Freestyle with Avery Read Online Free Page A

talking to Andie at the store … c’mon … she and Kazie coming over for dinner?”
    Dad got a funny look on his face. He took a sip of coffee and played with his spoon. “Avery, there’s no surprise party. It really is just Andie and Kazie coming over for dinner … a dinner party.”
    The excited smile slipped off my face, but I tried my very best to keep smiling, so Dad wouldn’t know I was a teeny-tiny bit disappointed. (And a teeny-tiny bit embarrassed, too.) “Well don’t you think we should invite Robbie and Bonnie and Kimberly? Ooh, and what about the other people who work at ATS? I mean, if we’re having a dinner party and all?”
    Dad sat up and looked me straight in the eye. “I need to talk to you about something. I’ve been
meaning
to talk to you, but I wanted to wait until you were here … in person. Avery, Andie isn’t just the manager of my store.” Dad took a deep breath. “Andie is the woman I’m seeing.”
    It took a moment for this news to sink in. “You mean, like, your
girlfriend
?” I said the word slowly. Hearing it sounded just as strange as saying it.
    “I—I’ve been seeing Andie for some time, Avery. I like her a lot … and I hope that you’ll like her too,” Dad explained. I looked over at Tommy and Kimberly cuddling in their booth and suddenly pictured Dad and Andie doing the same thing.
WEIRD TO THE MAX.
    “Her daughter Kazie’s a great boarder, just like you. I have a feeling you two will be best friends in no time,” he added. I remembered the BSG and secretly thought,
I’m not really looking for any more best friends.
    “Does Mom know about Andie? Do Tim and Scott?”
    Dad made an “iffy” face. “Well … I’ve told Mom, and she’s totally fine with it. She said if I liked Andie, she was sure Andie was a nice person. But Tim and Scott don’t know yet. Do you think I should tell them over the phone?”
    I shrugged. “Whatever. If you want.” How was Isupposed to know how to tell them? Was there a rule for this type of thing? Maybe he had to tell us because he wanted Andie to stick around for a long time.
How
long was the question. “So are you two going to get married or what?” I asked him.
    Dad spewed coffee out of his mouth and all over the counter. He coughed and wiped himself off. “Avery, I’ve only been dating her for three months.”
    “So then you’re
not.
”
    “Avery …” Dad was usually kind of a chatterbox like me. It was strange to see him like this … not really knowing what to say. Well that was okay. I didn’t really know what to say either.
    “Avery, I have no idea what the future will be. I like spending time with Andie. She’s nice and fun to be with. Plus Kazie’s a great kid. She works at the store on the weekends.”
How many times is Dad going to bring up this Kazie character?
I wondered. I used to work at the store when I came to visit. Would Dad even need my help if he had Kazie around?
    “Do you want to talk more about this, Ave?” asked Dad.
    I looked at Dad like he was crazy. “Talk about it? Dad, the Snurfer Competition is only a few days away! Don’t you think we have much more important things to talk about? Like what kind of jumps I should do, and what time we’re going to hit the slopes tomorrow, and when I’m going to get to meet Donnie Keeler, and—”
    “S’cuse me, Avery. Your burgers are all ready,” Bonnie announced, sliding two plates in front of me and Dad.
    The burgers were thick and juicy on homemade sesame buns. On each of our plates were a small mountain ofpotato wedges and a little bowl of coleslaw.
    “This looks unbelievable, Bonnie. Another masterpiece,” Dad raved.
    “Yeah, thanks,” I chimed, but instead of digging in, I just stared at the burger. For some reason, I had suddenly lost my appetite.
    I was tired out by the time we got back to Dad’s. I showered, changed into my PJs, and snuggled up with Marty in my bed. Then I suddenly remembered what I’d promised my friends