Gabby Duran and the Unsittables Read Online Free PDF Page A

the one ten-minute job. A nice bonus. A little extra she
could put aside and use for something special.
    Gabby checked her watch, then picked up her phone.
    “Your hourly check-in text to your mother?” Edwina asked.
    Gabby wasn’t even surprised anymore by how much Edwina knew. She simply nodded, typed,
All good, but running about an hour late b/c of plane stuff. Love u!
, and pressed Send. She
felt a twinge of guilt, but it faded. She was doing a little wrong for a greater right. Or at least the opportunity for a greater right. She looked into the rearview mirror and met Edwina’s
eyes.
    “I accept your offer.”
    Edwina nodded almost imperceptibly and remained silent for the rest of the ride.
    Five minutes later, they pulled onto a tree-lined lane with wide sidewalks and houses with lovingly manicured yards. It was early evening, but a dozen different kids still raced around on foot,
bikes, or skates. The charming cookie-cutter homes were all spread far enough apart to offer privacy but close enough that neighbors would grow naturally friendly.
    The road ended in the swell of a cul-de-sac. Edwina pulled up in front of a green house with white shutters, where a gray Persian fuzzball of a cat rose languidly in the window, stretched, then
hopped out of sight.
    “Aw!” Gabby cooed. “They have a kitten!”
    “Of sorts,” Edwina replied.
    Gabby understood. The cat had looked small but was probably full-grown. Still, it was really cute. Maybe she and the eight-year-old would find a string and play with it for ten minutes. Easiest
assignment ever!
    Still playing proper limo driver, Edwina exited the car, then came around to open the door for Gabby. The two walked through the gate in the white picket fence surrounding the front yard, then
up a flagstone path to the door.
    Edwina made no move to knock or ring the bell. She didn’t have to. The second they neared the house, the door swung open to reveal a smiling young couple so beautiful, fresh-faced, and
happy they might have stepped off the pages of
Perfect Parent
magazine. They even held hands just to answer the door. Gabby liked them immediately.
    “You must be Gabby!” they said in unison.
    Exact unison. Even their inflections matched. It was the vocal equivalent of being with Ali, Lia, and Ila all over again.
    Odd, but sweet.
    “I am. Gabby Duran. Nice to meet you.”
    “No, it’s nice to meet
you
,” the smiling dad said.
    “Please come in!” the smiling mom offered.
    “Can we get you anything?” the dad asked. “Water? Coffee?”
    The mom’s smile strained a bit, and Gabby noticed her squeeze his hand a little harder. “John, honey,” she said tightly, “Gabby’s still a little girl. Little girls
don’t drink coffee. All humans know that.”
    “Of course!” John laughed, but it sounded a little forced. “I was just kidding. So was my wife, Lisa, when she said ‘all humans.’ I mean, who talks like
that?”
    Lisa stiffened as if she’d realized she’d made a horrible mistake, but the moment passed so quickly Gabby almost thought she’d imagined it, and a heartbeat later Lisa was
laughing right along with her husband.
    Loudly. And for a strangely long time.
    Edwina sighed and rolled her eyes. “May we see the boy?”
    “Of course!” John and Lisa chorused. They turned around but didn’t release each other’s hands. So instead of simply pivoting, they walked awkwardly around each other in a
large circle while Edwina sighed and tapped a foot impatiently.
    “This is ridiculous,” Edwina finally snapped. “Gabby, come with me.”
    She walked briskly down the hall and opened a door, revealing stairs leading to a basement. The stairs turned before they made it all the way down, so Gabby couldn’t see much of the room
from where she stood. Still, she could tell it was finished, with sky-blue painted walls and a thick sandy-brown carpet. Music wafted up, and Gabby heard the jangling of a bell—maybe the cat?
Gabby hadn’t