Page 117 of Bookworm

I smiled because yes, I had seen.

And it had been adorable watching Bo perform a move and then teaching the kids how to do it.

"Did you know he was like this?" Viola asked.

I shrugged. "Kind of. We've been neighbors forever."

"And she's had a crush on him forever," Scarlett put in.

"Shhh," I hissed, checking to make sure Bo didn't hear.We were standing in a far corner, and thankfully,he hadn't paused in his reading. "I have not."

"Have to," she said back then looked to Viola. "She's been crushing hard, even if she's never admitted it to herself or anyone else."

"Stop psychoanalyzing me, Scar."

"Stop being in denial, Lotte."

Viola laughed."So, this is what it's like to have a sister. Sorry I missed out on that."

"Sometimes I wish I was an only child," I mumbled.

"Oh come on, you love me," Scarlett said.

"It's up for debate at this point."

"Getting back to Bo"—Scarlett lifted a brow—"don't you think they're awesome together, Viola?"

"Yeah." Violagave me a questioning look. "ButLotte, I thought you said he was an uptight grouch."

"He is," I said and then sighed, "but apparently, he has hidden layers."

"You don't sound too thrilled about it," she said.

Viola was far too preceptive.

For that matter, so was my sister whose brows puckered."Are you guys having trouble?" she asked.

"No, no," I said, shaking my head. "It's nothing like that. If anything, it's me. I'm the one with issues, not Bo."

"Want to talk about it?"

I took a deep breath. "Maybe."

Viola tilted her head, and we huddled in closer. "The way Dare talks about Bo—oh, I'm sorry, Iceman, his arch soccer foe"—she rolled her eyes—"I was expecting something else."

Me, too, I thought.

Bo finished reading and silently closed the book. Princess Ana had come to the front of her cage a while ago. She was sitting there, just staring at Bo. As he slowly leaned forward, reaching out a tentative hand, the dog drew back into herself. But Bo didn't try to get any closer. He remained there patiently, hand outstretched.

"It's okay, girl," he murmured. "I won't hurt you."

After several moments, Princess Ana relaxed, sniffed Bo's hand, and even let him pet her, which he did with the utmost care.

I sighed, and I wasn't the only one.

When I looked back to my sister and cousin, Viola had a sheen of tears in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

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