Frogs & French Kisses #2 (18 page)

Yeah, sure. She’s trying to avoid a repeat performance of what happened with the oranges. Her room still smells. “Never mind,” I say. “One will do.” For now. I poke the cauldron with my big toe. “How long does it take to grow?”

“Two moons. Forty-eight hours.”

“Then on to the next spell!” I wiggle my fingers in the air. “Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day.”

“Rachel, we’re trying to create rain in California, not banish it. And we have to concentrate. This one’s hard. It’s a five-broomer.”

Rolling up my sleeves, I follow her back to her room. I’m ready to rumble. “What do we need?”

Miri flips to her sticky note in A
²
. “A glass of water, pepper, and a pot. As soon as the water starts to boil, we say the spell.”

That’s it? Puh-lease. “No problemo. That’s all it takes to make it rain? We could do that one with our eyes closed.”

“Except we have to do the spell in California. We’ll have to build a bonfire.”

“I’m bringing marshmallows!”

Miri frowns. “At least we won’t be taking a toaster oven for you to burn down the entire state.”

I hoist myself onto her back. “Where exactly are we going in California? Can we go to Rodeo Drive? Wait! Let’s go to the Kodak Theatre.”

“Where?”

“Where the Oscars are! Maybe we’ll see a star!”

“Can you be quiet?”

Humph. I cling to Miri as she does her stuff, and the next thing I know, we’re in—

The sky is blue. The air is hot. And I smack my elbow against a red minivan. Are we in a parking lot? “Where are we?”

“Disneyland,” Miri says sheepishly. “It was the only place I could think of in California.”

“We couldn’t go to Rodeo Drive, but we could come here?”

“It has to be something I can picture!”

“But how are we going to light a fire in a parking lot?”

“We’ll have to find an empty spot. I brought along a reflective shield we can use so no one can see us.”

We walk around aimlessly until we find the most deserted area. Miri pulls a newspaper out of her bag, shreds it up, and lights it with a match. When the flame catches, she fills the pot with the glass of water and pepper, puts on an oven mitt, and holds the pot by the handle over the flames.

Her technique concerns me on many levels. “Let me hold it,” I say, grabbing it from her and holding it far above the flames. “Put up the shield!”

She reaches into her bag, then pulls out and opens what appears to be an umbrella. An enchanted one, I’d guess. Four seconds pass. Miri stands on tiptoe to peer into the pot. “Is it boiling yet?”

I don’t see any bubbles. “Nope.”

Thirty seconds pass. “Now?”

“Nope.”

Twenty seconds. “Now?” she asks, exasperated.

“Miri, if you keep asking, it won’t boil.”

“That makes no sense. It’s going to boil regardless. And I have to say the spell at the sign of the first bubble.”

“Get ready,” I say, watching the water. “I think it’s about to pop.”

She jumps closer, picks up the book, and recites the spell:

“Sweet expansive sky,

Dress yourself in clouds that cry.

Let the heavens shower a tear,

Over yonder by and near.”

Cold blows against my cheeks. Yes! “I felt it; it must have worked.”

She peers into the blue sky. “But I don’t see any clouds.”

“It probably takes a few minutes.”

“But most of the weather spells work immediately,” she says. “We should have brought those marshmallows to pass the time.”

“Whoops. But I have a better plan. Let’s go on Space Mountain! By the time we’re done, it’ll be pouring.”

“Well . . .” She hesitates. “Okay. Since we’re here.”

Wahoo! “Can you zap us to the front of the line?”

Miri shrugs. “I can try.”

Two Space Mountains, three Mad Tea Parties, and one Big Thunder Mountain later, it still hasn’t rained, so we decide to monitor the weather from home.

While I study for a bio test, Miri writes an English essay, taking breaks every few minutes to check AccuWeather. But so far—nothing. The sun is proudly beating over California, fully mocking us.

“I hope I didn’t mess anything up,” she says nervously. “It
was
a five-broomer. Maybe it sent the rain somewhere else?”

I open the blinds. It’s a gorgeous day. “It’s not raining here, either.”

“I have to pee,” Miri says, and disappears into the bathroom.

“I’m going to check on the wide-screen!” Unfortunately, the cauldron of dirt and broken glass hasn’t morphed into an electric appliance yet. “Nothing?” Miri asks when she joins me.

“Nope. Now I have to pee.”

“Me too,” Miri says.

“You just went!”

“I didn’t get it all out.” We size each other up and then race to the bathroom. Luckily, because I’m taller and therefore have longer legs, I make it there first.

I don’t notice the hot steam until I’m sitting on the toilet. The shower sounds like it’s on full blast. Did I leave it on? Is my mom inside? “Hello?” I squeak.

No answer.

I pee quickly, wipe, flush, and open the flowery shower curtain.

The water is on with no one in the stall. Weird. I must have left it on by accident. Ouch, it’s hot.

I reach to turn it off and attempt to revolve the handles. And attempt.

Hmm. The water is off. But then . . . why is it on? “Did you do something to the shower?” I yell.

She pounds on the door. “Don’t shower! You are so mean. I said I had to pee again so you take a shower? What do you want me to do, pee in the sink?”

A splash of hot water scalds my hand. Ouch. I unlock the door. “I’m not showering, you doofus. The water is stuck. Did you not notice how hot it was in here?” How can someone with so much power be so clueless?

“Are you sure?” She pushes me out of the way and proceeds to burn herself on the handle. “Owwww. The shower is busted.”

No kidding.
Let the heavens shower a tear . . .
Oh, man. “I think the spell worked. It just took the word
shower
literally.”

Miri’s fingers go straight into her mouth. “Uh-oh. I knew it was a tricky one. I can’t believe I screwed it up! What do we do? We’re going to use up all the hot water in the building!”

“Call the super?” I suggest.

“What for? It’s not like he can fix it.”

It’s getting seriously steamy in here. “Do you have any clothes you want de-wrinkled?”

“Very funny.”

“Rain, rain, go away, come again some other day?”

She sits on the closed toilet lid and rests her head in her hands. “I don’t think that will work.”

“I thought you had to pee.”

“It got scared away.” She looks at me miserably. “Maybe we should just let the water run out. It isn’t going to rain forever, right?”

“Can’t you do a spell reversal?”

“Perhaps, but I told you, it’s a five-broomer. Plus I don’t have any of the materials. . . . I guess I can if I have to.”

“Let’s give it a few minutes. Eventually the sun comes out again.” It feels like the sun is beaming in here right now, it’s so hot. “I have to get out of this room; I’m sweating up a storm.”

I close the door behind us. “What do we do now? More homework?”

“I guess.”

We open our respective assignments and take our respective places (me on Miri’s bed, Miri at her desk) and are about to dig in when Miri sprints back to the bathroom.

“Still running,” she says, sitting back in her desk chair. “Or raining.”

The downstairs buzzer goes off. Miri jumps up again. “Expecting anyone?”

“Nope.”

We both approach the buzzer. “Hello?” she says.

“Hi! It’s Lex! I’m here to pick up Carol.”

Too bad Carol is MIA (Mom in Absentia). And it’s not like Lex has time to waste. He’s already, like, a hundred.

“What do we do?” Miri whispers.

“Why are you whispering? He can’t hear you. Audible range lowers with age. And you’re not pressing the buzzer. Call Mom. I’ll buzz him up.”

“Hi, Lex!” I say a few seconds later, opening the door.

He’s holding a bouquet of daisies. “For you and Miri.”

“Thank you!” As I gather the flowers from his arms (second bouquet in less than a month! New record!), I notice that he has nice hands. Long fingers, filed nails. Big palms. I would have expected them to be old and wrinkled, but they’re not. Last year I bought my dad leather gloves for his birthday. When he put them on, he was swimming in them. They were at least two sizes too big on him, but on Lex? I bet they would have fit like a glove. Oh, yeah, they
are
gloves. Lex is taller than I remembered too. Although maybe his cowboy hat gives him an extra few inches.

“So how’ve you been, Rachel?” He gives me a warm smile. “How’s school?”

“Great, thanks.” My sister and I destroyed the gym, but now I’m dating the soc president, so all is good. “And you?”

“It’s been a busy few weeks. Baseball tourism kicks up again in the spring, so I’ve been leading a whole lot of tours.”

Miri returns from the phone call and crosses her arms in front of her chest. “She’s not answering,” she says, ignoring Lex.

He gives her the same warm smile and tips his hat. “You must be Miri.”

She rolls her eyes. “Brilliant assumption.”

Terrif. My mom’s not answering, so I have to dump Lex for her. I’ve never dumped a guy myself, so how am I supposed to dump one for someone else? I rack my brains for the excuses I’ve heard in the movies. It’s not you, it’s me. Can we be friends? It’s not a good time emotionally for me right now.

Not that my mom deserves my creative excuse-making. Forget her; I’ll just be honest. “We don’t know where my mother is,” I explain. “I don’t know what to tell you. She could be on her way home. You’re welcome to come in and wait.”

Lex’s brow wrinkles in concern. “Did she have to go into the office this morning?”

Yeah, right. The office of love. “I think so,” I say instead.

“I can hang out.” He looks from Miri to me. “As long as you two don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” My heart sinks in sympathy. He brings us flowers and my mom can’t even bother to show up? “Can I get you something to drink?”

He removes his shoes, lines them up, hangs his hat on the coatrack, and follows me into the living room. “Water would be terrific.”

That’s something we have lots of. Lots and lots and lots of. Would he like it boiling? As I’m fetching a glass, I hear, “Is it all right if I use the bathroom?”

“Of course,” I say over the running water in the sink. As soon as the words leave my lips, I realize my mistake. “Wait!” I scream. Too late.

The door is open and the steam is rushing out. “Is someone inside?” he asks, obviously confused.

I’m about to say “Miri” when she appears next to me.

We’re putting in a spa? Trying ashtanga yoga? “Shower’s broken.”

He squints into the haze of steam. “Do you want me to take a look at it?”

That could be a recipe for disaster. On the other hand, “Why not?”

He steps inside, and his face is immediately dripping with sweat. I hope he’s not too old for this type of activity. A heart attack would be very bad. I don’t even know CPR. But I have always wanted to learn it. I’ve also always wanted to learn the Heimlich maneuver. I once saw a woman pop a chicken bone right out of a man’s constricted throat. I bet Miri would be up for that since she’s so into lifesaving these days. “Mir,” I start, but then stop myself. Maybe this is not the time.

Miri is hitting me in the thigh with the back of her hand. “What if he realizes that the shower is cursed?” she mouths.

I wave her away and step into the bathroom after Lex. Come on. It’s not like he’s going to make that leap. Shower’s broken, one of these girls must be a witch!

“Just watch him, please,” Miri grumbles, and returns to her room.

“This is odd,” he mumbles from somewhere in the steam. “I’m going to try taking apart the valve handle. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try the water source in the basement. Do you have a wrench?”

Blink, blink.

He laughs. “Where’s your toolbox?”

That we have. Somewhere. I return a few minutes later and carry the toolbox into the sweatbox. “You know what you’re doing?”

“Yup. Don’t worry about me.”

“Don’t burn yourself.” We don’t want a lawsuit on our hands.

“The hot ran out. It’s just cold water now, which makes it easier.”

“Good.” I’m sure everyone preparing for Saturday evening plans appreciates it.

“So what are you up to? Entertain me with stories while I fix this.”

“We’re having an auction to raise money for the prom. My boyfriend is the president of our student council . . .” I go on and on, and he actually seems interested, nodding and asking questions. After ten minutes his shirt is totally damp and what’s left of his gray hair is all wet.

“This should do it,” he says as he makes one quick turn of the screwdriver. And then, the water stops coming.

Oh. My. God. He’s like a magician. Okay, not exactly, since his skills have successfully reversed magic, not provided more, but still. Wow. “Thank you so much,” I say, quite amazed. “Miri! He did it!”

Miri comes into the foggy bathroom. “That’s imposs—” She stops talking when she sees that the water is no longer running. “Oh. Thanks.”

How did he do that? Maybe magic
was
involved. Maybe he’s a witch too. Or a wizard. Warlock? Weirdo? Nah. If he were, he wouldn’t have two massive sweat stains under his arms. How cute is that? Mortal, anyway. And nice. Even though Mom is MIA, he still messed himself up to help us.

Perhaps encouraging Mom to date other guys was not my best plan.

Lex glances at his watch. “It’s been a real pleasure, girls, but it seems your mother has forgotten our plans, so I guess I’ll take off. Please tell her I stopped by.” He heads to the door, steps into his shoes, and plants his hat firmly on his head.

Awwwwwww. He’s so nice! Much nicer than Adam or the fireman. They’re cute, but they’ve never given us anything or acted remotely interested in us. Why did I butt into Mom’s private business? And he’s so handy. If I had only encouraged Mom to date Lex exclusively, by now they’d be practically engaged. And that hard-to-reach bedroom light-bulb would be long changed. And Mom wouldn’t be running around like a chicken with five heads.