Emma Moves In

Chapter Nine

On the car ride home, Mom acts like everything is totally normal. When Emma asks her if she talked to Dad, she casually mentions that they did talk, and still there’s no update on the new chef for Harvest Moon.

The girls drag the box of records and the sketchbook into Zoe and Natalia’s house. They show it to Grandma Stephenson, who confirms that the sketches are from her Cousin Carolyn, who lives in Colorado. She also has Natalia grab an old record player and set up a record called “Mashed Potato Time” into the player.

Together, the girls and Grandma all dance the old fashioned Mashed Potato dance. Soon, Emma’s mom, Aunt Alison, and the boys come into the room and join in. But when Abuelita sees Grandma Stephenson dancing, she exclaims that Grandma is too fragile to be dancing; she doesn’t want to have another fall. Regrettably, Grandma sits down with a huff.

Later, Natalia complains that she wishes everybody didn’t treat Grandma like a baby so much—she’s a grown adult and can make her own decisions. Zoe replies that she thinks it’s important for Grandma to be careful. Emma can see from both perspectives. She wishes that everybody in her life would stop arguing.