Chapters (68)
- Cover
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Chapter One
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Chapter Two
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Chapter Three
- Ten
- Eleven
- Chapter Four
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Chapter Five
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Chapter Six
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Chapter Seven
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Chapter Eight
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Chapter Nine
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Chapter Ten
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Chapter Eleven
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Chapter Twelve
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Chapter Thirteen
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Chapter Fourteen
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Chapter Fifteen
- The Following Summer
- About the Author
- About the Publisher
“Our families don’t speak,” she said, dipping a toe in the Sloane Family Feud waters.
“It’s so stupid.”
The knot in Ali’s chest unraveled a bit. “I think so too. I was worried you wouldn’t want to be friends with me.” In the distance, seagulls called to one another as they fished for their supper. Their screeches sounded like please, please, please to Ali.
“We can be friends,” said Alfie after a torturous minute, as if he’d reviewed all of the possible alternatives and chosen this one.
Thrilled, and braver now, Ali turned to look at him. “I’m throwing a birthday party for Gigi. She’s turning one hundred.”
“Gigi?”
Duh—of course he didn’t know her nickname! Ali giggled. “It’s what I call our great-grandmother. She wanted me to call her Gertie, but I couldn’t pronounce it very well, so Digger said to call her G. G., for ‘great-grandmother,’ which is what he and your dad used to call her. I thought he was saying ‘Gigi.’ The name stuck.”
“Gigi? I quite like it,” said Alfie.
“You’ve never met her.”
“Nope.” Ali sensed years of regret in that simple word.
“But now that you know me, you can meet her, and you can come to her birthday party.”
Alfie shook his head. “Impossible.”
“No, it’s not. If you come to the party, then the rest of your family will too, and the Sloanes will be reunited! It’ll be the best gift ever for Gigi!”
Alfie made a half-choking, half-grunting sound. “Never going to happen.”
“Why not? We’ve just met, and the world hasn’t ended. If all the Sloanes come to the party, I’m sure they’ll make up.”
“My grandfather will never go.”
Then it hit her: maybe she didn’t need all of the Other Sloanes to come to Gigi’s party. Maybe one would be enough. “Will you come, at least?”
“No.”
Ali’s excitement fizzled like a spent sparkler. “I don’t even know why they’re fighting.”
“It’s about my dad. My grandfather blames your father and Gigi for his death. My mom and my aunt don’t, but it doesn’t matter, because Granddad does.”
“But one person can’t boss everyone around!” Ali protested.
Alfie stood up. “I love my grandfather. So even though I’m dying to meet Gigi and your dad, I can’t go against him. My mom says family has to stick together, even if you don’t agree. If they won’t go to the party, I can’t go either.”
“But we’re your family too! We’re blood. We even look alike!”
Alfie grinned. “When I walked into the classroom, I recognized you straightaway.”
“Can’t you at least ask them to come?” Ali didn’t try and hide her distress. “Maybe if he knows you want to come, your grandfather will change his mind.”