Lost in the Sun Read Online Free PDF Page B

under the counter, since there weren’t too many customers in the shop.
    That was one thing I liked about Ray—he understood about baseball. He was an even bigger fan than Mom, maybe, which was saying something.
    The announcer, Vin Scully (who was about a million years old—Mom said he’d been doing the play-by-play for the Dodgers since before she was born), kept going on and on about how the ump’s strike zone was all over the place. When the ump called a third strike after the Diamondbacks’ pitcher threw a pitch that was practically in the dirt, Mom totally lost her cool.
    â€œGet your eyes checked, ump!”
Mom started screaming at the radio. There were a couple of customers in the store looking at her funny, but most of the regulars were used to her by now.
    I was so engrossed in the game that I didn’t even notice Doug until he popped his head above the counter during a car commercial.
    â€œMy favorite child!” Mom greeted him, since he was holding a cup of coffee. It was a cup he’d poured from the coffeemaker in the stockroom, but it didn’t matter to Mom. “I thought you were hanging out with Annie and Rebecca this afternoon.”
    â€œStill am,” he said. “Rebecca’s at Lippy’s getting baking supplies with Mrs. Finch, and Annie’s right outside.”
    â€œWell, tell her to come in,” Mom said. “I’d love to say hi.”
    Of
course
Mom said that.
    â€œAnnie!”
Doug called out the door. He was so loud that an old lady by the potholders actually clutched at her heart.
“My mom says to come in here! I bet she’ll give you some jam if you want!”
    I don’t know why I was looking out the door to where Doug was shouting—I definitely had better things to do with myself than find out if Annie Richards was going to come inside to sample jam—but anyway, I was. So I saw it.
    Annie Richards poked her head inside the door, her bike helmet smushing her dark brown bangs down over her eyes. And I swear I didn’t make it up, but when she saw me—looked right at me, then darted her gaze away quick—she scowled an angry scowl and stomped over to the far end of the sidewalk.
    Inside my chest, I felt a sharp, sudden prickling of heat, but I squashed it down.
    â€œGuess she doesn’t want any jam,” Doug told our mother. “Anyway, I just came over because I had a question for Trent.”
    Mom took a sip of coffee, and then noticed Doug raising his eyebrows.
    â€œIt’s a
secret
question,” he told her.
    â€œAh.” She stepped out from behind the counter. “Well, then, I think I see some place mats that need refolding.” She nodded toward the radio. “Trent, give me the play-by-play if I miss anything, will you?”
    Ray looked from Doug to Mom to me. “I, uh, have a strange urge to Windex the counters. I’ll be back if there are any customers.”
    â€œSure,” I told him. I turned to Doug, then clacked buttons on the register like I was doing something important, even though I knew I’d have a ton of voids to do later. “So,” I said. I did not look out the door, where I was pretty sure Annie Richards was still scowling. “What’s this big prank of yours?” I knew it was a prank Doug wanted to talk about, because if he was bribing Mom with coffee, it wasn’t the world’s biggest secret. “And be quick. The commercial’s almost over.”
    Doug leaned across the counter to talk to me, and lowered his voice like he thought we were partners in some big bank heist. “It’s only going to be the
best prank in the entire world,
” he told me. “Look.” And he plopped a paper grocery bag on top of the counter.
    I peeked inside. The bag was filled with travel alarm clocks. At least a dozen.
    â€œSo it has to do with alarm clocks,” I guessed.
    â€œYep,” he said. “This is going to