Living with Jackie Chan by Jo Knowles

Author:Jo Knowles [Knowles, Jo]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780763667160
Publisher: Candlewick
Published: 2013-09-09T22:00:00+00:00

Stella, Larry, and I spend the rest of the week getting the kids in shape. On Friday, Larry plans a ceremony for the parents to come to, and the students demonstrate the moves they’ve learned. They’re not ready for their yellow belts yet, but you can bet all of them are begging their parents to sign them up for classes now. This is how Larry stays in business, I’m sure.

Larry gives all the kids special little trophies for their efforts. He calls each one to the front of the room, and when they bow to him to receive their reward, I have to admit, it’s pretty cute.

After class, Larry says he’s taking us out for dinner to thank us for helping him all week.

Stella looks uneasy. “I’m not sure,” she says, fingering her cell phone.

“Give me that thing,” Larry says, pulling it away. “You’re always racing over to check it. Who are you messaging, anyway? Friends? A boyfriend?”

“None of your business.”

“But you’ll come?”

“I’m not sure . . . I told Britt . . .”

Larry rolls his eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with letting your karate instructor take you out for a thank-you dinner. Tell him I have a girlfriend, and anyway, I’m not a pervert.”

She slaps him lightly. “Britt doesn’t think that.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

She glances over at me. “Nothing. It’s just . . . Never mind. You’ll think it’s stupid.”

Larry looks shocked. “I would never!”

“We have a phone date every night.”

Larry’s mouth drops open. “TMI!”

“Not phone sex! God, Larry. Just . . . to talk.”

Larry makes a big deal of sighing with relief. “I’m sure Britt can miss one little phone date. Can’t he?”

I doubt it.

“Stop saying his name like that,” Stella says.

Larry sighs dramatically again. “I can’t help it!”

I stifle a laugh.

Stella shakes her head at us, then shoves her phone in her bag. “Fine. Take us to dinner. I hope you have a lot of cash, because you just convinced me to order the most expensive thing on the menu.”

“Yay!” Larry hugs her.

We walk a few blocks to this cool Spanish place that serves tapas, and Larry orders a bunch of things for us to try. Every dish is incredible. Larry makes a big deal of trying to come up with new ways to describe each one and makes Stella and me crack up.

But every five minutes or so, Stella checks her phone, and I can tell it’s driving Larry nuts.

“What does he text you, anyway?” Larry asks.

“Oh, nothing,” Stella says. She flips her phone closed and puts it back in her bag.

“Come on, tell me one thing.”

Stella blushes. “No. It’s private.”

“Does he say he loves you?”

“Sure.”

“Does he say . . . Hope you’re having fun?”

Stella looks at me.

“Drop it, Lar,” I say.

He throws up his hands. “OK, OK. I’m sorry, Stell. We can’t always choose who we fall in love with. Love is a crazy thing.”

He glances from me to Stella in an embarrassingly obvious way. He just can’t seem to help himself.

“Speaking of love,” Stella says, “how are things going with your girlfriend?”

Larry gets all dreamy.

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