Free Hayride by Bonnie Bryant Page B

think you’re right to ask her to exercise Starlight. And if you want to spend time with him, you can always work him on the lunge line a little,” he suggested.
    Carole had no idea what she had said to cheer Cam up. In any case, he sounded like his old self. They chatted happily about the hayride. Neither of them could wait to see the Clydesdales. “We have to be very nice to Mr. Toll,” Carole said. “My dad says he seems gruff because he talks less than Dapper and Dan, but actually he’s just shy.”
    “The strong, silent type, huh? Just like me,” Cam joked.
    “That’s not so far from the truth,” Carole said. In fact, it was a part of Cam’s personality she admired the most. He didn’t talk all the time to make people notice him, but when he did, they respected what he said.
    Cam mentioned that he would bring over a few CDs they could listen to at the party.
    “I wish I could dance,” Carole said. Even with games to play, she wasn’t looking forward to sitting down all evening.
    “You might not have to miss
all
the dancing,” Cam said. “We might figure something out. I mean, you can always lean on me for support.”
    Carole smiled to herself. Cam holding her up beat crutches any day.

O N T HURSDAY AFTERNOON after school Stevie and Lisa met at the mall with renewed determination. They were absolutely positive they could find the perfect gift—or at least a close second to the earrings.
    “Either we find something today, or we buy her a book bag,” Stevie said as they strode through the mall entrance.
    “A book bag?” Lisa queried.
    “My mother’s suggestion. I figured if I mentioned it, it would give you even more incentive to find something here.”
    Lisa laughed. “Better than
my
mom’s idea. She suggested a gift certificate for a manicure at the beauty shop.” They giggled. The idea of Carole sitting in a salonwhile someone tried to clean the Pine Hollow dirt from under her nails was truly funny.
    Once inside the main area of the mall, Stevie and Lisa could not decide where to go first. They decided to check the directory to get ideas. A group of kids their age were clustered around the placard that listed all of the shops. They stepped back to let Lisa and Stevie see.
    “Shopping for Carole’s gift?” a familiar voice asked. Stevie and Lisa turned to see Betsy Cavanaugh smiling at them. Once a Veronica-follower, Betsy had gotten nicer since she’d been dating James Spencer, a boy who took an occasional lesson at Pine Hollow. He was with her now, as were Helen and Tom Sanderson.
    Stevie noticed that Betsy and James were holding hands—a good sign. It meant they were still going out and would come to the party together. “We’re looking for a present for Carole, too,” Betsy said.
    “We already got ours,” Helen said, trying to keep the smugness out of her voice but failing.
    “The problem,” Betsy said, “is that everyone knows it’s going to be a great party, so everyone wants to bring the perfect gift instead of just trying to get something nice.”
    “What did you get, Helen?” Lisa asked.
    Helen was happy to describe the present she and her brother were going to give Carole together. “Mom made both of us satin cross-country covers for our hard hatslast year. We loved them so much, we asked her to do one for Carole in Pine Hollow colors, green and gray.”
    “So now we’re just buying a card to go with it,” Tom finished.
    Everyone told them what a good idea it was. “I have to admit that it really is a superior present,” Tom joked.
    “So who’s coming?” Helen wanted to know.
    Lisa was about to answer when Stevie cut in. “We were about to ask you that,” Stevie said. She elbowed Lisa. This would be the perfect opportunity to find out who liked whom.
    “I know Adam Levine is coming,” Helen volunteered. Stevie raised her eyebrows.
    “I see,” she said.
    Helen glanced at her brother. “And, ahem, I also know that Meg Durham will be there.”
    “Oh?”