
    “So you want the tickle monster, huh?” Hart said to Eliot. “Well, that’s what you’ll get, then!”
    Eliot looked like he might cry, and Madison prepared herself for the worst. But when Hart tickled him behind his knees and by his armpits, he began to squeal with delight.
    “Stop! Stop! Ahhh!” Eliot was laughing so hard that his nose started running.
    “Now you laugh ?” Madison moaned. She told Hart about the morning’s experiences. “Hey, Eliot, why don’t you laugh for me?” Madison said playfully.
    Of course, she was only half kidding.
    Why hadn’t he laughed for her?
    Egg and Drew walked over. Their arms were still filled with