Girls Only! Read Online Free

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    An hour later, Livvy and her dad were waiting in line at the only fast-food place in town. “What’re you gonna order?” she asked, hoping that his appetite might be returning to normal.
    “Probably a milk shake.”
    “Daddy! You’ve been working hard all day. You need something real to eat.”
    He chortled. “Real, eh?”
    “You know what I mean. I don’t want you to fade away to nothing. Please, won’t you eat a sandwich?”
    His cheeks flinched, and for the first time in weeks he put his arm around her. “I’ll think about it, kiddo.”
    When they got up to the window, she was pleased to hear her dad order a cheeseburger and fries. Her hopes were high for a similar response to her personal skating revue. If she could just divert his attention long enough to retrieve her skates from the car, lace up, and claim center ice.
    That’s when she thought of talkative Mrs. Newton atthe fabric shop. “Can we window shop a little?” she asked as they located a table for two.
    Her father groaned at the request. “You know how shopping affects me.” He began to massage his temples. “I feel a migraine coming on.”
    “We’ll just look, I promise.”
    He shook his head as if to say, “This is hopeless.” “Honest, Dad. I won’t buy a thing!”
    She waited, but he said no more. Encouraged, she assumed that his silence was a yes. She could hardly wait. “The Cloth Mill’s nearby. It’s a fabric shop.”
    “Fabric?”
    “You know, to make outfits.”
    He frowned. “What outfits?”
    “New school clothes, for one.” She didn’t dare mention skating costumes. Not yet.
    Nodding, he continued to nibble on his cheeseburger.
    Livvy didn’t want to distract him from his food. But she did want to get him thinking about the Cloth Mill. She could only hope that Mrs. Newton was working tonight.
    “I could use some new tops for school,” she said. “I made a couple last fall. Mom and I—”
    “We can afford to buy ready-made clothing,” he interrupted.
    “But, Dad, I—”
    “There’s no need for you to sew.” His voice cracked, and when he reached to crumple their trash, Livvy saw that his hand was shaking.
    So her plan was shot.
    She didn’t say a word about the fabric store again. And she didn’t bother to show him the skating rink, either.
    Pointless!

Dreams on Ice
    Chapter Six
    Br-r-ring!
    The clock alarm jangled her awake. Livvy slammed her hand down on the turn-off button.
    Ah . . . peace. She was tempted to lie back and snooze. Instead, she sat up and stretched.
    Five o’clock seemed horribly early in Colorado. She had been getting up before dawn ever since grade-school days. Why was it so hard today?
    Leaning back on her pillows, she stared past the tall windows at the opposite end of her spacious room. Sheer yellow curtains allowed her to see out into the blackness, thanks to the faint porch light below.
    She craned her neck forward, looking and wondering. Why is it so dark here?
    Getting up, she tiptoed to the stairs, heading to thethird floor. Soon it would be the studio loft. Once her dad finished the main part of the house, he planned to do some major work on his artist’s getaway. Private and quaint, it was the ideal spot for his creativity.
    She noticed his wall clock, the shape of an easel. Listening, she could hear its gentle clicking.
    5:07 A.M. Same time as her clock.
    Hurrying back to her room, she stood at the window. A dense cloud cover was the reason for the darkness. It was impossible for the sun to shine through. The weather matched her mood. This was to be her first skating day in Podunk town. A skating session on her own. Could she pull it off?
    ----
    The mini mall was nearly deserted, except for a few early-morning walkers. Mostly older people, she guessed.
    While doing her stretching exercises, she caught sight of two women. They looked closer to her mother’s age than the others and chattered almost as fast as her cockatiel. But they didn’t notice Livvy near the