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her arm on the steering wheel. “You get fired from your job, and some of my dad’s tools were stolen this morning.”
    “What?” I asked. “What happened?”
    “Since the paint in his shed is dry, I was hanging the tools back on their hooks,” Bess said. “Everything was there, except the hammer and wire cutters. I couldn’t find them anywhere.”
    “Maybe your mom or dad used them,” I said.
    “I already checked, and they didn’t,” Bess said. “But we left the window open in the shed last night. Someone must have reached in and grabbed the tools off the table.”
    “Why’d you leave the window open?” George asked.
    “To dry the paint,” Bess said. “I’ll check again later; maybe they’ll turn up.”
    “That’s odd, but maybe your dad forgot he lent them to a neighbor,” I said. “Okay, guys, I’d better get to my car and drive home. The less I see of this place the better.”
    “Wait, Nancy,” Bess said. “Why don’t we drive down to the river?”
    “Why the river?” I asked.
    “We saw Ned driving toward the river with the kayak strapped to the roof of his car,” George said.
    “It’s a kayak for two, remember?” Bess said, a gleam in her eye. “Ned’s got his car, so he could drive you back to yours afterward.”
    The thought of kayaking with Ned on the lazy river made me smile. After being sacked, I definitely needed something to smile about—even though I was still kind of annoyed at him for running the Casabian interview instead of ours.
    “Well, why not?” I said, opening the back door.
    The three of us sang along to Bess’s iPod as she drove the car down to the river. The late-summer weather was so perfect, I was happy to have some time off—even if it was because my job had been taken by Mandy.
    When we reached the river, I saw Ned’s car, parked next to another. I got out of Bess’s car and walked toward the water. Ned was paddling his kayak away from shore, but my heart sank when I saw he wasn’t alone. Sharing his kayak for two was . . . Mia Casabian!
    “Omigod!” Bess said when she saw them.
    “Ned!” George shouted, to let him know we were there. “What’s up?”
    Ned’s jaw dropped when he saw me. He forced a half smile before waving with one side of his paddle. Mia waved at us too.
    “Sorry, Nancy,” Bess said. “Had we known, we would never have brought you here.”
    “I’m glad you did,” I said. “Ned didn’t tell me he was going kayaking with Mia.”
    “Why should he?” a voice behind us asked.
    I gritted my teeth. It was Deirdre.
    “Hello, Deirdre,” I said, turning to look her straight in the eye. “Was this your idea too?”
    “Yes, and Ned agreed to do it for show,” Deirdre said. “The sisters are working real jobs in a real town. Why shouldn’t they date real guys, too?”
    “Because Ned is my boyfriend?” I replied angrily. “Of all the real guys in River Heights, you had to introduce her to him?”
    Deirdre pulled out her metallic purple smart-phone and said, “Excuse me. I have to make a business call.” And then she walked away.
    “We can wait here until Ned paddles back, Nancy,” George said, glaring at Deirdre. “Then you guys can have it out.”
    I didn’t feel like talking to Ned. Not just because he was kayaking with Mia, but because he hadn’t told me. And I had just spoken to him the night before.
    “Ned knows where to find me,” I said, turning toward Bess’s car. “Let’s go back to town and grab something to eat.”
    “Good idea,” George said. “I think we all need to cool off after this.”
    As we approached the car, Bess’s phone rang.
    “I’ll bet it’s my dad,” she said. “He’s probably wondering where the wire cutters and hammer are.”
    Bess answered, but it was Maggie calling from camp. She was talking so loud and frantically that I could hear her on the other end.
    “I’m calling from the camp office phone,” Maggie said. “They left me alone for a minute, so I have to talk