The Truth About Stacey by Ann M. Martin Read Free Book Online

the food. Claudia gave Jamie a paper crown to wear while he ate. When twenty minutes was up, we returned the food to the kitchen. Then the games began. Charlotte wouldn’t join in musical rug or the egg races, but she did enter the mask contest. Claudia had just finished awarding prizes for the masks (we had decided that each of the kids should win a prize) when the phone rang.
    â€œKristy!” Charlie called from the kitchen. “Phone! It’s Mr. Newton!”
    â€œAughh!” shrieked Kristy.
    â€œJamie, it’s Daddy!” I cried. “Come on!”
    The entire party ran into the kitchen. Charlie made a fast getaway.
    Kristy grabbed up the phone. “Hello? Mr. Newton? … She did? … She
did?
Oh, that’s great! It’s super! … How much? … Wow…. Yeah, sure. Here he is.” Kristy handed the phone to Jamie. “Your daddy wants to talk to you.”
    Jamie took the receiver and held it to his ear.
    â€œSay hello,” prompted Kristy.
    â€œHello. Daddy? … Fine. We’re having aparty…. Okay…. Okay…. Okay…. Bye.”
    Kristy took the phone back. “When do you think you’ll be home?” she asked Mr. Newton. “Oh, okay. Well, we’ll give Jamie dinner. You can pick him up anytime…. You’re welcome. And congratulations! Bye.”
    Kristy hung up the phone and faced us.
    â€œWhat is it? What is it? What
is
it?” I cried.
    â€œIt’s a—”
    â€œGirl,” supplied Jamie quietly.
    We all began shrieking.
    â€œShe weighs nine pounds,” added Kristy, “and her name is Lucy Jane.”
    More shrieking.
    In the midst of the noise and excitement, I realized that Jamie was gone. I dashed out of the kitchen and checked the bathroom. No Jamie. Frantically, I ran through the first floor of the Thomases’ house. I found him in the laundry room sitting next to Louie, crying.
    I stepped in and sat beside him on the floor. “What’s wrong, Big Brother?” I asked.
    â€œThe baby’s here.”
    â€œAnd you wanted a boy instead of a girl, right?”
    Jamie shrugged.
    â€œDon’t you like her name? I think Lucy is a pretty name.”
    â€œIt’s okay.”
    â€œIt’s a big change, huh?”
    Jamie nodded.
    â€œYour family will be different.”
    â€œYup,” said Jamie. “And that’s not all.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œSomething else will be different. There will be lots of changes.”
    â€œWhat else will be different?” I asked.
    â€œKristy can’t baby-sit me anymore.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” That cold feeling crept into my stomach again.
    â€œMommy called a girl and said, ‘We need an older sitter for the new baby.’”
    â€œWas the girl named Liz Lewis?” I whispered.
    â€œI think so. But … but …” Jamie’s tears started to fall again. “I want
Kristy
!”
    I pulled Jamie into my lap and sat with him for a while. Louie leaned against me and looked at us with mournful eyes.
    I tried to be calm and rational. Jamie was just three years old. He had only overheard one end of a phone conversation. He wasn’t even sure that Liz Lewis was the name he had overheard. Furthermore, just because Mrs. Newton had talked to someone about finding older sittersdidn’t mean she wasn’t going to use the Babysitters Club anymore.
    So why did I feel as if an ice chest were sitting in my stomach?
    I knew why. It was because it made sense that Mrs. Newton would want someone older to take care of a newborn baby. And Liz Lewis and Michelle Patterson could provide that for her.
    The Baby-sitters Club couldn’t.
    Still, I felt that Mrs. Newton was being a traitor. After all, Kristy was Jamie’s favorite baby-sitter, and the rest of the members of our club were the Newtons’ other regular sitters. We could handle caring for an infant. We were very