Jill watched her mom split the bacon in half and give a piece to each dog. They chewed once and swallowed, then whined for more. Looking down at the crispy bacon strip on her plate, Jill’s stomach roiled.
“How does Mrs. Smith know about my hand?”
Her mother shrugged. “She probably saw the bandage. She might not come outside, but her house has windows. Anyway, she called this morning to ask if you and J.J. were free. I told her that J.J. had to go to the swim meet, but you could skipit if you’d rather earn some money. Or if you think you can swim well with your hand, then you can swim. It’s up to you.”
Jill hadn’t made it past the second sentence. “Shecalledyou? Like, on the phone?”
“Yes, and she was perfectly pleasant. She even apologized for being such a standoffish neighbor. She has a rare skin condition, which made her very shy, but after trying new medicine, she’s completely cured. She said she doesn’t want to waste another minute hiding in her house, and wants to get to know her neighbors. She’s actually going to the yacht club cocktail party tonight. I’llfinallyget to see what she looks like.”
Jill’s head was spinning.
Mrs. Smith had called her mom.
Mrs. Smith was coming out of her house.
“Another few hours of work, and you’ll be able to buy that typewriter.” Jill’s mom gave her a conspiratorial smile. “We’re both working to get the things we want. Isn’t that great?”
The pleasure of her mother’s approval was intoxicating, and suddenly, Jill was smiling, too. “What time does she want me to start?”
“Whenever you want. You’re supposed to keep track of your hours. If you’d like to do extra work after you finish the flowers, she said to weed the small beds in the back garden. Do you know what she means?”
The spaces between the brick paths, Jill thought.The ones around the woman’s face.
“Charles isn’t swimming in today’s meet, either. I have no idea why, but when I told Mrs. Bernstein about Mrs. Smith’s phone call, she said Charles might come over and hang out with you.” Her mother pulled a face. “Get him to help you. That boy needs to get his hands dirty.”
Before Jill left, her mom wrapped her hand in a clean Acebandage and gave her a new pair of gardening gloves. “We want this to heal before the bar mitzvah. If I sell the McCreedy house, you and I will both get new dresses for the party. How does that sound?”
“Good,” said Jill. For once, she wanted a new dress. She wanted the prettiest dress she could find.
Ever since she heard that Aaron was going to the party, she’d been fantasizing about making him fall for her. She pictured herself stepping onto the dance floor when suddenly, a spotlight would snap on, illuminating her white dress and the white ribbons in her hair. There she’d stand, glowing like Olivia Newton-John inXanadu. All the kids would fall silent, dazzled by her beauty.
In her fantasy, Aaron would surge forward, determined to reach her before anyone else could. While the other kids watched, he’d take her hand and lead her away from the dance floor to a private place where they could still hear the music.
In this secluded nook, Aaron would smile at Jill. He’d tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and whisper, “I’ve liked you forever.”
Then he’d lean over, almost in slow motion, and kiss her. His lips would be soft as velvet. He would taste like sugar.
“Jill!” her mother barked. “Did you hear what I just said?”
Jill shook her head.
“I told you to have peanut butter and jelly and a pear or baby carrots for lunch.No sweets.”
Twenty minutes later, Jill was sitting on the curb in front of Mrs. Smith’s house, planting impatiens. The holes were so close together that no dirt would be visible when she was done, only a sea of pink, white, purple, and red petals.
Jill had finished the first bed and was starting on the second when Charles and his mother exited their house, heading in her direction.
Mrs. Bernstein paused at her mailbox and waved at Jill. “You’re doing alovelyjob.” She shielded her eyes against the sun. “Do you need a drink? It’s awfully hot out today.”
“I have water.” Jill pointed at the orange thermos near her feet.
“Well, Charles will be happy to get you some lemonade if you change your mind. You just say the word. Did your mom tell you when to water the flowers?”
Charles looked like he’d rather be beamed aboard the StarshipEnterprisethan spend another second standing close to Jill while his mother prattled on about the best time of day to water impatiens.
Finally, Mrs. Bernstein seemed to remember the mail. As she reached out to open the mailbox, a sleek convertible came roaring around the last bend in the road and screeched to a stop in front of Mrs. Smith’s driveway. Mrs. Pulaski jumped out of the car. She wore big sunglasses, a cherry-red dress, and lipstick that matched her outfit. Jill thought she looked like a movie star.
Mrs. Pulaski grabbed a plate of cookies from the passenger seat and came over to admire the flower beds. “This looks so nice! I heard that Mrs. Smith wants to meet her neighbors, so I brought her some of my Christmas in July cookies.”
