Nancy Clancy, Secret Admirer

by Jane O'Connor

  “You’d better not be kidding this time, Grace!” Bree said.

  “I’ll bring it to school tomorrow. You can see for yourself. And here’s what you have to do to pay me back.”

  A minute later they hung up.

  Nancy was thrilled. Andy and Annie were meeting tomorrow! It wasn’t just a plan anymore. It was really happening. She didn’t even mind having Grace sit at their table at lunch for two weeks. Well, she minded, but it was worth it.

  At home later, Nancy practiced playing guitar. Then she finished up the last of her Appreciation Hearts. They had to be handed in tomorrow. She did Nola’s and Richard’s and Isabel’s. In a little while there were checks by everyone’s names on the class list. Everyone except Grace’s. Nancy felt bad that it was so hard to find a reason to like Grace.

  “Nancy. The phone is for you,” Nancy heard her mom calling.

  When she picked it up, she heard Grace’s voice.

  “Uh, Nancy? Listen, you and Bree don’t have to pay me back. The favor is for free.”

  What? Nancy almost asked Grace why she was being nice. Instead, she said, “Merci, Grace. I truly appreciate it and—and look. I guess you can still sit with us.”

  Nancy got off the phone. Suddenly she knew exactly what to write on Grace’s heart: I appreciate Grace because she did a favor for me. Then Nancy put extra glitter on Grace’s heart.

  Just then, the bell on the Top-Secret Special Delivery mailbox started ringing. That meant Bree was sending a message. The basket hung from a rope between their bedroom windows.

  Nancy reached for the note. It was not written in code. That had to mean Bree was in a super rush to get in touch.

  When she read it, Nancy understood.

  The note in the basket said “Annie’s baby-sitting. Come over toute de suite!” Toute de suite meant right away in French. You say it like this: “toot-deh-sweet.”

  Since all of Nancy’s homework was done, her mom said okay.

  “Guess what! Annie has a secret admirer!” Bree said the second Nancy walked in the door. Bree was hopping all around and acting excited. “Wait till you hear!”

  Nancy had never realized what a good actress Bree was. So Nancy tried to act really surprised too. “A secret admirer? Wow!” Nancy let her jaw drop open.

  Annie was helping Freddy build a Lego rocket ship. “Yes! I’m meeting him tomorrow. At the Candy Café.”

  “Do you have any idea who it is?” Nancy asked Annie.

  “Not really. He’s tall, dark, and handsome and plays guitar.”

  “He left flowers for Annie. Roses!” Bree really sounded as if this were news to her.

  “Ooh la la! That’s so romantic. What did the love poem say?”

  Annie looked up from the floor. “Who said anything about a love poem?”

  Whoopsy! Bad slip! “Um—it’s like a rule,” Nancy stammered. “Secret admirers always leave a love poem.”

  Quickly Bree switched the subject. “Annie, how will you wear your hair tomorrow?” Then, when Annie took Freddy up to bed, Bree glared and said, “I can’t believe it. You nearly blew the whole thing!”

  “I’m so sorry! It just slipped out. You think she suspects?”

  “No. But watch what you say!” Bree glanced at the stairs. “Shh. I hear Annie coming.”

  Freddy was asleep, so Bree and Nancy had Annie all to themselves now. First they took turns brushing Annie’s long hair until it looked super shiny.

  Then they tried out different shades of eye shadow on Annie. And different lip glosses. And different hairstyles.

  They also gave her a super-deluxe facial.

  “Ummmmm. I feel like I’m at a beauty spa.” Annie said.

  “Ooh la la. Your skin—I mean your complexion—looks as smooth as velvet now,” Nancy said after they wiped the gook off her face.

  “I’d better not get a zit before twilight tomorrow!” Annie said just as Bree’s parents returned home. “Wish me bonne chance.” Annie said it like this: “bun shahnss.” “That’s French for good luck!”

  On Friday Mr. D brought in cupcakes.

  Everyone read their Appreciation Hearts. Nancy got five nices and twelve fancys.

  The one Grace made for Nancy said I appreciate Nancy because she is not boring. Nancy read it a couple of times. Was this a compliment? Did it mean Grace thought she was interesting?

  The most special ones came from Mr. Dudeny and, of course, Bree.

  After the last bell rang, Clara invited Yoko, Nancy, and Bree to her house. But Nancy explained why they had to decline. “At twilight Annie and Andy are meeting at the Candy Café.”

  “We’re going to spy on them and watch them fall in love,” Bree added.

  “Oh, please, can we come too?” Clara begged. Nancy was ready to say yes. But Bree was firm. “Sorry. It’d be too risky with four people. Nancy and I have to stay undercover.”

  Bree had worked out a minute-by-minute schedule.

  4:40 Arrive at Candy Café.

  4:41 Go next door to Belle’s Fashion Boutique.

  4:42 Sneak into alleyway between Belle’s and Candy Café. Spy through window.

  4:43 Wait for Annie to arrive.

  4:45–5:00 Watch Annie and Andy fall in love.

  At 4:40, right on time, Nancy’s mother pulled into the parking lot behind the Candy Café.

  “Can Bree and I go over to Belle’s?”

  Nancy’s mom looked ready to say no.

  “Please, oh please, Mom!” Nancy said. “It’s right next door. It’s not even twilight yet.”

  Nancy’s mom relented.

  At Belle’s, Bree and Nancy didn’t even stop to check out the jewelry counter. They went straight to the back entrance and ducked into the alley between the two stores.

  The Candy Café window was higher than they’d expected. They had to stand on their tippy toes. From the party room, Nancy could hear lots of little kids singing “Happy Birthday” to guitar music.

  “Andy’s gig is over now!” Nancy whispered excitedly.

  Sure enough, a minute later Andy sat down at a table in the main room. A waitress took his order.

  “Perfect! A table for two!” Bree squealed softly.

  Now only one thing was missing.

  Annie!

  At 4:45 on the dot, she arrived. Annie was wearing everything they’d told her to, and she looked stunning, ravishing, breathtaking!

  For a moment Annie glanced around the room. Then she spotted Andy. Andy spotted Annie. They waved to each other.

  “She’s sitting down at the table! Bree, we did it. It’s all coming true!”

  Bree’s hand was cupped over her mouth. She was speechless.

  “Come on. Let’s go in and say hi!” Nancy started tugging Bree by the arm.

  Bree looked uncertain. “Ooh, I want to. But won’t that give it away?”

  “We came with my mom to pick up JoJo and Freddy. Remember? It would be rude not to say hi.”

  “You’re right,” Bree said. “But don’t let anything slip like before.”

  At the Candy Café in the party room, JoJo and Freddy and lots of other little kids were racing around tooting party horns. Nancy’s mom was sharing a piece of cake with another mom. She saw Nancy and Bree and waved.

  At a table in the back, there they were—Annie and Andy. Andy and Annie. They each were holding a spoon. In between them was a banana split. Annie was laughing at something Andy said.

  It was like a movie, only better—this was real life!

  Bree and Nancy went over and said hi at the same time. It came out too loud.

  Andy looked up, startled. Annie swiveled around and said, “Oh! Hi, Bree. Hi, Nancy.”

  Andy was pointing at the banana split with his spoon. “Want to pull over chairs and help us out? This thing is huge!”

  “That’s very thoughtful! But we wouldn’t dream of disturbing you!” Nancy said.

  “You sure?” Andy asked. “We’re heading to an all-dessert party later. Gotta leave some roo
m. Right, Annie?”

  Ooh la la! Annie and Andy were going to a party. Together! Tonight!

  Just then, Nancy caught her mom signaling to them. JoJo and Freddy were in their coats.

  “Well, got to go. See you!” Bree grabbed Nancy.

  “Wait a sec.” Annie stood and, wrapping an arm around Nancy and Bree, steered them to the front of the Candy Café.

  “Your secret admirer is my guitar teacher! I can’t believe it!” Nancy whispered. “He’s tall, dark, and handsome, just like he told you!”

  “And I know for a fact that Andy isn’t too nice. I—I mean he’s nice, but not yucky nice, like your last boyfriend,” Bree babbled excitedly.

  “This is meant to be,” Nancy went on. “It’s love eternal. You already look like you’ve known each other forever!”

  Annie had a funny look on her face. “That’s because we have known each other forever.”

  Bree and Nancy stopped in their tracks. “What do you mean?” they asked Annie.

  “Andy and I have been buddies since ninth grade.” Annie bit her lip. Then she went on. “And look, you guys. I knew you were behind the whole secret-admirer thing.”

  “You did? How?” Bree asked. Nancy was too shocked to utter a word.

  “The writing.” Annie turned to Bree. “I’ve watched you practice script a lot.”

  Nancy felt like weeping. She could see Bree did too.

  “So why did you play along?” Bree asked.

  Nancy was wondering the same thing.

  “Because it was so sweet. You want me to find eternal love. And . . .” Annie giggled. “I was curious to see who you picked out.”

  Now Nancy felt silly. Annie had been playing along, the way Andy played along with JoJo’s “Say please” game. To Annie, Nancy and Bree were just dumb little kids.

  Then a terrible thought struck Nancy.

  “Does Andy know?” she asked. If he did, she would die; she would perish! She would have to get another guitar teacher. And she would never play “Wild Thing” again. Ever.

  Annie shook her head. “He thinks I just happened to show up here.”

  That was a relief. But Nancy was still confused. “But—but Andy said you’re going to a party together. Isn’t that a date?”

  Annie shook her head. “Sorry. Andy and I are friends. It’s strictly platonic.” Then she hugged them both. “You guys are the best.”

  In the car on the way home, Nancy asked, “Mom, what does platonic mean?”

  “Platonic? Hmmm, how can I describe it?” Mom said. “It means that—JoJo, Freddy, that’s enough with the horns!” When JoJo and Freddy stopped tooting, Mom started over. “It means that you like someone as a friend but not in a romantic way.”

  Nancy and Bree exchanged sad looks. That was what Nancy figured platonic meant. It was the first fancy word she didn’t like!

  “That’s how it started with Dad and me,” Mom went on. “We were buddies. I helped him study. Remember? I told you that. Then one weekend we went to a party together. And—I don’t know. I guess love was in the air that night.”

  “Oh! So you went from platonic to romantic?” As Nancy took this in, she and Bree exchanged looks again. Nancy could read Bree’s mind. Just like Nancy, she was thinking that maybe this would happen to Annie and Andy. Maybe it would happen this very night!

  After all, it was Valentine’s Day. So love was definitely in the air!

  is truly a native New Yorker. She was born and raised on the glamorous Upper West Side and, after graduating from Smith College, returned to the metropolis (that’s fancy for city) to begin a career in publishing. Currently Jane works as an editor for Penguin Books for Young Readers.

  Jane has written more than sixty books for children, including the bestselling Fancy Nancy books, seven of which were #1 New York Times bestsellers.

  Jane is married to Jim O’Connor. They have two grown sons and a rambunctious canine (that’s fancy for naughty dog) named Arrow.

  a former professional ballet dancer, has illustrated more than fifty children’s picture books, including the New York Times bestselling Fancy Nancy series, written by Jane O’Connor. Robin lives in San Juan Capistrano, California, with her husband, Bob. She has two grown children, Sasha and Ben, and a dog, Boo, who looks exactly like Nancy’s dog, Frenchy!

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  Credits

  Cover art © 2013 by Robin Preiss Glasser

  Cover design by Jeanne L. Hogle

  Copyright

  Nancy Clancy, Secret Admirer

  Text copyright © 2013 by Jane O’Connor

  Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Robin Preiss Glasser

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks.

  www.harpercollinschildrens.com

  * * *

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  O’Connor, Jane.

  Nancy Clancy, secret admirer / by Jane O’Connor ; illustrations by Robin Preiss Glasser. — 1st ed.

  p. cm. — (Fancy Nancy)

  Summary: When Nancy Clancy finds out that both her guitar teacher, Andy, and her favorite babysitter, Annie, have broken up with the people they were dating, she decides to make them fall in love on Valentine’s Day.

  ISBN 978-0-06-208295-4

  [1. Dating (Social customs)—Fiction. 2. Valentine’s Day—Fiction. 3. Schools—Fiction. 4. Vocabulary—Fiction.] I. Title.

  PZ7.O222Nak 2013

  2012028407

  [Fic]—dc23

  CIP

  AC

  * * *

  Epub Edition © NOVEMBER 2012 ISBN: 9780062082961

  12 13 14 15 16 CG/RRDH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  First Edition

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