The next day I am so sleepy! My brain was way too busy to go to sleep last night. I tried really hard to close my eyes, but there were so many things to think about.
Usually when Momma calls up to me that it’s time to get up, I am already awake, but today she has to call me two times. It takes me forever to get dressed. I wash my face and brush my hair in slow motion.
When I get downstairs for breakfast, Momma has everything on the table. “How did you sleep, Sweet Pea?” she asks.
“I was too busy thinking,” I tell her. “I forgot to sleep!”
“I have an idea that will help you wake up,” Momma says. “Why don’t you take Miss Clarabelle’s dog for a quick walk before school?”
“Good idea!” I agree. I gobble down my breakfast and slip out the back door. It’s very quiet outside. It seems like the whole town of Jacksonville is still tucked in bed under the covers.
Even though I tap extra quietly on Miss Clarabelle’s door, I seem to wake everyone up! Suddenly I see three cars, the newspaper boy on his bike, and two mommas out jogging.
A moment later, Miss Clarabelle opens the door. She is wearing a housecoat with teacups on it. “What a nice surprise!” she says. “Did you come for a little visit before school?”
“Momma sent me to see if your little doggie needs a walk,” I explain.
“That sure is sweet of you, Kylie Jean. I am sure she would love to take a walk,” Miss Clarabelle says. “Is Ugly Brother going for a walk, too?”
“No, ma’am, he’s under the kitchen table waiting for T.J. to drop some food,” I explain. “It’ll just be a short walk for us girls so I don’t miss my bus.”
Miss Clarabelle clips Tess’s pretty purple leash to her collar and hands it to me. We head off down the sidewalk.
Tess is a good little dog while we walk. She doesn’t try to run off or bark at birds singing their morning songs in the trees.
We are headed around the block when I notice that Mr. Jones’s newspaper is lying in the road. The paperboy must have missed his front porch. Tess and I stop to help. I carry his newspaper up to the porch and ring the doorbell. Ding-dong!
Mr. Jones comes to the door and I hand him his paper. “Here you go, Mr. Jones,” I say. “This was in the street.”
Mr. Jones smiles at me. “Thank you, Kylie Jean!” he says. “That’s awful nice of you.”
As Tess and I turn the corner to my street, I hear a rumbly rattling sound a few streets over. Uh-oh! “Hurry, Tess!” I say. “Mr. Jim’s bus is coming.”
We dash up the steps to Miss Clarabelle’s front porch. “Thank you for letting me walk Tess,” I say. “The bus is coming. See you later!”
Momma is standing at the fence with my backpack, waving for me to hurry up. I see T.J. race out the door behind her, so I’m not the only one who’s late today. T.J. and I make it to the curb just as Mr. Jim is getting ready to pull away.
I take a seat behind Mr. Jim. “Were you waiting for me?” I ask him.
Mr. Jim shakes his head. “I can’t wait, or everyone would be late,” he tells me. “You kids are supposed to be ready to go when I drive up.”
I look up and see Mr. Jim wink at me. As soon as I see that, I know he did a sweet deed for me so I wouldn’t miss the bus.
“Okay, then. Thank you anyway,” I say.
By the time I get to school, I feel wide awake. That walk sure did the trick! I can’t wait to tell my teacher all about Oak Manor. I find Lucy, and we go talk to Ms. Corazón about my idea.
I tell our teacher about my plan, then say, “Getting more visitors for Oak Manor is my pet project!” Momma taught me that a pet project is the one you like the best.
“I love your idea,” Ms. Corazón says. “I think it could it be a project for the whole class. Some of the other students might want to visit the lonely folks, too, but first we need more information.”
“I can get more!” I offer. “I’ll ask my momma to take me to visit Oak Manor.”
When Lucy and I get back to our desks, our friends Paula and Cara are sitting there. And there’s something else sitting there, too — a fancy heart-shaped box of chocolates and a pretty pink flower right on top of my desk.
“What’s that?” Lucy asks.
“I don’t know,” I reply. “I didn’t see anyone put it there.”
“Is there a note?” Paula asks.
I pick up the box and turn it over. But there’s nothing to tell me who it’s from. “Nope,” I reply, shaking my head.
“I bet it’s from a secret admirer!” Lucy says. “Can I please help you open it?”
“Can we please help you eat it?” Cara asks.
“Sure!” I say. My friends and I just love chocolate.
When Lucy opens the box, we find out my secret admirer likes candy, too. One of the chocolates has a big bite out of it!
I take a chocolate for myself before passing the box to my cousin and my friends. I take a bite — mmmm! Caramel, my favorite!
As we snack on our sweet treats, I look at the candy box again. It is super mysterious. Whoever left it didn’t leave a single clue — except for the nibbled piece of candy. I look around for a kid with chocolate on his or her face, but I don’t see a single one.