Annie's Answer Read Online Free Page A

said,
sounding a bit perturbed.
    “Annie will
make it,” Nathan said, trying to sound patient but not quite succeeding. “We
talked about her last night.”
    “My
babysitter,” Aunt Mattie said in a disapproving voice. She turned and looked
Annie up and down with laser-sharp eyes behind bright blue-rimmed glasses.
“Kind of little, isn’t she?”
    “Small but
mighty,” Annie said, determined not to be intimidated by the older woman.
    “Be nice, Aunt
Mattie,” Nathan said. “Annie is here to make your lunch and keep you
entertained.”
    “I’ll put the
coffee on,” Annie said, hoping she could figure out the complicated new
appliance on the counter.
    “None of those
fancy flavors for me,” Aunt Mattie said. “I like coffee that tastes like
coffee, not dessert. Black as sin and no sugar or nasty substitutes.”
    “I’m sure
Annie can brew a good cup,” Nathan said, opening one of the many cupboards to
show her a large assortment of beans and ground coffee. “I’ll be in court most
of today, so you won’t be able to reach me. Is there anything I can do before I
leave, Aunt Mattie?”
    “Just close
the door on the way out,” the older woman said. “I’ve been on my own for nearly
seven years, and I can take care of myself.”
    While Annie
figured out the coffee maker, Aunt Mattie thumped to the front door for a few
more words with Nathan. She didn’t know what he said to her, but his aunt
looked a little less ferocious when she came back to the kitchen.
    “So, I guess
we have to put up with each other,” Mattie said. “Have you done this sort of
work before?”
    “I started
babysitting with neighborhood kids when I was thirteen, but you’re my first
senior,” Annie said, picking out the most traditional looking package of ground
coffee. “Is this okay?”
    Mattie took it
and read the label before giving her the go-ahead. “Real Colombian with none of
those silly flavors added.”
    She sat down
at the table and watched with eagle eyes while Annie measured the grounds into
a paper filter and followed the directions she found taped on the inside of the
cupboard door. Apparently she wasn’t the only one who found the black plastic
coffeemaker a little confusing to use.
    Under Aunt
Mattie’s watchful eyes, she was beginning to miss her babysitting days, even
the time one of the Miller twins hit her over the head with a plastic bat.
    “Well, I’m not
a baby, and I don’t need a sitter,” Mattie said after a few moments of silence.
“But Nathan insists, so we’ll both have to make the best of it. What are you
supposed to do for me?”
    “Whatever you
like,” Annie said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. “For now, can I fix
your breakfast? What would you like?”
    “The day
hasn’t dawned when I can’t feed myself,” the older woman said.
    “I’m sure
you’re perfectly capable,” Annie said, trying to be as diplomatic as possible.
“But since Mr. Sawyer is paying me to hang around, I need something to do.”
    “So you don’t
like being idle? I thought you’d be some young thing who’d spend the day
watching soap operas on the television.”
    Annie didn’t
bother to contradict her. She wasn’t going to be confrontational, no matter how
much the woman baited her. If her job at Yum Yum’s had taught her one thing, it
was to listen but not argue. She didn’t for one moment believe the customer was
always right, but courtesy won more battles than sharp retorts.
    “Let’s see
what’s in here,” Annie said, opening a double-doored fridge as large as the one
at the restaurant. “Plenty of eggs. How do you like them? Scrambled, fried,
boiled? I could try a cheese omelet, but I can’t promise it will turn out
well.”
    “Oatmeal.”
    “I beg your
pardon?” Annie said, the word muffled because her head was deep in the fridge.
    “I always have
oatmeal for breakfast,” Mattie said, seating herself at the table. “With whole
milk, none of that watery stuff, and a