Read Online Alexis and the Missing Ingredient by Coco Simon - Free Book Online

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 isn’t the way to go, I thought suddenly.
    â€œMaybe we should get an assortment?” offered Mr. Cruz, interrupting my math reverie.
    â€œOh yes, Dad! But . . . let’s let Katie order them, okay? Since she’s the expert.”
    â€œAbsolutely,” agreed Mr. Cruz.
    I glanced at Ava to see how she’d handle this, and her brow was a little wrinkled. “I’ve never been here. I think I read about it, maybe. I can’t believe I’ve never been, though!” She seemed astounded by the fact Katie knew about it and she, the native New Yorker, did not.
    â€œDon’t worry, Ava, there are thousands of places I’ve never been in this city,” said Mr. Cruz comfortingly. “It’s so hard to stay on top of all the new stuff cropping up all the time.”
    â€œYeah, but I can’t believe I’ve never been!” said Ava.
    â€œHey, now you’re here! Don’t worry about it!” said Mia, joking, but it seemed to irritate Ava.
    â€œWell, I would have thought you might have—”
    I could sense trouble brewing, so I used my old trick again. “Hey, look! Taylor Swift!” And everyone turned again for a nanosecond and then started laughing.
    â€œYou’re like the boy who cried wolf!” said Katie, shaking her finger at me.
    â€œYeah, I’m the girl who cried Taylor!” 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 we’d 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 Khalil’s predictions in-depth. “I wonder how Emma’s doing,” I said.
    â€œOh, yeah. Poor Emma with all those boys,” Katie said with a moan.
    â€œWell . . . except Matt,” I cautioned, since I havea huge crush on Emma’s older brother.
    â€œRight! Except Matt,” amended Katie. “Sorry.”
    â€œAnd Sam!” called Mia from up in her bed. Sam is the oldest in Emma’s family, and a supercutie.
    We all laughed.
    â€œAnd Sam,” agreed Katie. “Oh, and that little Jakie is so adorable, we really can’t forget him!”
    â€œOh, for goodness’ sake, will you all please stop talking about people I don’t know?” 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. “Sorry, Avy,” said Mia. “Sometimes we forget.”
    â€œI don’t think we talk about people you don’t know all the time. Just occasionally, and then only by accident or necessity,” said Katie quietly.
    I agreed with Katie. Ava was being overly sensitive, but I didn’t want this to turn into a fight. I had thought three would be a tricky number, but now I could see that numbers don’t have much to do with anything. It all depended on who was in your threesome or foursome.
    â€œIt’s just, none of us has any brothers, not counting Dan,” I said. Dan was Mia’s newish stepbrother. “So we’re kind of fascinated by the Taylors.” Ithought maybe if I explained it a little, it wouldn’t seem so exclusive.
    â€œYeah, well, I do have a brother, and I do not find him fascinating,” said Ava crankily.
    â€œWhat’s your brother’s name?” I asked Ava.
    â€œChristopher,” she said.
    â€œOlder or