The dinner bell chimes at nine o’clock. My stomach is rumbling like a volcano.

After Jonah and I finished making our list of date ideas, we went back to our rooms to change out of our pj’s. There were tons of clothes in my closet! Including a beautiful purple satin gown and a silver tiara. And at least ten pairs of super-cute pajamas. Does Mr. Beast think we’re staying that long? He didn’t even want us here in the first place! Is he really planning on keeping us forever? Doesn’t he realize we can sneak back home through the mirror at any time?

I change into a green-and-white polka-dot dress and green shoes, then stop by Jonah’s room. First, though, I peek into the magic mirror in the sitting room to make sure my parents are still in sleepyland. Yup, they are. Hurrah!

Jonah is wearing a new pair of gray pants, a crisp white shirt, and black suspenders. Except the suspenders are all tangled and crossed on his front instead of his back. He looks pretty proud of himself, so I decide not to fix them.

“You look very handsome,” I say.

He preens. “Thank you. I had to change. My pajamas had ketchup all over them.”

I laugh. “I’m surprised you didn’t try to eat them.”

When we get to the dining room, Mr. Beast is sitting at the head of the table. It’s a very long table. Like, ridiculously long. Like you could sit ten people on each side. But instead, it’s set for just five people. Mr. Beast, Beauty, me, Jonah, and …

Prince jumps onto one of the seats.

“No, Prince, not at the table,” I say.

“Why shouldn’t he sit at the table?” Mr. Beast huffs. “Is he not good enough to sit at the table because he’s covered in fur?”

“Oh,” I say. “I guess he can sit at the table.” Oops.

Beauty finally comes down a few minutes later and says, “Hi, everyone.”

Beauty looks, of course, beautiful in a new red dress. It brings out the warmth in her skin and shows off her glossy, curly black hair.

Unfortunately, Mr. Beast barely looks at or acknowledges her.

“Hello!” says Mrs. Butler, appearing with food on a tray. “We will start off with goat cheese soup. Then we will be serving ricotta ravioli. And for dessert, we will have chocolate cheesecake. Doesn’t that sound delicious?”

We all nod. It really does.

I scoop up my soup with my spoon. Mmm. I wish I could have this at home. I wish I had a Mrs. Butler at home, too.

There is even a special plate of dog food for Prince, which he happily inhales.

“The meal is delicious,” I tell Mrs. Butler.

“No, no, dear, you don’t need to help with the dishes. I’ll do them.”

I giggle. “No, Mrs. Butler, I said the meal is delicious. You’re a wonderful cook. But I am happy to help with the dishes!”

Now she laughs. “Cook? I don’t cook! Mr. Beast is the cook!”

Mr. Beast flushes.

“He is?” I ask. “I’m so impressed! Did you taste the soup, Beauty? Isn’t it amazing?”

She’s just staring into her bowl.

I motion for her to eat.

She sighs and takes a small sip off her spoon. “Uh-huh.”

I wait for her to say something else, but she doesn’t. I guess I’ll have to keep talking. “So, Beauty. What do you like to do in your spare time?”

“I read,” she says. “A lot.”

“Oh, yeah? What about you, Mr. Beast? Do you like to read?”

“Not really,” he says.

“What do you like to do?” I ask him.

“I like to cook,” he says, and takes a slurp of soup. “And eat. Beasts are hungry all the time. I have multiple meals a day. Breakfast. Brunch. Lunch. Linner. Dinner.”

“Linner?” asks Jonah.

“It’s between lunch and dinner,” Mr. Beast explains.

No wonder his dinner is at nine. He has to build in time for all those extra meals.

“There’s also aftinner. After Dinner,” Mr. Beast adds.

When does he have time to sleep?

“What else do you like to do?” I ask Mr. Beast.

“Play games,” he says. “Like trump.”

“And flying crocodile!” Jonah says.

Mr. Beast smiles. “That, too.”

“Do you like to play trump?” I ask Beauty.

“I don’t know how,” she says, taking another spoonful of soup.

“Maybe Mr. Beast can teach you after dinner,” I say.

Mr. Beast gives a hint of a nod. “I can. If you want to learn.”

“Okay,” Beauty says. “I’d like that.”

Hurrah! We’re in the middle of date number one — dinner! After this, we’ll go straight into date number two — playing a game. Maybe we can even top the evening off with date number three — dancing. And they’ll be madly in love and we’ll be all done.

The main course comes and I’m in food heaven. So is Jonah. Even Beauty is gobbling it down. Mmm. So much cheese. Yum. Maybe it’s from Freckles’s shop. Good job, Freckles.

I try to keep the conversation going between bites.

“So, Mr. Beast, have you lived in this palace a long time?” I ask.

“No,” he says curtly. He takes a big bite of pasta.

I glance at Beauty in case she has any follow-up questions, but she’s silent.

These two could really work on their conversational skills. But I’m not ready to give up. “How long have you lived here?” I go on.

“About two years,” he says.

“It’s very pretty. And quiet.”

“I like the quiet,” he says. “I like to be far from Town.” He takes a gulp of his water and looks up at Beauty. “Do you miss Town?”

It’s the first question he’s asked her yet.

“I do,” she admits. “I used to live there before my dad lost his business and we had to move out to the cottage. I’ve always dreamt about moving back. It’s so vibrant. I like the hustle and bustle. I like to be around lots of people.”

“Oh,” Beast says. He takes another gulp of water.

Humph. She couldn’t have pretended to want to live out here in the middle of nowhere?

Mr. Beast returns to eating.

Watching him eat is kind of strange. His lips are big. His teeth are so sharp. And he can put a lot more pasta in his mouth than any person I’ve ever seen.

When I see the chocolate cheesecake dessert coming, I motion to Jonah. Let’s go, I mouth.

He makes a sad face but pushes back his chair.

“Jonah and I don’t want dessert,” I announce. It’s a total lie, but I have to stick to the plan. “You guys go ahead. We’re stuffed.”

Mr. Beast looks at us suspiciously. “Really? Neither of you wants to try my delicious chocolate cheesecake? It’s extra chocolaty.”

A strangled sound escapes Jonah’s lips.

“No, thank you,” I say, which is difficult, believe me. “You two finish up and then play your game. We’ll be upstairs. Have fun!”

Whew. Now they’ll really get a chance to talk. They’re going to fall in love and live happily ever after. Maybe it’ll happen right away and we’ll be able to go home before bedtime.

Jonah and I turn and start to walk out of the dining room.

We don’t get far before Beauty pushes her chair back. “I need to go upstairs, too. Sorry. I don’t think I can play trump tonight. Thank you for dinner.”

Huh? What’s she doing?

Mr. Beast’s face clouds over. “Fine. Good night,” he thunders.

Without comment, she runs from the dining room.

Jonah and I just stand there dumbfounded. What just happened?

Mr. Beast looks down at his plate. “I told you she wouldn’t like me,” he mutters. “She doesn’t even want to play cards with me.”

“She did! She does!” I exclaim. “I don’t know what happened.”

“I’ll play with you,” Jonah says, rushing back to the table. “But can we have the cheesecake first?”

Mr. Beast shrugs.

“I’m going to check on Beauty,” I say. I hurry up the grand staircase and knock on Beauty’s door.

“Come in,” she calls.

“What happened?” I ask as I step inside. She’s lying on her bed in a ball, clutching her stomach.

I gasp. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s the cheese,” she says. “I can’t eat cheese! I’m allergic!”

Huh? “But you ate the goat cheese soup! And the cheese ravioli! Why did you eat so much cheese? I don’t understand.”

She sniffs. “I didn’t want to insult Mr. Beast by not eating his food. He cooked it.”

“But you’re sick!”

“I know. When I eat cheese, I get really dizzy and then I feel like I’m going to throw up. I can’t go back downstairs. I can barely stand up!”

“Do you need to go to the hospital?” I ask.

“No,” she says. “I’ll be okay. I just need to go to sleep.”

I back slowly out of the room and go downstairs. Jonah and Mr. Beast are in the den, playing cards.

“Is she coming down?” Mr. Beast asks when he sees me. “She ran away so fast, it was as though she was allergic to me.”

“It’s not you she’s allergic to,” I say. “It’s cheese.”

He frowns. “She is? Why didn’t she tell me?”

“She didn’t want to hurt your feelings.” I take the opportunity to further my cause. “That’s how much she likes you. She was willing to eat your food even though it made her sick.”

“But I don’t want someone to suffer because of my food. I don’t want someone to suffer at all. Not by eating my food or by being with me.”

I don’t know what to say to that, so I just stay quiet.

“Maybe I should bring Beauty something to read,” I say eventually. “Can she borrow a book?”

“Of course,” he says, playing a card. “I have a million books in the basement. I’m not much of a reader, but they were my grandfather’s. He always had his nose in a book. I’ve never even looked through them.”

Jonah yawns.

“Jonah, ten more minutes and then you have to go to bed,” I say.

“You’re not my mother, Abby,” he grumbles.

“Maryrose told us that I’m in charge when we’re in fairy tale land. You just don’t remember.”

“She did?”

“Yes,” I lie. “It’s for your own safety.”

“It’s almost time for my aftinner anyway,” Mr. Beast says. “You should get some sleep, Jonah. Breakfast will be served at seven A.M. sharp.”

“What are you making?” I ask.

“A cheeseburger.”

“For breakfast?” Gross.

He laughs. “No. For aftinner. Omelets for breakfast.”

“Cheese-free, I hope,” I say.

“With homemade ketchup?” Jonah asks, licking his lips.

“With homemade ketchup,” Mr. Beast promises.

While they finish up their game, I go downstairs to find the books.

The basement is dark and smells musty. I turn on the lamp and see piles and piles of books all over the floor and scattered around messily on the shelves.

I pick up a few books from the top of a pile and bring them upstairs to Beauty.

“There are stacks and stacks of books in the basement,” I tell her, handing over the ones I chose. “Mr. Beast says you can read whatever you want. I grabbed you a few. I wasn’t sure what kinds you liked.”

“I’m too dizzy to read,” she says, putting the books on her nightstand. “But thanks. I’ll have a look tomorrow.”

“You sure you don’t want to see a doctor?”

“No, no, tomorrow it will be gone. It always is.”

“Always? How often do you eat the thing you’re allergic to?”

“A lot,” she admits sheepishly. “I don’t like to insult anyone.”

“Beauty! You can’t worry so much about insulting people. You have to worry about yourself!”

She sighs. “Can you lecture me tomorrow? I’m not really up for it.”

I pull the covers up to her chin. “Okay, I’ll lecture you tomorrow. Plus we have a fun day planned. You and Mr. Beast are going to get to know each other really well. I’ll bet you’ll even fall in love!”

“I’m not sure about that,” she says. “But I’ll stay longer if it helps you. And he has stacks of books. I love books so much. Books are amazing.”

“So’s Mr. Beast,” I press. “He’s amazing, too. You’ll see.”

She closes her eyes without answering.