Carly's Gift Read Online Free

opening.
    â€œMom?” a voice called out.
    Panic gripped Carly.
    â€œAre you upstairs?”
    â€œIt’s Andrea—she can’t see you here.” Carly’s gaze flew to the doorway. Too late.

Two

    â€œWhat’s going on?” Andrea demanded, her mother’s alarm infecting her.
    Carly was the one constant in Andrea’s life. At times her mother’s predictability reached the point of boredom. She was always home when Andrea called, always ready to pick her and her brothers up from school to take them to whatever lessons they had that day or to drive them to the mall on a Saturday. She was the peacemaker of the family, willing to go to any lengths to end an argument or keep one from beginning.
    â€œNothing,” Carly answered. “You startled me, that’s all.” She came toward Andrea, taking her into her arms for a quick hug and kiss. “What are you doing home this time of day? How did you get here? Are you sick?”
    â€œI forgot the permission slip for the field trip and today’s the deadline,” she said, looking past her mother to the stranger. “I tried calling to have you bring it to me, but you didn’t answer the phone so I talked Victor into giving me a ride.” She sent an accusatory glance in Carly’s direction. “Where were you?”
    â€œI had some things I had to do and forgot my cell.” Carly went to the refrigerator, pulled the folded permission slip from under a magnet on the door and handed it to Andrea.
    Andrea’s ponytail fell over her shoulder when she leaned in close and took the paper from her mother. “Who’s he?” she whispered.
    Carly hesitated a fraction too long before answering, triggering a tingling sensation at the back of Andrea’s neck. She had the same kind of feeling she did whenever she walked into a room and the conversation between her mother and father stopped. Even though they always denied it, Andrea knew that they’d been talking about her. Her father hardly ever talked to her directly anymore. Instead he used her mother to tell her things—like when he thought her clothes were too tight or she wasn’t doing things around the house the way he wanted them done.
    Several awkward seconds passed in silence before Carly turned to David. “David, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Andrea.” She turned back to Andrea. “Andrea, this is David Montgomery.”
    Hearing his name, a dozen bits and pieces of information came together and she was able to relax. “I know who you are,” she said, brightening. “You’re the writer who used to live here. Mrs. Rogers talked about you in English the other day. She said you were in her class a long time ago.”
    Mrs. Rogers had said a lot more, even calling Andrea over after the bell and, with a silly grin, asking to be remembered to Mr. Montgomery when he visited her parents. Andrea must have looked as confused as she felt because when she didn’t answer right away, Mrs. Rogers started mumbling an apology, saying how she’d just assumed Mr. Montgomery would be seeing Andrea’s mom and dad considering how close the three of them had once been. Until then, Andrea hadn’t even known her mother and father knew anybody famous.
    David grinned and ran his hand across his chin. “Does she still whip her glasses on every time she needs to actually see something?”
    Andrea nodded, as much in agreement as in pleasure over having established a connection with him. She’d never talked to anyone even remotely famous before, unless she counted that time she’d seen Chris Evans in a restaurant in Canton and asked him for his autograph. “Did she wear those three-inch spike heels back in your time?”
    Chuckling, David added, “And she always had her hair dyed the most awful-looking blond.”
    â€œOnly it’s shorter now,” Carly joined in as she gave Andrea a