Read Online To Have and to Hold by Laura Dower - Free Book Online Page A

sideways into the bookshelf.
    Hart reached out and grabbed Madison’s arm to pull her back.
    “Oh!” Madison let out a little cry of surprise.
    “Don’t fall,” Hart said, smiling.
    All Madison could think was that she shouldn’t fall in love with Hart. She regained her balance and still managed to hide the pink book from him.
    “Actually, I was looking for a book for my mom,” Madison lied.
    “Really?” Hart said, a little distracted.
    Madison realized that he didn’t really care what book she was holding or what book she was looking for. He was just being nice.
    “So where’s Drew today?” Madison asked him.
    “Hanging with Elaine,” Hart said with a grin. “He’s helping set up a computer at her house.”
    “Oh,” Madison said. She stared down at the floor.
    “I think my cousin likes her,” Hart admitted.
    Madison lifted her head and tried to force a smile. “That’s good for him,” she said. “Elaine is nice, isn’t she?”
    “Elaine is like the nicest girl ever—” Hart started to say. “Except for you … and Fiona … and Aimee. Of course.”
    Madison faked a laugh. “Whatever,” she said.
    Hart laughed, too, and ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, whatever,” he said, awkwardly.
    What was with these guys? Madison wondered.
    Aimee reappeared, pirouetting.
    “Guess what?” Aimee said. “Dad says he’ll treat us all to smoothies in the café if you guys want. That way we don’t have to go outside to Freeze Palace and get wet.”
    By now, all the friends had gathered together in a huddle at the back of the store, and it reminded Madison of sitting at the orange table in the back of the lunchroom at FHJH.
    “I want to check out the cyber stations first,” Egg said. “We put our name on the waiting list. Can we get the smoothies after that?”
    “Sure,” Aimee said. “Whenever you want. The key thing is that they’re FREE.”
    “Totally free!” Chet said. “Thanks, Mr. G.”
    Egg laughed out loud. “Gee, Chet, you’re a poet and you don’t even know it. Ha-ha-ha.”
    “Huh?” Chet said. “What are you talking about?”
    Fiona rolled her eyes. “Dork,” she said under her breath.
    The other boys snickered and shuffled off to the computer area of the store.
    “See you later, Finnster,” Hart said.
    Madison smiled. “Later,” she said quietly. She watched him walk away.
    “Maddie,” Aimee whispered. “What’s going on with you and Hart?”
    Madison’s eyes bugged out. “What are you talking about?”
    “You were so flirting with him just now,” Aimee said.
    “I saw it, too,” Fiona added.
    Madison bit her lip. She felt her cheeks growing hotter than hot. “I was not flirting,” Madison said defensively.
    Aimee lifted an eyebrow. “You are the world’s worst liar, Maddie,” she said. “What’s going on?”
    “Yeah, I thought you liked Drew,” Fiona said.
    “What?” Madison cried. “You guys are making this stuff up. This is so not funny.”
    Aimee and Fiona giggled.
    “Oh, Maddie, chill out,” Aimee said.
    “You chill out,” Madison said.
    Fiona poked Madison in the arm. “No, you chill out!”
    “You guys! Quit it!” Madison said, throwing her arms into the air. “I’m going over to the computer stations….”
    “To see someone special?” Aimee teased.
    “ Cut it out !” Madison cried.
    Someone in the next row over hissed, “Shhhhh!”
    “We better shut up,” Aimee said quickly. “Before Dad hears. He’s always saying how noisy I am….”
    Madison made a face and walked away without looking back, not even when she heard her BFFs giggling behind her. She passed by a table of cat and dog calendars and “New Fiction” on her way into the café part of the store.
    No sooner had she entered the “cyber” part of the store than she heard a voice yelling in her direction.
    “Yo, Finnster!”
    Madison gulped. Her girlfriends were this close to discovering the truth about Madison’s crush, and she kept bumping into him in