Free Piper's Perfect Dream by Ahmet Zappa

gotten that right away? And now she’d scared poor Olivia on top of everything else. Not the best way to connect!
    â€œSo did Olivia tell you that anyone who works here is part of our family? Just like Big Rosie used to say?” Alice came over to put an arm around Piper.
    â€œNo, I didn’t,” Olivia said, taking another step away from Piper.
    â€œWell, we’re one big family here,” Alice went on. “Pete is my husband, and Olivia is our daughter. Rosie was my mom, Olivia’s grandmother. She started the diner.”
    â€œWow,” said Piper. “That’s so nice that you’re all together. And it’s nice that you’re keeping the diner in the family.”
    Olivia smiled but stayed where she was. “It is nice!” she agreed. “Big Rosie started a great tradition. But she wasn’t really very big,” Olivia confided, clearly happy to have someone to talk to about her grandmother. “She was actually shorter than you, Piper—and even shorter than my friend Morgan. And she was really skinny, especially for someone who spent so much time in kitchens! But she had a big, big personality!” She paused. “I really—”
    â€œMiss her,” Piper finished. “I’m sure you do,” she added quietly as Alice went to help a customer. “My granddad left us, too, and it’s sad. But I think of him so often and imagine conversations. So sometimes I really feel like he’s here with me. Star apologies for your loss.”
    Piper ended her speech with such warmth and understanding that Olivia’s eyes filled. Later, Piper realized she’d used the Starland saying. Luckily, Olivia was more focused on the meaning than the actual words.
    Piper sighed. Olivia’s family was making her think of her own. Her brother, Finn, never very talkative, could still be a comfort. They were related, after all, and she never had to explain little things to him, let alone big things.
    â€œDo you have brothers or sisters?” she asked Olivia.
    Olivia brightened. “Yes, a sister. And she’s coming home from college for the summer in May.”
    A grown-up Wishling, coming up to the counter, overheard. “Oh, your sister Isabel!” she said. “My son was in class with her all through elementary school, middle school, and high school. She was always an amazing student. Straight As in every class. I heard she never got a grade below that, in fact!” She turned to Alice, a hint of jealousy in her eyes. “You must be very proud.”
    â€œYes, we are,” said Alice. Piper was watching Olivia. While the woman was speaking, she had seemed to freeze, barely moving a muscle. But when Alice reached over to squeeze her arm and say, “And we’re just as proud of Olivia,” she grinned, and Piper thought maybe she had imagined it.
    Anyway, it was time to get to know Olivia—to see her in action and figure out her wish. “Do you want to show me around so I can start helping?” she asked.
    â€œOf course,” Olivia said happily. “We’re not some big fancy restaurant. My mom likes to run everything the old-fashioned way, just like Grandma Rosie did. Anyway, there’s the cash register.” She pointed to the machine on Alice’s desk, and Piper nodded like she understood what it meant.
    Next Olivia led Piper behind the counter and showed her different workstations. The front station directly behind the counter held ice cream freezers, coffee machines, and a small refrigerator to store juice and milk.
    Ice cream! Coffee!
Piper knew the words. She’d even seen ice cream and coffee for herself. But she still needed to study them—and everything else!—to truly understand. Piper took out her Star-Zap, hoping Olivia would think it was just a regular cell phone. She pretended to hold it casually, the way she’d seen Wishlings do, when really she was taking holo-vids