Starr and the High Seas Wedding Drama (Flower Girl World chapter book) (3 page)

“This is happening very fast,” said Starr.

“I'll say!” muttered Ivy. “They barely know each other. And they have nothing in common.”

“They both like ballroom dancing,” Starr pointed out.

“Yeah, but what else?”

Starr thought for a moment. The truth was, she knew almost nothing about Grandpa Walt. At dinner, she'd noticed that Abuela and Grandpa Walt didn't talk to each other very much. Instead, her grandmother exchanged recipes with Diane, while Ivy's grandfather chatted about sports with her dad.

Starr shrugged. “Abuela said that when they met, it was love at first sight. She knew they were meant to be together.”

“How would they know that?” Ivy asked. “What if they're making a big mistake? They could end up with broken hearts and ruin our families!”

Starr's stomach began to flip-flop. She didn't want Abuela to move away or have a broken heart.

“You're right,” she said slowly. “But what do we do?”

Ivy looked serious. “We have to convince them to break up.”

“Really?” Starr's heart beat at double speed—this seemed drastic. But Ivy looked so sure.

“Believe me,” said Ivy. “It's for their own good.”

“Okay, but how do we do it? We're just kids!”

With a raised eyebrow, Ivy said, “We have to put their love to the test.”

Starr and Ivy met early the next morning to work out their plan. They knew they had to be sneaky and smart. That was the only way to make their grandparents realize they were making a big mistake.

Later, they found Abuela and Grandpa Walt relaxing on deck chairs by the pool. She was reading a cookbook while he flipped through
Sports Today
magazine.

“
¡Hola!
” called Abuela when she spotted them from across the deck. “Come sit with us!”

Starr and Ivy sat on a chair next to their grandparents. Ivy pulled a tween magazine out of her bag. She and Starr started to giggle as they looked at it together.

“What's so funny, girls?” asked Grandpa Walt.

“We're reading a quiz,” said Ivy. “It's called ‘How well do you know your BFF?'”

“What's a BFF?” asked Grandpa Walt.

Starr and Ivy rolled their eyes. “It means ‘best friend forever'!”

“Oh!” said Grandpa Walt. “I have a BFF. Her name is Nina.” He grinned at Abuela. She batted her eyelashes at him.

“You should take the quiz, Grandpa Walt!” said Ivy.

Starr added, “If Abuela is your BFF, you'll get a perfect score!”

Grandpa Walt put down his magazine. “Okay!”

Ivy read, “Question number one: Where was your BFF born?”

“That's easy!” said Grandpa Walt. “She's from San Antonio, Texas.”

“Beeeeeep!” Starr made a buzzer sound to show he was wrong.

“Walter,” said Abuela politely, “I live in San Antonio now, but I was born in Mexico.”

Grandpa Walt blushed. “I should have known that.”

“True,” Ivy said smugly. “Question
number two: What is your BFF's favorite color?”

“I know! The answer is pink!” declared Grandpa Walt.

Starr burst in, “But what color pink?”

He looked confused. “Isn't pink a color?”

“Yes, but there are many shades of pink,” said Starr. “Hot pink, ballet slipper pink, raspberry pink, cotton candy pink, bubblegum pink…”

“Okay…” Grandpa Walt seemed even more confused than before. “Bubblegum?” he asked.

“That's right!” Abuela gushed.

“Lucky guess!” Ivy said. “Question number three: What's your BFF's favorite ice cream flavor?”

“Mmm,” said Grandpa Walt. “I love ice cream! My favorite flavor is chocolate. Maybe Nina likes chocolate too?”

“Nope!” Starr blurted out. “Abuela doesn't eat ice cream.”

“I don't like sweets,” said Abuela.

“Really?” murmured Grandpa Walt. “I've never met anyone who doesn't like ice cream.” Grandpa Walt looked concerned. Starr didn't know if it was because Abuela didn't like dessert or because he was getting so many questions wrong.

“Question number four,” continued Ivy. “What's your BFF's middle name?”

Grandpa Walt's head dropped. “I don't know.”

“I do!” Starr raised her hand as if she were in a classroom. “Her full name is Nina Rosarita Lopez!”

Grandpa Walt frowned.

“Grandpa, you failed the BFF quiz,” said Ivy.

Starr nodded. “I guess you don't know Abuela very well.”

Grandpa Walt turned to Abuela with sad eyes. “I'm sorry.”

Abuela took his hands.

“Don't worry, sweetie. We may not know everything about each other now, but we have plenty of time to learn. Think about how much fun that will be!”

Grandpa Walt smiled.

“I have an idea,” Abuela said. “Let's get some ice cream.”

Starr's and Ivy's eyes widened.

“You don't like ice cream!” said Grandpa Walt.

“But you love it. I'd like to try it again. It's part of getting to know you.”

Abuela looked at the girls. “Would you like to join us?”

Ivy and Starr were speechless. Their mouths were open, but no sound was coming out. Finally, Ivy muttered, “Maybe later.”

After the grandparents left, Ivy shook her head. “Our plan failed. They don't care that they barely know each other.”

Starr shrugged. Their plan may not have worked, but she thought it was sweet that Abuela would try ice cream for Grandpa Walt.

“What are we going to do now?” Ivy sounded desperate.

“What about swimming or ping-pong? There's a lot to do on this ship.” Starr was ready to have some fun.

“That's it!” Suddenly, Ivy was digging through her bag. She pulled out papers from the ship's
Welcome Aboard!
packet.

“If Abuela is willing to try one of Grandpa Walt's favorite things, then he should try something she likes too.”

“That seems fair,” said Starr. She watched Ivy search through the papers.

“Aha!” Ivy held up a colorful flyer. “Let's show them how different they really are!”

“What's this?” asked Grandpa Walt, when Ivy handed him the flyer after lunch.

Abuela glanced at the paper. Her eyes lit up.

“It's a cooking contest in the ship's kitchen!” said Ivy. “The winner's dish will be served to all the guests at dinner tonight!”

Grandpa Walt wrinkled his nose as he read the flyer. “A mole contest? Why would anyone want to eat food made out of squinty-eyed rodents? Yuck!”

Starr giggled. “It's pronounced
moh-lay
. It's a Mexican sauce, and the main ingredient is chocolate. It's yummy!”

“I make the best mole,” said Abuela proudly.

“I bet you do!” Grandpa Walt smacked his lips. “I can't wait to try it!”

“Grandpa, we entered you into the contest too,” said Ivy.

He tilted his head. “Ivy, you know I'm a terrible cook.”

“It will be fun! I can be your assistant. Starr and I are too young to enter on our own. I'll help you, and she'll help her grandmother.”

Abuela and Starr slapped a high five.

“But there's a soccer game on TV,” he said. “I love watching sports.”

“And Abuela loves cooking,” said Starr. “Don't forget, she ate ice cream for you.”

“That's true!” said Abuela.

The girls crossed their arms and waited for Grandpa Walt to respond.

“Okay!” he said, throwing his hands in the
air. “Let's get cooking!”

The ship's huge kitchen included a separate area for demonstrations and contests. There were five mini-kitchens, each one set up with a stove and cooking tools. Abuela chose kitchen #4, while Grandpa Walt took kitchen #5. Starr watched him pick up a blender to examine it. She wondered if he had ever seen one before.

Ivy gave her grandfather a piece of paper. “I found a recipe online.”

Grandpa Walt shrugged. “I'm not good at following recipes.”

“I know,” Ivy said.

The cruise director, Jenny, stood in front of the contestants. “Is everyone ready for the contest to begin? When I start the timer, you'll have sixty minutes to cook your sauce. On your marks, get set, go!”

Grandpa Walt looked like a wild chicken as he flapped around, trying to locate all
the ingredients. Onions, chiles, tomatoes, garlic, tortillas, and chocolate needed to be chopped, diced, and cooked. Soon, his space looked like a refrigerator had exploded all over it. Ivy helped, but she mostly let Grandpa Walt make a mess.

Meanwhile, Abuela's station was spotless. As she worked, her eyes were fixed on Grandpa Walt. “Look at him, Starr. He's using a coffee mug instead of a measuring cup. He doesn't know what he's doing.”

But Starr wondered if Abuela knew what
she
was doing. Her grandmother kept adding spicy peppers to her pan.