a paperback. I guess I should look into getting some babysitting jobs, since we’re here for the rest of the summer. I’m waiting until I get desperate enough.”
“Oh, so you have no sympathy for suckling pigs and you hate children,” Josh said with teasing grin.
“I like kids,” I protested. “But there’s only so much Candy Land and PB&J a girl can take.”
“Well, how do you feel about tuna salad?” Josh asked.
“Um,” I said, “I guess some kids like it, but—”
“No, I mean you,” Josh said. “I happen to know that Mel and Mel’s is about to put a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in their window.”
“The coffee shop?” I asked.
The coffee shop that’s right next door to the bookstore where you work every day?
“Yeah,” Josh said. “Melissa’s good friends with my mom. Shementioned that they were looking for somebody new.”
I pictured Mel & Mel’s. It was called a coffee shop, but it wasn’t the kind that had hissing espresso machines and nutmeg-dusted mochas. The coffee was pretty much regular or decaf, poured in endless refills from a potbellied glass carafe with an orange plastic handle. They sold soup and sandwiches, and for dessert they had one of those rotating pie cases. Abbie, Hannah, and I used to press our noses to that glass case when we were little, watching the towering wedges of lemon meringue and chocolate cream pies twirl slowly by. Choosing our flavors had been agonizing.
The waitresses there were old-school. They wore aprons and tucked pens behind their ears. The older ones had leathery necks and wore too much makeup. The young ones always seemed to have lots of tattoos. They called us “sweetie pie” when they plunked down our pink lemonades on the faux wood-grain table. And when they served you pie, they topped it with a big squirt of fake whipped cream, straight from the can.
“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “Do you think they’d be looking for someone like me? I’ve never waited tables before.”
“Do you like cats?” Josh asked.
“They’re okay,” I said.
“Well, don’t say that to Melissa,” Josh said. “Tell her you love cats, especially calicos. And before you talk to Melanie, make sure you know the score of the most recent Cubs game.”
“O-kay,” I said with a laugh. “Anything else I should know?”
“How are you at chopping up celery and pickles?” Josh quizzed me.
“Oh, those are my specialties,” I joked.
“They’ll love you,” Josh said. Then suddenly he seemed to find his fizzy red drink really interesting, because he ducked his head to stare into it.
And if I could have seen better in the late-night darkness, I would have sworn he was blushing.
Shyly I looked away. That’s when I saw that Abbie was motioning at me frantically from across the dock. When she saw that she’d caught my eye, she pointed dramatically at Hannah and Liam.
They were full-on making out! Yes, they were in a shadowy part of the dock with no lanterns nearby, but you could still see everything —Hannah’s fingers in Liam’s hair, his arms clasped tightly around her waist, her ankle wrapped around his.
“Oh my God!” I exclaimed.
“What?” Josh said, following my gaze.
“Never mind!” I cried. “It’s nothing.”
The last thing I wanted Josh to see was my sister macking with one of his classmates.
“It’s just,” I said quickly, “I came here with my sisters and I think they’re ready to go.”
“Oh, okay,” Josh said. I was so focused on Hannah’s gross PDA that I couldn’t read Josh’s tone. Was that disappointment I heard in his voice? Or indifference?
“But thanks for the Mel and Mel’s tip,” I said. “You know, I think I’m gonna go for it!”
I had only made the decision that very moment. But suddenly I desperately wanted to tie on an apron and start callingpeople “hon.” It sounded kind of fun! More fun, anyway, than changing diapers.
Plus, I couldn’t help but wonder if Josh was a regular at
“Oh, so you have no sympathy for suckling pigs and you hate children,” Josh said with teasing grin.
“I like kids,” I protested. “But there’s only so much Candy Land and PB&J a girl can take.”
“Well, how do you feel about tuna salad?” Josh asked.
“Um,” I said, “I guess some kids like it, but—”
“No, I mean you,” Josh said. “I happen to know that Mel and Mel’s is about to put a ‘Help Wanted’ sign in their window.”
“The coffee shop?” I asked.
The coffee shop that’s right next door to the bookstore where you work every day?
“Yeah,” Josh said. “Melissa’s good friends with my mom. Shementioned that they were looking for somebody new.”
I pictured Mel & Mel’s. It was called a coffee shop, but it wasn’t the kind that had hissing espresso machines and nutmeg-dusted mochas. The coffee was pretty much regular or decaf, poured in endless refills from a potbellied glass carafe with an orange plastic handle. They sold soup and sandwiches, and for dessert they had one of those rotating pie cases. Abbie, Hannah, and I used to press our noses to that glass case when we were little, watching the towering wedges of lemon meringue and chocolate cream pies twirl slowly by. Choosing our flavors had been agonizing.
The waitresses there were old-school. They wore aprons and tucked pens behind their ears. The older ones had leathery necks and wore too much makeup. The young ones always seemed to have lots of tattoos. They called us “sweetie pie” when they plunked down our pink lemonades on the faux wood-grain table. And when they served you pie, they topped it with a big squirt of fake whipped cream, straight from the can.
“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “Do you think they’d be looking for someone like me? I’ve never waited tables before.”
“Do you like cats?” Josh asked.
“They’re okay,” I said.
“Well, don’t say that to Melissa,” Josh said. “Tell her you love cats, especially calicos. And before you talk to Melanie, make sure you know the score of the most recent Cubs game.”
“O-kay,” I said with a laugh. “Anything else I should know?”
“How are you at chopping up celery and pickles?” Josh quizzed me.
“Oh, those are my specialties,” I joked.
“They’ll love you,” Josh said. Then suddenly he seemed to find his fizzy red drink really interesting, because he ducked his head to stare into it.
And if I could have seen better in the late-night darkness, I would have sworn he was blushing.
Shyly I looked away. That’s when I saw that Abbie was motioning at me frantically from across the dock. When she saw that she’d caught my eye, she pointed dramatically at Hannah and Liam.
They were full-on making out! Yes, they were in a shadowy part of the dock with no lanterns nearby, but you could still see everything —Hannah’s fingers in Liam’s hair, his arms clasped tightly around her waist, her ankle wrapped around his.
“Oh my God!” I exclaimed.
“What?” Josh said, following my gaze.
“Never mind!” I cried. “It’s nothing.”
The last thing I wanted Josh to see was my sister macking with one of his classmates.
“It’s just,” I said quickly, “I came here with my sisters and I think they’re ready to go.”
“Oh, okay,” Josh said. I was so focused on Hannah’s gross PDA that I couldn’t read Josh’s tone. Was that disappointment I heard in his voice? Or indifference?
“But thanks for the Mel and Mel’s tip,” I said. “You know, I think I’m gonna go for it!”
I had only made the decision that very moment. But suddenly I desperately wanted to tie on an apron and start callingpeople “hon.” It sounded kind of fun! More fun, anyway, than changing diapers.
Plus, I couldn’t help but wonder if Josh was a regular at
Similar Books
