Ghost Town (4 page)

“Now, Patrice. You should respect Katani's ambitions,” Mrs. Fields chided. “Have you ever heard the story of the ant and the grasshopper? The ant works and toils and saves up his food and lives comfortably through the winter. The grasshopper spends all his time chirping and singing and when the winter comes, he has no food saved. Katani is right to think carefully about how to spend her money.”

“Katani, perhaps we can finish this discussion after dinner in the living room,” Mr. Summers suggested.

“Meaning, I'm not going on a dream vacation
and
I'll have to do the dishes, too,” Patrice grumbled. “Unfair.”

“I believe it was your turn to do the dishes anyway.” Mrs. Summers flashed her stern lawyer look at Patrice, who clamped her mouth shut and moved some spinach around her plate with her fork. Nobody talked back to Mrs. Summers.

After the dishes were cleared, Katani and her parents moved to the living room.

“Your father and I appreciate that you have respect for money and that you work hard and save so carefully,” Mrs. Summers began.

“It's very admirable that you have such lofty goals,” Mr. Summers added. “Especially for someone your age.”

“But this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Mrs. Summers continued. “You've worked very hard in school this
year. Don't you think you deserve a nice vacation?”

Katani hadn't been thinking about it that way.

“I don't want to intrude, but I thought I could offer some help.” Mrs. Fields poked her head into the living room.

“Of course, Mom, come on in.” Mrs. Summers motioned Mrs. Fields into the room.

Mrs. Fields dug fifty dollars out of her purse and handed it to her granddaughter.

“Grandma Ruby, no . . . no, thank you. I don't want to take any money from you or Mom and Dad,” Katani said, gently pushing her grandmother's hand back.

“Katani, I am your grandmother. I want to give this money to you. It's an investment,” Mrs. Fields said firmly.

“What?” Katani looked puzzled.

“An investment in your future. I'm banking on my money having great returns,” Mrs. Fields said with a smile.

“I don't understand.”

“Travel is broadening. It's inspiring. It's as necessary for a young up-and-coming designer as money in a savings account,” Mrs. Fields told her.

Katani blushed. It felt good to know that her grandmother believed in her.

“You are going to come back from this experience rejuvenated. They call Montana Big Sky Country, you know. You'll get inspiration from that big sky and the beautiful rolling hills. And the people! The people you'll meet there will be different from folks in Boston.”

“Really? What will they be like?” Katani asked.

“I'll be waiting for you to tell me all about them.” Mrs. Fields smiled.

Katani couldn't help but smile right back.

“All work and no play makes Katani a dull designer, to put my own twist on an old phrase. Your designs should reflect a life full of wonder and adventure. This is an amazing opportunity for you, Katani.
Carpe diem
—seize the day!”

“Besides,” Mr. Summers added. “You're twelve! You're supposed to have fun when you're twelve! There's plenty of time later for you to worry about finances.”

“Like when you have your own daughters in college,” Mrs. Summers added with a laugh.

Kelley came into the room, holding out Mr. Bear to her sister again. “Hey, Katani, Mr. Bear wants to visit the dude ranch with you.”

Katani wasn't sure how Kelley sometimes knew just the right thing to say. She often thought Kelley understood what was going on better than most people.

“So, what do you say? Are you going to Montana?” Mrs. Fields asked.

“Yup!” Katani announced. “I'm going to Montana!”

“Yay!” Kelley cheered. “When are you going?”

“During school vacation.” Katani's eyes widened. “Whoa! That's less than two weeks away!”

“But Katani . . . my horse show is in two weeks!” Kelley cried out. “Katani, you can't go in two weeks. You can't miss the horse show! Wilbur will be so sad.” Wilbur was the horse Kelley rode in the therapeutic riding program at the High Hopes Riding Stable.

Katani hadn't realized until that moment that the two events would overlap. She suddenly felt panicked all over
again. How could she leave Kelley at a time like this? The show was being put together for all of the kids with disabilities at the stable, and Kelley had been looking forward to the whole family being there to see her ride. Plus, Katani had wanted to help out at the event.

“Don't worry. I'll be there, Kelley,” Patrice said from the doorway. Katani wasn't sure how long Patrice had been standing there. “And I'll borrow my friend's video camera. We'll videotape the whole thing, and Katani can watch it when she gets back.”

Kelley still looked a little skeptical.

“You'll see, Kelley. We'll all be there to cheer you on. I bet Candice will even come home from college,” Patrice said, giving Kelley's hand a squeeze. “Katani will be sending you cheers, too . . . all the way from Montana!”

Kelley's grimace slowly turned into a grin. “Okay,” she conceded, “but Katani, you have to watch my Wilbur video the
minute
you get back.”

Whoa! Maeve, slow down,” Avery said between bites. “You lost me somewhere between Cary Grant and mucho spending money.”

“Hey! You're the one who wanted me to hurry up!” Maeve protested. She checked her watch. Yikes! With all their different after-school activities, she was able to get only fifteen minutes with the BSG at Montoya's to brainstorm for the Western Movie Festival.

I guess that's just life when your friends are very busy and important
, Maeve thought to herself with a smug smile.

“Maeve and Isabel need help raising the two hundred dollars for the trip,” Katani explained matter-of-factly. “So we're all going to pitch in by setting up a food table at the Western Movie Festival this weekend.”

“Oh! That does sound cool!” Avery motioned for Maeve to continue.

“As I was saying,” Maeve said, taking a deep, dramatic
breath, “I thought we could have a real hoedown.”

“A hoedown?” Isabel asked. “Isn't that, like, a square dance or something?”

“You know what I mean—a western theme. I loved the way Charlotte decorated her place for the brunch. Imagine the Movie House like that—bales of hay, red bandanas, cowboy hats. Ooh, I have this sequined cowgirl outfit from my dance class that'd be perfect!”

“Maeve, I'm not sure the decorations and costumes are what we should be worrying about right now,” Katani started to say.

The girls exchanged looks as Maeve presented her to-do list with a grand “ta-dah!”

“Maeve, there are like twenty-five different things there,” Charlotte exclaimed.

“I have an idea. Why don't we just stick to snack food?” Isabel suggested. “People love to grab quick snacks at the movies.”

“But . . .” Maeve protested, afraid that her dream of a western hoedown feast was being swept away like popcorn on the Movie House floor.

“Maeve,” Katani said, “the point here isn't to throw a huge party with gourmet food. It's to raise as much money as we can in a short amount of time. So I say we pick things that are cheap and that we can sell for a good profit. And we can all wear bandanas!”

Maeve looked at Katani like she was speaking Greek.

“Trust me, Maeve,” Katani reasoned. “In this case, less is definitely more.”

“Elena Maria makes a great homemade salsa. And
tortilla chips from warehouse stores are always super cheap,” Isabel recommended.

“Great idea!” Avery agreed. “Your sister's salsa rocks!”

“And she also makes the best jalapeño cornbread,” Isabel proudly assured them.

“Hey, I bet my brother would help us. He makes the most awesome cookies and cupcakes,” Avery added.

“Your brother would really do that?” Maeve asked.

Avery nodded slyly. She knew Scott would be willing to help out if he heard Elena Maria was involved. Avery had heard him on the phone with his friend the other day talking about how cute Elena was.

Maeve was still disappointed that she wasn't going to serve ribs and corn on the cob. And even if they couldn't get bales of hay, she was going to wear her cowgirl outfit no matter what. “Okay, it's tutor time. I gotta run,” Maeve announced, gathering her things and zipping her backpack. “Think of some ideas, okay? And thanks so much for your help, everybody. You guys are the best.”

“How are we going to get this all together?” a practical Charlotte asked after Maeve left.

“Hey, we can use my house,” Avery offered. “We have a huge kitchen! Besides, since Scott will be doing the baking, he'll probably want to use the oven he's used to,” she said.

“Good. Okay, so here's what we've got.” Katani read from the list. “Charlotte and I will make flyers and pass them out at school and all around the neighborhood. The first step is to get people to come to the festival so they'll
buy all this food. We will also be in charge of making the world's yummiest lemonade.”

“Scott and Elena Maria could pass out flyers at the high school, too,” Avery suggested.

“Perfect!” Katani made a note. “Avery and Scott will do the grocery shopping before Thursday night.”

Avery nodded. “Elena should probably come, too,” she added.

“And we'll all meet at Avery's on Thursday to bake and get everything organized,” Katani finished, putting the list back on the table.

Isabel looked around at her friends and added, “Thanks, you guys. I really hope this works.”

“It's
going
to work,” Katani promised. “It has to.”

“They live
here
?” Elena Maria gaped as the group rang the bell at Avery's enormous colonial house on Warren Street.

Isabel had been there many times, but she hadn't forgotten the first time she saw the Maddens' house. She knew exactly what her sister was feeling. If Elena thought the outside was impressive, wait until she saw the inside.

“
Buenas noches
,” Carla, the Madden's housekeeper, greeted the girls at the door. “All the BSG are in the kitchen.”

“
Buenas noches
, Carla . . .
gracias
,” Isabel replied with a friendly smile.

“Oh,
wow
,” Elena Maria exclaimed, looking around the huge foyer with its gleaming black-and-white tile floor,
circular staircase, and dazzling chandelier. “I've only seen stuff like this on TV!”

“Wait till you see the kitchen,” Isabel whispered.

“There you are!” Avery called as Isabel and Elena Maria came through the kitchen door.

Isabel heard Elena Maria stifle a gasp. The kitchen looked like something right from the Food Channel. All the latest cooking gadgets were lined up on the marble counters. It was every chef's dream kitchen.

“Hey,” Scott said, turning around and waving right at Elena Maria. Elena gave him a shy smile as she admired the gigantic kitchen.

“Here. Put these on.” Avery handed each of the BSG an apron, while the girls stared back with dropped jaws. “What?! Just because I don't care about dirty clothes doesn't mean I don't believe in aprons!”

Charlotte and Katani, who had been unpacking bags of lemons, tied on their aprons and started juicing for the lemonade. Meanwhile, Maeve organized the other groceries into piles on the counter.

“Here, let me tie the back for you,” Scott offered gallantly as Elena Maria struggled to get her apron on.

Isabel and Avery exchanged knowing glances.

“I can't wait to try your famous salsa,” Scott said as he carefully tied the strings of Elena Maria's apron.

Isabel observed her sister as she eyed the bowls, the ceramic stove top, and the huge stainless steel side-by-side freezer and refrigerator. “This looks like the set of a cooking show,” Elena Maria commented.

Scott laughed a little too enthusiastically. “I wish! How
cool would that be? I'd love to have my own show someday. I'd call it
Scorching with Scott
.”

“Scorching?” Elena Maria raised her eyebrows with a giggle, making Scott turn pink.

“Well, it's a working title.” He chuckled.

Just then Mrs. Madden came through the back door with a stack of pizza boxes and set them on the table in the breakfast nook. “Pizza everyone!” she called out.

“Perfect timing, Mom. I'm starving!” Avery exclaimed as she bounced over to help her mom.

“I thought it was a good idea. I didn't want a kitchen full of hungry cooks eating up all the profits from your fundraiser!” Mrs. Madden said with a grin.

“I wish Aunt Lourdes had a kitchen like this.” Elena Maria sighed as she took a bite of warm chicken-and-broccoli pizza.

“You can come cook in our kitchen anytime,” Scott assured her quickly.

Now Elena Maria was the one to turn pink. She turned her back on the girls and quickly changed the subject. “So, um, how is this convection oven different from a regular oven?” Elena Maria asked Scott.

“Oh, let me show you.” Scott ushered Elena Maria over to the ovens and away from the giggling girls in the breakfast nook.

When they finished their pizza, Isabel and Avery got to work chopping onions and garlic. “So, I'm dying to know the secret to your salsa,” they overheard Scott saying to Elena Maria. The girls tried to listen to the conversation without making it obvious.

“Well, always use fresh tomatoes and fresh hot chili peppers, but the real secret ingredient is . . .” Elena Maria leaned close and whispered into Scott's ear. Avery nudged Isabel. Izzy, who disliked her sister's current boyfriend, Jimmy, intensely, crossed her fingers on both hands. It certainly seemed like things were heating up in the Madden kitchen, and it wasn't just Elena Maria's salsa!