Sidekicks Read Online Free PDF Page A

her slender build. "You won't be able to eat until you do."
    Was I that bad? Tyler's nod of encouragement told me I probably was. Oh well. I swiveled in my seat and scanned the other shoppers in the court. My gaze belatedly pounced on a young woman with a baby in an infant seat, sitting at the table next to us. Yep. I was being called to her. The sudden increase in my heart rate proved it. I noted how natural her blond highlights appeared and how her coral lipstick contrasted with her golden tan and gray eyes.
    Without a second thought, I spoke to her. "Hi. My name is Mia."
    She smiled rather cautiously. "Hi."
    "I'm a medium. Do you know what that is?"
    Eyes a bit wider, she slowly nodded.
    "Did you just lose someone dear to you? A male?"
    She nodded again.
    I could see that her eyes were filling and rushed to give her a message I knew would help ease the pain of her loss. "Was it your dad?"
    A third nod. A couple of tears escaped, running down her cheeks.
    "Okay. He's here, and he wants you to know that he saw you kiss his picture this morning."
    She gasped and pressed her fingers to her lips.
    "He also wants me to tell you that he held your baby son before he was born."
    "Oh my God." A steady flow of teardrops now tracked her makeup. "I've wanted that so badly."
    "You named your baby after your dad, didn't you?"
    "Yes."
    "He knows, and he's very, very flattered and so proud."
    For a couple of seconds we just looked at each other. Then she stood and closed the distance between us so she could hug me. "Thank you so much."
    "It was my pleasure." As in totally. I felt the happiness of a job well done, a surge of emotion that I guessed might be as addicting as a narcotic. If so, no wonder people lied, cheated, and killed for drugs. Poor Cooper. He'd lost so much. Thank goodness the loss had come before he really experienced the joy he could bring.
    When I turned back to my friends, Brynn gave me a big smile and a low-key high-five. I expected Tyler to be stoic, as usual.
    But even he had been touched. "That's better than dessert."
    I grinned. "Isn't it?"
    I managed to take two whole bites of my burger before another spirit approached, this one oddly...cautious, I guess. The presence actually felt sort of familiar, but when I tried to probe for information, all I got for my trouble was the entity's fast retreat. Didn't know what was up with that.
    We shopped for another hour and then went home. When Tyler dropped me off, I went into an empty house and got started on the laundry to help out my mom. I also put a roast in the crock pot, a non-Italian meal my parents would appreciate no matter how late they got home.
    * * * *
    I had a pretty normal, as in boring, weekend, all in all. Sunday night found me on our back deck in a lawn chair, alone, chilly, and watching for a meteor shower that was supposed to light up the southern sky around eleven-thirty. Since that gave my mind permission to wander, my thoughts found Cooper, who'd been a constant presence inside my head for days.
    Why couldn't I just give up on him? His actions--or lack thereof-- the past week spoke much louder than his claimed willingness to be my friend. Yet I foolishly clung to the hope that he hadn't called, texted, or even spoken to me because he was just too busy with school and football. Was my innate need to help everyone to blame? Or were the leftover emotions of an immature eight year old confusing me beyond belief?
    When the meteor shower finally began, I forgot all about Cooper. Watching those bright lights streak past the earth and into infinity made my own insignificance hit home with a vengeance, giving me the ability to put my problems in perspective.
    I realized I didn't actually have any.
    Later in my bedroom, where I snuggled a body pillow under a couple of quilts, Nick came calling. I gave him a short and not-so-sweet progress report. "Sorry, but I've given up on Cooper."
    Someone wants to talk to you.
    Before I could give the go ahead, I sensed the