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that.”
    “I know,” Madison said. She was used to both of her parents working all the time, overtime. But then again, Stephanie was there. That counted for a lot.
    “You haven’t told me anything about what’s going on back at home,” Stephanie said. “I mean, you covered all the basics at dinner last night, but I want to know the real, undercover scoop. For example, how is that boy you like? Isn’t his name Hart?”
    “Yes. Hart,” Madison said softly. “You remembered.”
    “Of course,” Stephanie said with a nod. “How is he?”
    “Same,” Madison said, giving hardly any answer at all. She always felt self-conscious discussing boyfriends and crushes with grown-ups.
    “Maybe you’ll meet another boy at camp this summer,” Stephanie said.
    “Maybe,” Madison said blankly. Inside her head, she was screaming, But how? There is no other boy for me!
    The waitress brought their chicken-salad sandwiches with pickles and chips on the side.
    “So, do you miss your friends yet?” Stephanie asked. She was hitting all the sensitive subjects.
    Madison nodded. “I do.”
    “When I was your age, I used to go away to camp during the summers in Texas,” Stephanie said. “My camp was called Home on the Range. Each summer I looked forward to camp for one big reason—and it wasn’t the horses.”
    Madison giggled. “Was it because of a boy?” she asked.
    “You betcha,” Stephanie said, putting on her Texas twang. “I spent three whole summers pining after this one cute boy named Jed. He was one of the best riders at camp.”
    “Oh, so he was a cow boy?” Madison joked.
    “Ha-ha,” Stephanie laughed, acknowledging the wordplay. “All I remember is that he was my dream-boat, that’s for sure.”
    “Did you ever hold hands, or … even … um … kiss?”
    Stephanie raised her eyebrows. “Who wants to know?” Then she smiled. “Sure. We smooched. Behind a barn. Just a few times, I swear.”
    “I’m so telling Dad!” Madison squealed.
    “What about you?” Stephanie asked.
    “What about me what ?”
    “Did you and Hart ever?”
    “ What ?”
    Stephanie stared hard at Madison. “Kiss?” she asked.
    Madison felt herself blush like red, red roses.
    “Not exactly,” Madison admitted. “We came close, though. I think.”
    “I see.”
    “We sort of held hands and his face got really close to mine, but … the fact is that Mom says I’m way too young to date and kiss.”
    Stephanie nodded.
    “You think so, too, don’t you?”
    “I think maybe your Mom is right,” Stephanie said. “But what do you think?”
    “Well,” Madison said with a shrug. “I know I’m still really young. It’s just hard, because it feels like everyone around me is doing even more than kissing. I mean, shouldn’t I be doing more by now, too?”
    “No, sweetie. Not at all,” Stephanie said. “Maddie, you’re still so young. There’s plenty of time for that. Believe me.”
    “But … what if I really want to kiss Hart?” Madison asked. She lowered her head. “You know, I already had a first kiss—but it wasn’t with Hart. It was with this boy Mark. I kissed him at Gramma Helen’s house. Just once. It was during this fireworks show.”
    “Well,” Stephanie said. “That’s big news.”
    “I never told Dad.”
    “Thanks for telling me,” Stephanie whispered. “It’s an honor.”
    “You have to keep it a secret,” Madison said.
    Stephanie pretended to zip her lips shut. “Where’s this Mark now?”
    Madison shrugged. “I was so lame. I never e-mailed him. He never e-mailed me, either, but still … it was just … I don’t know what happened. I came home after the vacation, and then I started crushing on Hart right away again.”
    “Well, sometimes life is one big curveball,” Stephanie said quietly. “But you really shouldn’t rush anything, Maddie. Take your time when it comes to all that love stuff. There are a lot of things you can explore and enjoy that have absolutely nothing to do