The Luckiest Girl Read Online Free PDF

customs of the natives. They were probably right—after all, she was to be a member of the family for the winter and there was no reason why she should be treated like company.
    â€œI’d better explain about those doors that don’t open,” Mavis said, as she sliced onions into melted butter in an earthenware casserole. “You see, this house was once a boardinghouse in the center of town. When it was to be torn down to make way for a filling station, Tom had a chance to buy it for practically nothing. We had it moved up here and knocked out a lot of partitions—the rooms had been very small—and that is why we have so many long, narrow rooms and why you have two doors in your bedroom. We didn’t know what to do about those doors at the end of the living room, so we just left them where they were. We can’t open them, because we have the refrigerator against one and some cupboards against the other.”
    â€œIt—it’s very nice,” said Shelley, aware that nice was not the word she wanted to use. She did not know the exact word to describe it—shabby and comfortable and like no house she had ever seen before. No one at home lived in a converted boardinghouse. No one at home left the hamper open for the convenience of the cat.
    Mavis took three packages of frozen sirloin tips out of the refrigerator, tore them open, and added their contents to the onion and butter in the casserole, which she put into the oven.“There,” she said. “Now all I have to do is add sour cream at the last minute.”
    The back door opened and the rest of the family burst into the kitchen. “Well, look who’s arrived!” Tom exclaimed, and gave Shelley a hearty hug before he held her off to look at her. “Shelley, it’s good to have you here!”
    â€œHello, Shelley,” said Luke, with a smile that was shy but friendly.
    â€œHi,” said Katie, taking in Shelley’s shoes and dress and hair.
    So this was the girl for whom she was to be a good experience. Uncomfortable under her scrutiny, Shelley managed to smile, uncertain what to say to three strangers at the same time. They all looked tan and healthy and there was a look of the out-of-doors about them. Tom and Luke she liked at once, because she felt they liked her, but Katie she was not so sure about. Perhaps this sturdy thirteen-year-old was not pleased to have another girl in the house being a good experience for her.
    â€œGo on, all of you, and wash up for supper,” ordered Mavis. “It’s such a warm day we’ll eat out under the pergola.”
    Pergola was such an old-fashioned word. Shelley had thought everyone in California had a patio.
    â€œKatie, you slice the French bread and carry it out to the table,” directed Mavis.
    As she opened the bread box, Katie heaved a noisy, exhausted sigh, as if slicing bread were a terrible chore.
    â€œIt’s just a phase,” said Mavis grimly.
    â€œMommy, do you have to go around saying everything I do is just a phase all the time?” asked Katie.
    Mavis laughed. “I certainly hope it is just a phase,” she said. “I would hate to think that some of your behavior was permanent.”
    Katie picked a leaf of curly chicory out of the salad, held it up beside her face as if it were a lock of hair, and remarked, “I wish I had curly hair.”
    Mavis stirred sour cream into the bubbling casserole before she ladled the Stroganoff over rice. The meal was served on trays, and Shelley noticed that there was a fresh cloth napkin on each tray. She would have expected such a casual family to use paper napkins.
    The Michies carried their trays out through the dining room to a table under the pergola, which Shelley saw was a sort of arbor supported by pillars and covered with vines. As she joined the family at the long table, she was aware of a lovelyfragrance. “Why, there are lemons growing on that tree and