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“Isn’t it amazing that we’re, you know, alive?” Malia asked. She gazed up at the gazebo’s ceiling, thinking about everything that had happened there.
“What are you talking about?” Dot asked.
“Sometimes I look around, at the sky and the flowers and the trees, and I’m like, what a marvelous world we live in.” Malia sighed.
Dot looked concerned. “Are you on some kind of controlled substance? Do I need to be worried?”
“Connor kicked a soccer ball at her. And then he talked to her,” Bree said.
“Ohhh,” Dot said, suddenly understanding.
“He didn’t kick it at me, he kicked it to me,” Malia said. After all, it was a very important distinction. “Then we kicked it back and forth. For, like, a long time.”
“I see. Sounds dreamy.” Dot rolled her eyes.
“Just because he’s not your type doesn’t mean you can’t be happy for me,” Malia huffed.
“Obviously I am happy for you. And if you and Connor ever have an actual conversation where, say, fifteen or more words are exchanged, I will be even happier.”
“YOU AND ME BOTH,” Malia said.
She was brought back down to earth by the sound of her phone. It was probably Ramona, asking for goodness knows what. But instead of Ramona’s name, she saw a number she didn’t recognize.
“Hello, I’m looking for a babysitter. Can you help me?” a woman’s voice came through the line.
“Yes,” said Malia, putting her phone on speaker so her friends could be involved.
“I need to hire some after-school help for my daughter,” said the woman. She sounded a bit desperate.
“Of course!” said Malia.
“And if it goes well, maybe you could even go to some activities with her. The movies, the mall, a sports event, you know, that kind of thing.”
“That all sounds great. How often would you like someone to be there?”
“On a verrrrrrry regular basis,” said the woman. “I’d say most weekdays, after school.”
“Wow,” said Malia.
That was a pretty big commitment. It was also a lot of money.
“Depending on how it goes, we may be interested in finding some time on the weekends.”
“Okay, then! Let’s find a time for us to come and meet your daughter and we’ll see what we can do.”
Malia scheduled a meet and greet for later that week.
“Every single day? That sounds weird,” said Dot.
“Maybe, but do you know how much money that is? We can take turns so we still have time for other jobs,” Malia said. “This could be huge.”
“I guess it can’t hurt to try it!” said Bree, ever the optimist.
“I never thought I’d say this, but I am so glad to be back to babysitting,” said Dot.
“Me too,” said Malia.
“Me three,” said Bree.
“Like I was saying. Isn’t it amazing we’re alive?” said Malia. Her Connor high had been met by a new-business high. Now she was pretty much in love with everything.
“Yeah,” said Dot as a bee buzzed by. “It actually kind of is amazing.”
Visit hmhbooks.com to find all of the books in the Best Babysitters Ever series.
About the Author
CAROLINE CALA is a writer and editor residing in Brooklyn. She has worked as a book editor and as a ghostwriter on a number of books by notable people. Her work has appeared in Vogue, Elle, Refinery29, and others.
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The Good, the Bad, and the Bossy Page 18