Elisabeth didn’t want her parents knowing about her secret crush They would either react with horror insisting she was much too young to even think about boys or with delight giggling with her aunts and uncles about their little girl’s crush Elisabeth wasn’t sure which scenario was worse but she didn’t want to find out All her mom and dad needed to know was that she unexpectedly wanted to play tennis She had practiced her arguments in her head in case her parents questioned her sudden interest Was it a crime to be interested in tennis Wasn’t it a perfectly healthy wholesome hobby Didn’t parents want their kids to get fresh air and exercise But when she talked to them her parents just said they weren’t interested in shelling out money for a passion that might turn into the
next two-week phase So they’d made a deal with Elisabeth if she practiced with her dad’s old racket and made the team they’d buy her a reasonably priced racket one tennis outfit and a pair of tennis shoes Anything extra she’d have to spring for herself One tennis outfit How was she supposed to impress Lance with that She was joining the team to dazzle him not convince him she was practically homeless But she couldn’t tell her parents that so she had to figure out some way to raise money Monthly yard sales were apparently a no-go even Mima didn’t have that much junk and aunts and uncles were growing weary of offers to wash their cars or walk their dogs So Elisabeth had spent the past weekend plastering fliers on telephone poles throughout her neighborhood She didn’t technically have
experience but she hung out a lot with her younger cousins She was often at her friend’s house when Brooke’s mom would run an errand leaving the girls to keep an eye on nine-year-old nine-year-old Kyle And really how tough could babysitting be Little kids were pretty simple right Read em a book turn on a cartoon whip out gummy bears easy peazy Elisabeth hadn’t had any offers yet but she’d already spotted a couple of flouncy tennis skirts at the department store with her name on them so the only missing piece of the puzzle ahem was nailing a few babysitting jobs Yoo-hoo Elisabeth and Mima glanced down the hall toward the front door and saw Elisabeth’s mom letting herself in Hi honey How was work Mima called
still studying her border pieces as Elisabeth’s mom walked into the dining room Slow day she said loosening the scarf around her neck Report cards went out Friday and only about four-zillion parents have called to complain about their kids Bs So far Oh speaking of which She lightly tugged Elisabeth’s strawberry-blond strawberry-blond ponytail her eyes sparkling What Elisabeth prodded One of those moms happens to live in our neighborhood Caroline Stewart She saw your babysitting flier and asked if we were related Leave it to my daughter to make me famous Elisabeth’s eyebrows arched in anticipation of what was coming next Her son’s in my English class but she’s also got two little ones Four and six I think And Elisabeth said making a rolling
