Claudia And The Terrible Truth Read Online Free Page A

from, near the phone. After that, he and Nate sat down at the kitchen table to wait for their parents' return.
    Mrs. Nicholls was the first one home. She came into the kitchen looking tired, but her eyes lit up when she saw the boys. "Hi, sweeties," she said. "Did you have fun with Claudia?" "I think they did," I said, rushing to confess. It was as if the boys' nervousness was contagious. "We went over to the Stanton-Chas', next door. My friend Stacey was there, sitting for Stephen. I hope that was all right." Mrs. Nicholls didn't seem upset. "That sounds nice. Why don't you boys say good-bye to Claudia and then run along and do your work?" she suggested.
    Once Nate and Joey had left the room, Mrs. Nicholls paid me. "Taking the boys next door is fine with me, as long as it was okay with their father," she said, giving me a questioning look.
    'Actually," I said, "I didn't think to ask him." I noticed that Mrs. Nicholls looked pale. She bit her lip. Then she smiled. "I'm sure it's fine," she said, as if she were trying to convince herself instead of me. 'Anyway, what he doesn't know won't hurt anyone," she added under her breath.
    What was that supposed to mean? I was about to ask, but the kitchen clock caught my eye. "Oh, my lord," I gasped. "I better run, or I'll be late for my meeting." I said good-bye and ran out the door. My first job with the Nicholls boys had gone well, except for the slightly uneasy feeling I had as I left their house. l Chapter 4.
    For the next couple of days, I forgot about the Nichollses. I have to admit I didn't think once about Joey or Nate. Why? Because I was too busy playing with Lynn. Every day after school I would race to the library. My mom was taking Lynn to work with her each day, where one of the assistants in the children's room was glad to keep an eye on her. I would run to find Lynn, then wrap her up in her quilted pink baby-bag. I'd carry her outside and pop her into her stroller. We'd wave bye-bye to my mom (I had to help Lynn with that) and head on home.
    I'd prop Lynn in her infant seat while I had a snack, then carry her up to my room and spend the rest of the afternoon snuggling and playing with her on the bed. My baby cousin, a box of Junior Mints, and a Nancy Drew mystery I was reading for the fourth time: I was in heaven. Homework could wait for later, when my parents and Janine insisted on having their turns with Lynn. By Wednesday, when my friends arrived for the BSC meeting, I'd made a lot of progress teaching Lynn to say my name.
    "Show them how you say my name," I told Lynn when everybody was there. "Say 'Claudia,’" "K-K-gug,” Lynn sputtered.
    "See?" I said proudly.
    "She said 'Gug,’ " Kristy pointed out.
    "So? That's how she says my name. She's only a baby, you know." Kristy opened her mouth to answer, and that's when the phone rang. It was Mrs. Nicholls, calling to ask, first, if I could be Joey and Mate's regular sitter, and second, if I was free for a job the following afternoon. I said yes to both, after checking with the other members of the BSC. That's when I started thinking about Nate and Joey. I remembered how uncomfortable they'd seemed while playirig at Stephen's, so I decided to bring my Kid-Kit the next day and see if they'd have a better time playing at home.
    The next afternoon, Mr. Nicholls answered the door again when I arrived. He was wearing the same blue suit, .and he left as quickly as he had before — after giving the boys the same lecture about behaving.
    "I brought something special to show you guys today,” I told Joey and Nate once we were alone.
    "Is it a puppy?" asked Nate.
    I laughed. "Uh, no,” I said.
    "He really wants a puppy," Joey explained.
    "I would take good care of it and always be nice to it," Nate said eagerly.
    "Well, maybe someday you'll have a puppy," I said. Joey and Nate both looked doubtful. 'Anyway," I went on, "what I