Free Forget Me Not by Coleen Paratore

so it affects the food supply as well. All across India,” he says sadly. “Wells are closed, pumps are locked. People are dying of thirst.”
    People are dying because they don’t have water. In this day and age? How can that be? I remember Sulamina Mum’s words. “What can I do?” I say, ready to help.
    Dr. Swammy smiles. He tells me about an organization he’s affiliated with that raises money to bring in water treatment equipment and dig for new wells. As he talks, I think maybe I’ve found my new service project for the summer. I think about the fancy water bottles we have at the inn and the designer water at the pet spa. Something’s very wrong with this picture. I decide to investigate this issue further online later.
    Dr. Swaminathan asks what I’m reading.
    “I haven’t started our required class list yet,” I say, “but don’t worry, I’ll get to it in August.”
    Dr. Swammy laughs. “I wasn’t worried at all.”
    I tell Dr. Swammy about the skinny-punch books and some of the titles Mrs. Saperstone suggested for me.
    “Very nice selections,” Dr. Swaminathan says. He stares at me for a second. “Willa, do you know…is Mrs. Saperstone staying in Bramble for the summer?”
    There’s an unfamiliar sweetness in the tone of Dr. Swammy’s voice. I look at him and he looks away, as if embarrassed.
    “I want to consult with her about a writing contest I’m thinking of starting,” he says, not looking at me while he’s talking.
    Beep-beep-beep. My Cape-cupid radar goes off in my brain. Dr. Swammy likes Mrs. Saperstone! Of course. I’ve seen them sitting together at BUC. They’d be perfect for each other. They’re both single, about the same age, and they both love books. Perfect.
    If I may brag for a moment, I do have a stellar reputation for matchmaking. First, I hooked up my mother and Sam. I should have won a gold medal for that one. Even though Stella Havisham had a booming business planning other people’s weddings, my mother had written off love for herself. She had been so brokenhearted over my father’s death. It took a long time, but it was worth the wait.
    Next, I played cupid for Nana and Gramp Tweed. He ran a bookstore; she ran Clancy’s Candies. Books and candy, my two favorite things. Nana and Mr. Tweed, my two favorite people. It was a no-brainer, truly. I invited them to a picnic at my house and boing , it was love at first bite (of the picnic food, I mean, no vampires in Bramble that I know of).
    My most recent match was Sulamina Mum and Riley Truth. All I did was coax Mum into writing a letter to her long-lost high school sweetheart—it was no easy task, she fought me on it—but, finally, Mum took a leapfrog leap of faith and wrote Riley a letter and boing , that letter hit home better than that bare-butt baby’s bow and arrow. I’m now a firm believer in being a “leaper.” Sometimes you’ve just got to close your eyes and leap right over the scary part, to get to the thing you want.
    “You should go to the Bramble Library tonight,” I say. “Mrs. Saperstone is doing a program on good ‘beach reads.’ The Red Hat ladies were talking about it this—”
    “The Red Hat whos?”
    “This cool group of ladies who are staying at the inn. But, enough about them. Back to Mrs. Saperstone. It starts at seven. There’ll be iced tea and refreshments. I know she’d love to see you.”
    “Really?” Dr. Swaminathan says.
    I can’t tell for sure, but he looks like he’s blushing.
    “Absolutely.” I nod my head definitively. “Oh, and, maybe you’d like to bring her some candy? I know Mrs. Saperstone loves those chocolate-covered cranberries Nana makes.”
    Back over on the candy side of Sweet Bramble Books, Nana comes toward me with her arms wide open. “Give me a hug, shmug.”
    I tell Nana what I found out about the new saltwater taffy section at Ghelfi’s. “You can’t compete with their variety,” I say, “so we need a different strategy.”
    “Okay,