Coco shoved the door wide and announced, “Mommy says dinner’s ready. It’s lasagna and Eliz—I meanMadison, you’re invited.”
Madison jumped up. “I would love to have lasagna at your house.” And then she sent him a look that dared him to come up with some reason she shouldn’t go.
Not a chance. Karin was matchmaking and Coco was starstruck. And Madison seemed more than willing to go with the flow. Who was he to say no? “Well, all right, then.” He stood, too.
“Hurry up,” said Coco, getting bossy now things were going her way. “Mommy says right now.”
* * *
Madison loved the house next door. It was as open and welcoming as the cottage, but a lot bigger, with comfortable furniture that invited a person to relax and stay awhile.
Both floors had full kitchens and large living areas, with tall windows framing the beach and the ocean. There were three bedrooms upstairs and four bedrooms down.
She met Otto Larson. Sten’s father was tall and lean, with a slight potbelly, thinning sandy hair and a lived-in face. “Pleased to meet you,” he said in a shy, courtly way, taking her hand and pressing it between his two leathery paws.
Karin Killigan had wild dark hair like Coco’s, a warm smile and just enough of a snarky attitude to make Madison feel at home.
They ate in the downstairs kitchen. As they shoveled in the pasta, yummy garlic bread and green salad, Coco told a rambling story about falling down at recess. “I had to go the nurse’s office and gettwoBand-Aids to make it all better,” she finished breathlessly, rising from the table and rolling up her jeans to show them off. The Band-Aids in question were bright yellow and neon pink, respectively, one on each scratched-up little knee.
Benjamin discussed his latest school science project and the book he’d decided to write about the life cycle of the razor clam. “Razor clams are highly sensitive to vibrations,” he explained. “They can tell when a predator is coming just from that—the vibrations in the sand. Razor clams have very muscular feet and can propel themselves up or down in the sand to escape an attack. My book will have illustrations. I will draw them myself. I think it’s going to be quite good, I really do.”
Madison asked, “Have you ever eaten a razor clam?”
“Of course. They grow big here, not like the skinny ones on the East Coast. We get them with clam guns.”
Karin laughed. “Not what you’re thinking. A clam gun is actually a big piece of PVC pipe with a handle. You wiggle the pipe into the sand and bring up the clam inside the pipe.”
“You should go razor clamming, Madison,” said Ben. “You can come with us Saturday.”
“Yes!” Coco clapped her little hands. “Madison, youhaveto come.”
“It’s not far,” coaxed Karin.
Madison slid a glance at Sten, who was seated to her left, to see if he was going to try to convince her that going clamming with his family was a bad idea.
He surprised her. “You’ll love it,” he said. And then he just kept looking at her. She gazed right back at him and never wanted to look away.
“We go at low tide,” Ben announced. “Saturday, that will be at 5:57 p.m. But we want to get there two hours before the tide is lowest, so we leave in the afternoon.”
“And it’s really fun,” Coco put in. “Except sometimes it’s cold and it takes too long and I always have to promise I won’t be a baby.”
From down at one end of the table, Otto added quietly, with considerable dry humor, “We all go, together. Sten, too. I do hope you’ll join us, Madison.”
Reluctantly, Madison broke the hold of the mutual eye-seduction she and Sten had going on. “I would love to go clamming on Saturday.”
“You’ll need a license,” said Ben. “You can get one online and print the receipt to use for Saturday. The real license will come in the mail.”
That sounded complicated. “How about if I just observe?”
“Yes, you can,” declared Ben.
After dinner, Ben wandered off to his room and Karin reminded Coco it was time for her bath.
“I know. I’m going—Madison, thank you for having dinner at my house.”
“Thank you for inviting me. I had a wonderful time.”
“Saturday, I will bring Spot it! and my rubber band ring kit. We can stay in the truck and play if we get all cold and tired.”
