Driving Lessons: A Novel by Zoe Fishman Page B

applied, respectively. Mitzi really had to change her tune, or she was never going to make a profit. Even if some of these girls were into bedazzled devil horns at Halloween, they wouldn’t be caught dead at a place called Bauble Head. Unfortunately, I would never be able to tell her as much, unless of course I wanted to salt the wound of my resignation even further.
    At the counter, I pulled a bottle of water from the cooler and guzzled it unapologetically as I read the chalkboard menu.
    “Thirsty?” asked the woman at the register. I took the bottle from my mouth, embarrassed, and smiled.
    “Sorry. I’m not used to this kind of heat in October.”
    She laughed and cocked her head. “You’re Mitzi’s new girl. From New York?”
    I blushed, feeling conspicuous. “That’s me.”
    “I’m Bonnie.” She extended her hand to shake mine. “Welcome to Farmwood.”
    “Thanks.”
    I ordered and returned to my seat. In New York, you could go years without ever so much as meeting your neighbor, but here, even as the employee of a friend, you were acknowledged heartily. It was nice. Well, nice until you screwed over said friend by quitting almost immediately after being hired. Something told me that Bonnie wasn’t going to be quite as cordial the next time I needed a caffeine fix. I dug my phone out of my bag and dialed Mona.
    “Hi,” she croaked.
    “You sleeping?”
    “Not anymore.”
    “It’s Monday.”
    “And?”
    “You took the day off from work?” My heart fluttered with worry. “Are you feeling okay?”
    “Well, my surgery is next week. I’m just tying up some loose ends now and will take off for three weeks on Thursday. I just went in for an hour or two this morning.”
    “Oh, got it. That must have been something—telling them about your diagnosis.”
    “Yeah, well, it wasn’t a picnic. It is cancer, you know. Not like a pregnancy or anything, where everyone has to act all happy for you even if they’re disgusted by the concept.” Mona’s boss was not a child enthusiast.
    “What did Suzanne say?”
    “She cried, actually. I was a bit taken aback.” Mona coughed. “I mean, I realize that I have cancer, but in my mind I can’t quite grasp the reality of what that means to other people when they hear me say it, you know? It’s almost like I’m telling them about someone else who has cancer, not me. An acquaintance of ours or something.”
    “How are you doing with everything? Emotionally, I mean?”
    “I’m a mess. A certifiable mess.”
    “Oh, Mona. I feel like an asshole.”
    “Why, because you don’t have cancer?”
    “Maybe. And because I’m not there.”
    “You know, I’ve been wracking my brain, trying to pinpoint any specific moment when the cancer would have taken hold, you know? I mean, it’s all so fucking mysterious.”
    “Mona, I’m coming up to take care of you while you recover,” I blurted out. “Please don’t argue with me.”
    “I’ve been reconsidering your offer, actually. Maybe it’s not such a bad idea,” she said, surprising me. “I need to accept the fact that I am going to need help for a bit. Maybe two weeks or so.”
    “Good! Oh, I’m so glad to hear you say that. I was prepared for a battle.”
    “The question is, though, are you coming up here for me or are you coming up here to escape?”
    “I want to help you, Mona, I really do. What am I doing here? Selling costume jewelry and feeling sorry for myself most days, to be honest. I can’t think of a better purpose than helping my best friend. And I have the time, so why not?”
    “What about figuring out what you want to do next? What you and Josh want to do? How does he feel about all of this?”
    “He gets it. He loves you, Mona. And he knows how important you are to me.”
    “Still, he can’t be thrilled about the fact that you’re leaving him.”
    “In the grand scheme of things, two weeks is nothing. He’ll survive.”
    “Okay, good.” She sighed heavily. “Good.”
    “When