In Your Shoes by Donna Gephart

Author:Donna Gephart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2018-10-08T16:00:00+00:00

At the bowling center, Miles’s mom pulled him behind the front counter and ducked down, as though she were on a secret spy mission. “You ready for Pop’s seventy-fifth-birthday party next weekend?”

Miles nodded. He was ready, although he’d need next week to earn about twenty-five more dollars so he’d have exactly the amount needed to give his grandpop the best present ever.

“Good. Let’s go over the plans.” His mom looked toward the snack counter, then ducked a little lower. Even though they were far from where his grandfather was sitting, Miles’s mom whispered. “Mercedes will arrive Thursday, the day before the party.”

Miles couldn’t help grinning. He’d missed his sister since she left for college in August. And he’d never admit it to her, but he was so disappointed when she went skiing in Vermont with her roommate’s family over winter break instead of coming home. Mercedes always managed to calm Miles’s fears and tell him he was being a nincompoop when he worried too much.

“So here’s the plan.” His mom grabbed Miles’s shoulders. “Stick promised to take Pop out for a long dinner at the Dining Car and keep him out so we can get everything ready here at the lanes. Your dad even bought a disco ball to hang for the party.”

“Dad’s weird,” Miles said.

“I know. I thought you and Mercedes could act as lookouts for when they return so we can all leap out and yell ‘Surprise!’ Sound good?”

Miles bit his lower lip. “You think that’ll be okay…for Pop’s heart?”

Miles’s mom stood tall and tousled his hair. “You, my dear son, worry entirely too much.”

“But—”

“I know. I know. But Pop’s been fine since his heart attack. I mean, a little crankier, but fine.”

Miles shrugged. The doctors said his grandpop had lost about 50 percent of the functioning of his heart. That sounded like a lot of functioning to Miles. And a roomful of people yelling at a seventy-five-year-old man who’d had a heart attack seemed like a risky proposition to him. “Maybe we shouldn’t do the yelling part when Pop walks in.”

“Oh, Miles.” His mom gently knocked her hip into his. “Loosen up. That’s the best part of a surprise party.”

Miles nodded, but he knew he’d worry about it before he fell asleep at night. He didn’t understand why his mom wasn’t more worried.

She let out a big breath. “Your grandpop will love having all his friends and family together.”

Miles glanced at his grandfather, bent over a drink, on his special seat at the snack counter. “He will. It’s just that—”

“Miles!” His mom put a hand on his shoulder. “Everything will be fine, and this surprise party should cheer him up.”

“If it doesn’t kill him.”

“Miles!”

He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. “Sorry.”

“He’ll be fine,” she whispered sharply.

“I know.” But will he? “I was only kidding.”

“Come here.”

Miles took a step closer to his mom.

Lane Spagoski enveloped him in a tight hug and swayed back and forth.

As she was smothering him with love, a bunch of his grandpop’s buddies wheeled in.

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