The Next Great Jane by K. L. Going

Author:K. L. Going [Going, K. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2020-05-19T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

On Tuesday, Mom and Erik picked me up after school, and Mom insisted that we try to drive our way out of the gray fog that had saturated the landscape for days, so thick, you could hardly see through it. She was certain that if we went far enough inland, the clouds would eventually break and we’d find a patch of sunlight.

Or a mall. Mom was fine with either outcome.

So we spent that night walking around a mind-numbing box of corporate advertising, with Mom forcing me to try on clothes I’d never wear. She ended up buying me jeans that were too tight, shirts that were too loose, shoes that had heels, and a whole lot of makeup. Blech. The only good thing we bought was my dress for Kitty’s music video. We picked a simple black dress because Mom said those were useful for every occasion. I had to admit, Dad never could have managed that task.

Wednesday I begged off, saying I had homework. Very time-consuming homework that would take me all week to complete. But that didn’t stop Mom and Erik from showing up Thursday afternoon, right after I’d gotten home from school.

The fog had turned into rain and it was coming down hard, pounding on the roof of the B&B, blowing in gusts against the windows. I was doing my homework at the kitchen island while Ana vacuumed the living room, so I didn’t hear the rental car pull up in the driveway.

Mom and Erik let themselves in without knocking. Erik’s arms were full of huge plastic bags filled with various-shaped boxes. They stamped their feet to get the wet leaves off their boots and hung up their dripping raincoats by the front door.

“Phew,” Erik said. “It’s a real deluge out there. Feels almost like a repeat of that hurricane, eh Jane?”

I shrugged just as Ana walked in. She stopped abruptly. Her hair was pulled back in a kerchief while she cleaned, but now she tugged it off and shoved it in her back pocket.

“Susan. Erik. What are you two doing here?”

Mom gave her a fake smile. “Ana dear, I keep telling Emmett . . . Jane doesn’t need a babysitter while Erik and I are here. I am, after all, her mother.”

“Perhaps,” Ana said, “although I will point out that Jane’s been home from school for over an hour already.”

“Twelve is plenty old enough to be home alone.” Mom laughed. “I was on my own at a much younger age.”

True, but according to Dad, my grandparents should have been cited for neglect. I didn’t think that was a bar anyone should aim for.

Ana’s lips tightened into a thin line. “What’s in the bags?” she asked, changing the subject.

Erik’s eyes lit up. “Ah-ha! I thought you’d never ask. Follow me!”

We walked through both the kitchen and dining room to reach the spacious living room with the fireplace, the daybed sofa, and the antique desks and trunks. Once we were there, Erik dumped out each bag on the braided rug.

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