“This is it!” said the man in the suit. “Perfect for any kind of development.”
Amelia Bedelia looked at Heather and Holly. Heather and Holly looked at Amelia Bedelia.
“It’s him!” whispered Heather. “It’s Victor Lee! He’s the one who’s going to sell our lot!”
“Looks good,” said the man in the baseball cap. “Plenty of room to put up a new building. A parking lot too. And a nice neighborhood. I think this would be an excellent place for my dry cleaning business!”
Diana picked up Licorice. Just as she did so, Lincoln, the collie, spotted the black cat that Licorice had chased up the tree. He raced off to run around the oak tree and bark and bark at the cat. The other four grown-up dogs joined him. The cat sat on the branch and stared down at the dogs.
“I’m sure it will be perfect,” said Victor Lee, raising his voice a little over the barking. “Girls? Excuse me? Do you live in this neighborhood?”
“Yes, we do,” said Amelia Bedelia. She and Heather and Holly walked over to where the men were standing.
“Don’t you think this neighborhood needs a dry cleaner?” Victor Lee asked hopefully.
“I don’t know,” said Amelia Bedelia. “I usually wash stuff that I want clean. How can you clean things by drying them?”
But the man in the baseball cap was looking at the three girls and frowning.
“You girls live around here?” he asked. “You sure?”
“Of course we’re sure!” said Heather. “We know where we live!”
“Then this lot would not be perfect after all,” the man in the baseball cap said firmly. “Why would I open a dry cleaning business in this neighborhood if people go around looking like that?”
He waved a hand at the three muddy girls. Victor Lee looked dismayed.
“No, thank you, Mr. Lee,” said the man in the baseball cap. “If you think I’m going to spend money on this lot, you’re barking up the wrong tree!”
“I think it’s the dogs who are barking,” Amelia Bedelia told him. “And it’s the right tree. It has the cat in it.”
The man shook his head and marched back to the car. Victor Lee looked at the three girls, shook his head too, and drove away. Diana collected her dogs, waved good-bye, and went on with her walk. Amelia Bedelia, Heather, and Holly sat down to finish their lemon tarts.
“That’s not the same cat we saw before, is it?” asked Heather.
“No, it’s a different one,” said Holly. “Do you think it’s okay? Can it get down?”
“When it’s ready, it will,” said Amelia Bedelia. “But maybe we can help it get ready.”
She broke off a small piece of lemon tart. She left it at the foot of the tree.
“Lucky cat,” said Heather, licking her fingers. “I wish I could have another.”
“You can!” said Amelia Bedelia. “I made a bunch!” She handed out more tarts. And they were just beginning to eat them when Victor Lee pulled up again.
He got out of his car and frowned when he saw the girls. “Do you girls play in this lot a lot?” he asked. “Are you planning to go home anytime soon?”
A woman got out of the car and came to stand by Victor. “Wow, those sure smell good,” she said. “What are you girls eating?”
“Lemon tarts,” said Amelia Bedelia. “Would you like a taste?” She broke off half of her lemon tart and offered it to the woman.
The woman took a bite. Her eyes went wide, and she shivered a little. “Oh, my!” she said. “That is one tart tart! Did you buy it somewhere around here?”
“No, I made it,” said Amelia Bedelia. “But if you want to buy one, I make them for Pete’s Diner every week.”
“You do?” said the woman. She looked worried for some reason. “Is Pete’s Diner near here?”
“Yes,” Amelia Bedelia said helpfully. “It’s right around the corner. He has wonderful brownies too.”
“And milk shakes,” added Heather. “The best in town.”
“Oh!” the woman said. “That’s terrible!”
“How can milk shakes be terrible?” asked Holly.
“Or brownies,” added Heather.
“I was planning to open a bakery on this lot,” said the woman. “But I don’t think anyone would come to it if they can get lemon tarts like these nearby.”
“People in this neighborhood really like Pete’s Diner,” Amelia Bedelia agreed.
The woman looked discouraged. “Mr. Lee, do you have any other lots you could show me?”
She turned back to the car. Victor Lee looked down at the girls. “Do you think you could try not to talk to my clients anymore?” he asked.
Victor Lee and the bakery woman drove away, and the girls finished their tarts. The black cat watched them eat. Then it slowly climbed down the tree and nibbled at the bit of lemon tart that Amelia Bedelia had left on the moss.
“Good kitty!” said Amelia Bedelia. The cat washed its whiskers and trotted through the grass toward the spooky house next door, just as Victor Lee pulled up in his car again! He sighed when he got out and saw that the girls were still sitting by the FOR SALE sign.
This time a man got out of the passenger side of the car. He was wearing a shirt with bright red-and-green parrots on it, and when he spoke, his voice was a little like a parrot’s too—harsh and loud.
“This is great!” he said. “This is perfect! This is exactly what I needed!”
Amelia Bedelia exchanged a worried glance with Holly and Heather.
“Excuse me, sir,” Amelia Bedelia said. “But we think the lot is perfect too. We like it just the way it is. What are you planning to do to it?”
“I’m going to turn it into a parking lot!” he said. “I’ll cut down that big tree, pave it over, and charge people to park here!”
“Cut down the tree!” cried Holly.
“I don’t think we need a parking lot in this neighborhood,” said Amelia Bedelia. “There’s plenty of room already for people to park their cars.”
“And lots of people walk,” Heather pointed out.
“And fall off them,” added Amelia Bedelia.
“Maybe your parents are looking for you girls,” said Victor Lee.
“It’ll be perfect!” shouted the man in the parrot shirt. “I’ll charge people to park their cars by the hour, by the day, by the week, by the month. I’ll clean up!”
“But we already cleaned up!” Amelia Bedelia exclaimed. “We worked really hard!”
The man in the parrot shirt was not listening. He was grinning, and he got into the car with Victor Lee, still talking about how much money he would make.
