Hit the Beach Read Online Free PDF Page A

jam-packed parking lot of the restaurant. Madison saw a huge sign in the shape of a swordfish. It said SEASHORES . A parking valet dressed in a flowered shirt and shorts took Dad’s car as the three of them headed inside.
    Dad had told Madison that not only was the food at Seashores delicious, but also the restaurant was known as one of the best waterfront dining locations on the coast. The front of the restaurant was a designated waiting room, since the lines for dinner were always longer than long. Madison dipped her fingers into a tank full of skate fish and stroked the smooth tops of a few while she waited with Dad and Stephanie for their table. Then she gazed at an enormous lobster aquarium off on one side of the waiting area. Lobsters climbed all over each other in a kind of tank dance.
    As Madison stared at the tank for at least five minutes, she imagined Aimee back home, dancing. She thought about Fiona, too, arriving at the Los Angeles airport armed with a soccer ball, her lucky stuffed bear, and her annoying twin brother, Chet. And she imagined Lindsay making her way through the London airport with her nose stuck in a book, as usual.
    Were her BFFs thinking of Madison, too, at that exact moment?
    She hoped so.
    Although they were all so far away, Madison felt her BFFs close to her, like warm breath. They were as close as the green-black lobsters, the wide ocean, and the promise of the unexpected at Camp Sunshine.
    Somehow, knowing they were out there—anywhere—made all the difference.



Chapter 4
    T HE MORNING AFTER ARRIVING in Florida, Madison awoke to bright sunlight pouring into her room at Dad’s rental apartment. The walls were painted salmon pink, so when the early light hit them, everything turned a sort-of-pink hue, too, including Madison’s skin tone.
    Mmmm .
    Madison sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. Without a pug to nuzzle her toes in the morning, Madison felt a little lost, but she could hear the ocean, and that made up a little bit for missing Phin. Easy, pounding surf could be very calming and exciting all at the same time. The morning put a fresh face on everything. She was there! Camp was there!
    Rereading the Camp Sunshine flyer in the car the night before had made everything sound amazing all over again. Madison had nearly forgotten about the planned bird-watching and manatee-watching and about spying on really big turtles. With so much to do, she’d have no time to stress out about her friends or to miss Hart, would she? And the previous night’s dinner at the seaside restaurant had sealed the deal. Just touching those skates in their aquarium had turned Madison from Far Hills computer girl to Florida nature girl like that .
    However, when Mom had called to check in, Madison had expressed doubts about being in Florida. That was when Mom had reminded Madison about one of Gramma Helen’s favorite aphorisms: “Positive-think—and your ship won’t sink.”
    Gramma Helen’s words of wisdom made Madison laugh. They were a lot like the words of wisdom Wally had dished out on the plane. Madison shut her eyes and tried to remember—word for word—what it was that Wally had said. She wanted to write a few of Wally’s wise words down for posterity. With her laptop on her lap, Madison smoothed out the coverlet on the bed, pressed the power key, and waited for something to happen.
    When she saw the laptop light go on, Madison breathed a sigh of relief, although she wondered if the computer were simply giving some kind of great big show before it conked out again.
    Would it be working when she needed it most? Or not?
    Over the next two weeks, Madison would almost certainly have to pester Dad to let her use his computer when hers wasn’t working properly. And she would have to do it often—just so that she could check to see when and how many times her friends had e-mailed her from their different corners of the planet.
    But for now … she had a file to write.
Summer Vacation (So Far)

    Just