" Ooh!" exclaimed Nicky. "I nearly missed Theodore." She added a moth eaten teddy bear to the rest of her belongings."Theodore?" asked Becca intrigued...at the very smart name of a very tatty bear.Nicky grinned. "Teddy Roosevelt: Teddy Bear."Becca chuckled. She was getting to like this girl more and more.Nicky scooped up half a dozen books off the chest of drawers and tossed them on top of everything else. She pulled the dressing gown closed and used the cord to make it into a parcel."That's it,". " Her voice was loud andassertive, leaving me looking at the carpet fidgeting and blushing at thereprimand."We have decided that until you find a proper job you will work for us."I looked up at thi. "What do you mean?" I said puzzled."Well Hazel (my wife) has been talking for some time now about getting acleaner or a housekeeper in, you could take this role for now in order topay your way." D, Do you think so?" I mumbled quietly, feeling a sudden unexplainablethumping of my heart in my. Thursday rolled around. Of all the strange things, Mr. Simple called me and asked me to come in early, so I did. No one seemed to be in the building, and I had to pound on the door until one of the desk ladies finally came and let me in.Mr. Simple was in his office with the door open, and I tapped on the door. He looked up and motioned me to enter.“Please close the door, Chanelle,” he said, and I did. I was really wondering by now what this was all about. I was getting nervous. Was he going to. " "I don't have an older brother!" His grin spread wider. "I know." "No!" "If you don't want everyone to see what you've got, why don't you just tellme what I want to hear?" He could see the frustration in her eyes as she struggled with her options,weighing the pain of surrender against the pain of defiance . . . . # # # Jonah had never been more distracted by anything ever before in his life.He barely remembered the dream he'd been having just moments before his alarmclock had gone off that.