Carousel Nights Read Online Free PDF Page A

a surprise.
    â€œHow about kayaking, Jack?” Virginia asked. “The lake is one of our best assets, and you’re such a good rower. You’d be great.”
    â€œSorry, Mom, too busy. And I don’t know where we’d get dozens of practice kayaks.”
    â€œDon’t we rent those on the hotel beach?” June asked. “I thought we had thirty or forty kayaks.”
    When their mother turned her back, Jack stuck his tongue out at June.
    â€œEvie,” Virginia said, turning to her youngest daughter, “no one can doubt the importance of managing money. You could teach practical bookkeeping. How to balance a checkbook. Perhaps the wisdom of investing at a young age.” Virginia’s face lit up. “Stock tips!” she proclaimed.
    Evie took off her glasses and cleaned them meticulously until her mother moved on to her next target.
    â€œJune,” Virginia said, approaching June’s hiding spot by the window. Great, she thinks I’m going to teach them all to dance. Maybe I should tell her about my bum knee instead of keeping it a secret. I could use a great excuse for getting out of the STRIPE.
    â€œHow about teaching piano lessons? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone could play something nice like Für Elise or Happy Birthday on the piano?”
    June blew out a sigh. Teaching two thousand summer employees to read music and play the piano with both hands would be worse than teaching the tango. “You can’t play the piano, Mom, and you’re perfectly fine.”
    â€œI’d be better if someone would teach me to play.”
    â€œSorry, no time,” June said, eyebrows raised in innocence. “Choreography, costumes, blocking... The theaters are a huge task. Huge. Plus, I may have to take a short-notice trip to New York for auditions at some point. Can’t guarantee I’ll be here on the class days. You’d have to hire a substitute teacher. Could get pricey.”
    â€œIt might give you a purpose,” Virginia insisted. “Make you feel like you’re part of the team.”
    June felt her cheeks heat. She wondered when the guilt trip would start. Jack and Evie were devoting their lives to the family business. Why wasn’t she ?
    She could explain in one sentence. She didn’t want to . She’d never made any promises and she had a right to her own career—a career she hoped would soon step beyond dancing into lead singing and acting roles. She had no plans to give that up.
    â€œI don’t need a purpose. I have my own life. I’ve already given up my summer to be here. If that’s not enough for you, I don’t know what you want.”
    June saw Evie’s face flush, probably mirroring her own. Augusta focused on handing out lunches. Jack dug into a sandwich.
    Only Mel appeared willing to get in the middle of the family volley.
    â€œSimple electricity,” he said.
    Everyone turned to stare at him. What is he doing?
    â€œElectrical circuits,” he said. “Basic wiring.”
    More staring.
    He accepted a sandwich and a drink from Virginia, smiling and asking, “Don’t you think it would be a good idea for people to learn something about voltage and current? Maybe wire a switch?”
    Virginia swished her lips to the side. “You mean for a STRIPE topic?”
    â€œUh-huh,” Mel said.
    â€œDon’t most people hire an electrician?” Jack asked. “Like you?”
    â€œFor big jobs, yes,” Mel said. “Same reason they go to a bakery for big or fancy cakes.” He nodded at Augusta who gave him a two-eyebrows-raised look of skepticism.
    â€œBut you can make birthday cakes at home,” Mel continued, “and you can do a lot of wiring on your own, too.”
    Why was Mel arguing to be in charge of the STRIPE when he’d probably spent the last decade dodging the event? He had to be out of his mind. Everyone in the office was looking at him