stop taking her meds?”
“Sweet Waverly,” Violet muttered. “Everybody’s friend.”
Tommy said, “I don’t like waiting for something bad to happen. It upsets me.”
Amy stopped chewing, her sandwich halfway to her mouth. So it wasn’t just her; the others were all nodding at what Tommy said. She hadn’t slept well last night, which had led to too much coffee this morning, which only made everything worse. She said, “It
is
upsetting, Tommy. You’re right.”
“I don’t like it.”
“So quit,” Waverly said.
“I don’t like it.”
Waverly rolled her eyes and shifted closer to Cai. Her hand lay provocatively beside his on the table, their fingers almost brushing. Cai moved slightly away. This brought him closer to Amy, which made her take a deep breath. So Waverly wanted Cai, and it wasn’t mutual. But Amy got no vibes from him; his gorgeous body sat beside her as if she were Rafe or Tommy. Or another chair.
Was he gay? No, Amy was good at picking up those particular signals. Cai just wasn’t attracted to her.
She focused on Tommy. “Would you like to quit the show, Tommy?”
“Yes. But I can’t.”
“Why ever not?” Waverly said crossly; she had felt Cai shift away from her. “It’s not as if Taunton Life needs a halfwit on the show.”
Amy said, “Shut up.”
“The mousy one speaks!”
Tommy looked down at the table, blinking back tears. Violet leaned toward Waverly. Her voice was pleasant and casual, as if offering a Tic Tac. “Leave Tommy alone, bitch, or I will cut out your liver and feed it to rabid dogs, who will then shit all over your lifeless corpse. Oh, here come our Rafe and Lynn. Hi, guys.”
“Hi,” Rafe said. He squeezed in next to Amy, which shoved her even closer to Cai. “Myra decrees that at lunchtime we’re an indivisible unit.”
“Myra and the Myettes,” Violet said.
Amy said, “Or Caesar and the Praetorian Guard.”
Rafe looked at her with sudden appreciation. “Dr. Ms. Frankenstein and a bunch of Igors.”
Cai said, “I’m thinking Snow Gray and her seven dwarves.”
Amy laughed, but not comfortably. Rafe and Cai were both funny, and both smart. It might actually have been easier if Cai had been dumb. Poor Tommy looked bewildered. Waverly gazed at them all with aloof superiority. Lynn chewed her sandwich with a ferocity that surely wasn’t normal, then abruptly flung it down, stood up, sat down again, and resumed eating.
Rafe said, “Just another joyous meal here in Point Paradise. Do you think our happy little family is being overheard? Filmed? Of course we are.” He picked up the saltshaker and pretended to speak into it. “Hey, Myra, come join us for lunch!”
“Stop that!” Lynn snapped. She sounded almost hysterical.
The weird thing was that at that moment Myra did join them, strolling across the cafeteria in an asymmetrical Karl Lagerfeld jacket. She handed each of them a white envelope.
“A bonus is included for all of you.” Myra smiled her kind, motherly smile that by now drew a response from only Tommy. “You’ve all done well for your first week.”
As she walked away, Rafe muttered, “Sweet syrup poured over pure ice.” No one replied. They all opened their envelopes, and Amy knew that hers wasn’t the only hand that trembled. Even a small bonus would mean so much to her.
It was more than a small bonus. It dwarfed even the amount withheld from her salary against the advance she’d taken last week.
She sat stunned, staring at the check that meant everything to her and nothing to the vast resources of Taunton Life Network. She knew that, but it didn’t affect her gratitude. Money for whatever medicine Gran might need, a new TV instead of an old pawned one, new jeans—
Violet said, “It looks like that shopping expedition might be on after all, One Two Three.”
Rafe said, “Golden handcuffs.”
Cai said, “Cuff me more, please.”
All at once the mood at the table lifted. They rose amiably to go back to
“Sweet Waverly,” Violet muttered. “Everybody’s friend.”
Tommy said, “I don’t like waiting for something bad to happen. It upsets me.”
Amy stopped chewing, her sandwich halfway to her mouth. So it wasn’t just her; the others were all nodding at what Tommy said. She hadn’t slept well last night, which had led to too much coffee this morning, which only made everything worse. She said, “It
is
upsetting, Tommy. You’re right.”
“I don’t like it.”
“So quit,” Waverly said.
“I don’t like it.”
Waverly rolled her eyes and shifted closer to Cai. Her hand lay provocatively beside his on the table, their fingers almost brushing. Cai moved slightly away. This brought him closer to Amy, which made her take a deep breath. So Waverly wanted Cai, and it wasn’t mutual. But Amy got no vibes from him; his gorgeous body sat beside her as if she were Rafe or Tommy. Or another chair.
Was he gay? No, Amy was good at picking up those particular signals. Cai just wasn’t attracted to her.
She focused on Tommy. “Would you like to quit the show, Tommy?”
“Yes. But I can’t.”
“Why ever not?” Waverly said crossly; she had felt Cai shift away from her. “It’s not as if Taunton Life needs a halfwit on the show.”
Amy said, “Shut up.”
“The mousy one speaks!”
Tommy looked down at the table, blinking back tears. Violet leaned toward Waverly. Her voice was pleasant and casual, as if offering a Tic Tac. “Leave Tommy alone, bitch, or I will cut out your liver and feed it to rabid dogs, who will then shit all over your lifeless corpse. Oh, here come our Rafe and Lynn. Hi, guys.”
“Hi,” Rafe said. He squeezed in next to Amy, which shoved her even closer to Cai. “Myra decrees that at lunchtime we’re an indivisible unit.”
“Myra and the Myettes,” Violet said.
Amy said, “Or Caesar and the Praetorian Guard.”
Rafe looked at her with sudden appreciation. “Dr. Ms. Frankenstein and a bunch of Igors.”
Cai said, “I’m thinking Snow Gray and her seven dwarves.”
Amy laughed, but not comfortably. Rafe and Cai were both funny, and both smart. It might actually have been easier if Cai had been dumb. Poor Tommy looked bewildered. Waverly gazed at them all with aloof superiority. Lynn chewed her sandwich with a ferocity that surely wasn’t normal, then abruptly flung it down, stood up, sat down again, and resumed eating.
Rafe said, “Just another joyous meal here in Point Paradise. Do you think our happy little family is being overheard? Filmed? Of course we are.” He picked up the saltshaker and pretended to speak into it. “Hey, Myra, come join us for lunch!”
“Stop that!” Lynn snapped. She sounded almost hysterical.
The weird thing was that at that moment Myra did join them, strolling across the cafeteria in an asymmetrical Karl Lagerfeld jacket. She handed each of them a white envelope.
“A bonus is included for all of you.” Myra smiled her kind, motherly smile that by now drew a response from only Tommy. “You’ve all done well for your first week.”
As she walked away, Rafe muttered, “Sweet syrup poured over pure ice.” No one replied. They all opened their envelopes, and Amy knew that hers wasn’t the only hand that trembled. Even a small bonus would mean so much to her.
It was more than a small bonus. It dwarfed even the amount withheld from her salary against the advance she’d taken last week.
She sat stunned, staring at the check that meant everything to her and nothing to the vast resources of Taunton Life Network. She knew that, but it didn’t affect her gratitude. Money for whatever medicine Gran might need, a new TV instead of an old pawned one, new jeans—
Violet said, “It looks like that shopping expedition might be on after all, One Two Three.”
Rafe said, “Golden handcuffs.”
Cai said, “Cuff me more, please.”
All at once the mood at the table lifted. They rose amiably to go back to
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