three bucks, the store was making . . . only $137.50. Hmm. With four people behind the counter and rent and supplies . . . Not great numbers. Maybe opening a cupcake store isnât the way to go, I thought suddenly.
âMaybe we should get an assortment?â offered Mr. Cruz, interrupting my math reverie.
âOh yes, Dad! But . . . letâs let Katie order them, okay? Since sheâs the expert.â
âAbsolutely,â agreed Mr. Cruz.
I glanced at Ava to see how sheâd handle this, and her brow was a little wrinkled. âIâve never been here. I think I read about it, maybe. I canât believe Iâve never been, though!â She seemed astounded by the fact Katie knew about it and she, the native New Yorker, did not.
âDonât worry, Ava, there are thousands of places Iâve never been in this city,â said Mr. Cruz comfortingly. âItâs so hard to stay on top of all the new stuff cropping up all the time.â
âYeah, but I canât believe Iâve never been!â said Ava.
âHey, now youâre here! Donât worry about it!â said Mia, joking, but it seemed to irritate Ava.
âWell, I would have thought you might haveââ
I could sense trouble brewing, so I used my old trick again. âHey, look! Taylor Swift!â And everyone turned again for a nanosecond and then started laughing.
âYouâre like the boy who cried wolf!â said Katie, shaking her finger at me.
âYeah, Iâm the girl who cried Taylor!â I said, and we all laughed. Phew. Crisis avoided. For now, anyway.
CHAPTER 7
Always Prepared
T hank goodness we did not have to get rowdy when we got home. It was actually pretty late, and even Mr. Cruz was tired. He asked us all to get right to sleep, since weâd have another big day tomorrow, Saturday.
Finally, I was lying in the dark, snuggled under the covers and thinking over the day. It had been fun, but I wished Emma had been here to share it all with us. She never would have eaten sashimi, and the two of us would have been able to discuss Madame Khalilâs predictions in-depth. âI wonder how Emmaâs doing,â I said.
âOh, yeah. Poor Emma with all those boys,â Katie said with a moan.
âWell . . . except Matt,â I cautioned, since I havea huge crush on Emmaâs older brother.
âRight! Except Matt,â amended Katie. âSorry.â
âAnd Sam!â called Mia from up in her bed. Sam is the oldest in Emmaâs family, and a supercutie.
We all laughed.
âAnd Sam,â agreed Katie. âOh, and that little Jakie is so adorable, we really canât forget him!â
âOh, for goodnessâ sake, will you all please stop talking about people I donât know?â asked Ava, aggravated. She sat up and fluffed her pillow hard, almost punching it, then she lay back down with a huff.
There was a brief silence. âSorry, Avy,â said Mia. âSometimes we forget.â
âI donât think we talk about people you donât know all the time. Just occasionally, and then only by accident or necessity,â said Katie quietly.
I agreed with Katie. Ava was being overly sensitive, but I didnât want this to turn into a fight. I had thought three would be a tricky number, but now I could see that numbers donât have much to do with anything. It all depended on who was in your threesome or foursome.
âItâs just, none of us has any brothers, not counting Dan,â I said. Dan was Miaâs newish stepbrother. âSo weâre kind of fascinated by the Taylors.â Ithought maybe if I explained it a little, it wouldnât seem so exclusive.
âYeah, well, I do have a brother, and I do not find him fascinating,â said Ava crankily.
âWhatâs your brotherâs name?â I asked Ava.
âChristopher,â she said.
âOlder or
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