"The beach!" Adam shouted. "What else?" He was polishing off a stack of pancakes at record speed. I noticed he was dressed in his bathing suit, ready to go.

"Not the beach," Mal wailed. "There's no sun today."

"Who cares?" asked Vanessa.

"I do. I want to get a tan." Mal grinned at Stacey and me. "Maybe I'll find a cute guy to impress."

"Only girls care about silly stuff like tanning/' Jordan said. He was practically inhaling a bacon sandwich, fidgeting in his chair. "We're going snorkeling today. Right, guys?" He was holding a pair of goggles and a plastic breathing tube on his lap.

"We are?" Nicky said hopefully.

"I meant Adam and Byron," Jordan told him breezily. "You can do something with Margo and Claire. Maybe you could go into town."

Nicky looked crushed. "Oh."

"Thaf s right," Vanessa said brightly. "We can divide up into two groups and that way everyone can do what they want. Will you take us into Sea City, Mary Anne?"

I glanced at Mrs. Pike, and she nodded. "Sure, if Stacey will take the boys swimming."

Mal and the girls and I set out half an hour later (after we persuaded the triplets to let Nicky join them on the beach). Mrs. Pike needed a few things from the grocery store, so we decided to make that our last stop. We walked along the main drag, watching out for familiar landmarks.

"Look, Gurber Garden," Claire shrieked.

"My most favorite place in the whole world."

"Gurber Garden" is really Burger Garden, the place with the Crazy Burgers. (Claire never gets the name right.) It's a fun place to eat. You sit on seats that look like mushrooms and the waiters and waitresses dress up like friendly animals. Who could resist a place where a mouse serves you dinner?

"I thought Ice-Cream Palace was your most favorite place in the world," Mal said, teasing her.