the two replies fought as I finished steaming the milk.
When I had his drink completed, I took it to him and slid it across the counter and into his open hand. His dark eyes were locked on me, but he didn’t push. After a moment, I sighed. “Listen, Nick, I had a lot of fun too. But this isn’t a great time for me. Not with everything going on with Alesha. Even if we did go out again, I’d be too distracted to really give you a hundred percent. I’d be wrapped up in worrying about her sneaking out or who she was with, what she was doing.” I paused to gather my ramblings into a succinct ending. “You’re a great guy. I’m having fun getting to know you but I need to leave it at that. I promised my dad that I’d take care of Alesha while he’s gone and I need to honor that commitment.”
Nick didn’t move, holding me in his stare for half a minute, before nodding his understanding. His mouth was set in a hard line, but I couldn’t tell whether it was due to anger or disappointment.
“I’m sorry,” I added.
He shook his head once. “Don’t be. I understand. You have a lot on your plate right now.”
My heart pounded against my ribs, suddenly regretting my words. But it was too late to take them back.
Nick pulled out his wallet and I reluctantly took my place behind the register and rang up the items for his order. When he was done paying, he took a sip and then held up his coffee cup on his way out the door. “Perfect as always. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Carly.”
“Bye, Nick.”
I sagged down onto the counter once he was out of sight. “What the hell is wrong with me?” I whispered to myself, burying my face into my hands.
Chapter Ten
Carly
“So, that’s it then? You’re just shipping me off to Grandma’s?” Alesha crossed her arms and stared me down.
I closed my eyes and sighed deeply, utterly exhausted by the conversation-slash-argument that we’d been locked in for the past hour. She’d shown up at the shop around closing time, whining and complaining about how there were no groceries at the house. No apology. Or acknowledgment of her actions the night before. Nothing.
Up until that point, I’d been riding the line between giving her another chance or calling our dad to book her a flight. And when she’d come in, bitching and fussing about being hungry, I’d tipped over the edge and made up my mind.
She had to go stay with our grandma. Otherwise, there was a very good chance that one of us would become an only child before summer was over.
“Alesha, this isn’t up for debate. When you got here, I gave you the ground rules and made the consequences very clear to you. You don’t get to act like the helpless victim here. You made a choice. Now you’re going to deal with the results of that choice.” I turned my back on her and went back to scrubbing the baskets from the espresso machine in a sink full of cleanser. My hands were stuffed inside a pair of yellow rubber gloves and I was in a hurry to get out of them.
Alesha stomped over and tried to jerk my hands out of the sink to regain my attention. “You can’t do this, Carly! I’ll go insane at Grandma’s!”
“That’s not my problem,” I grunted, tugging my arm free of her pinching fingers. “I’m calling Dad in the morning and he’ll hold up his end of the bargain and put you on a plane out of here.”
Alesha started to cry. I cast a sidelong glance at her to see if they were genuine or not.
Damn it . They were.
I tossed the basket in my hand back into the suds, peeled off the gloves, and slapped them on the edge of the sink. I turned to face her, my eyes storming, and planted my hands on my hips. “Stop it.”
She brushed at the rims of her eyes, trying—and failing—to catch the tears before they tracked through the thick eyeliner she’d smeared on at some point during the day. “I—I can’t.” She sniffled and wiped at her eyes again. “I just don’t—don’t want to go!”
“Why not?
When I had his drink completed, I took it to him and slid it across the counter and into his open hand. His dark eyes were locked on me, but he didn’t push. After a moment, I sighed. “Listen, Nick, I had a lot of fun too. But this isn’t a great time for me. Not with everything going on with Alesha. Even if we did go out again, I’d be too distracted to really give you a hundred percent. I’d be wrapped up in worrying about her sneaking out or who she was with, what she was doing.” I paused to gather my ramblings into a succinct ending. “You’re a great guy. I’m having fun getting to know you but I need to leave it at that. I promised my dad that I’d take care of Alesha while he’s gone and I need to honor that commitment.”
Nick didn’t move, holding me in his stare for half a minute, before nodding his understanding. His mouth was set in a hard line, but I couldn’t tell whether it was due to anger or disappointment.
“I’m sorry,” I added.
He shook his head once. “Don’t be. I understand. You have a lot on your plate right now.”
My heart pounded against my ribs, suddenly regretting my words. But it was too late to take them back.
Nick pulled out his wallet and I reluctantly took my place behind the register and rang up the items for his order. When he was done paying, he took a sip and then held up his coffee cup on his way out the door. “Perfect as always. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Carly.”
“Bye, Nick.”
I sagged down onto the counter once he was out of sight. “What the hell is wrong with me?” I whispered to myself, burying my face into my hands.
Chapter Ten
Carly
“So, that’s it then? You’re just shipping me off to Grandma’s?” Alesha crossed her arms and stared me down.
I closed my eyes and sighed deeply, utterly exhausted by the conversation-slash-argument that we’d been locked in for the past hour. She’d shown up at the shop around closing time, whining and complaining about how there were no groceries at the house. No apology. Or acknowledgment of her actions the night before. Nothing.
Up until that point, I’d been riding the line between giving her another chance or calling our dad to book her a flight. And when she’d come in, bitching and fussing about being hungry, I’d tipped over the edge and made up my mind.
She had to go stay with our grandma. Otherwise, there was a very good chance that one of us would become an only child before summer was over.
“Alesha, this isn’t up for debate. When you got here, I gave you the ground rules and made the consequences very clear to you. You don’t get to act like the helpless victim here. You made a choice. Now you’re going to deal with the results of that choice.” I turned my back on her and went back to scrubbing the baskets from the espresso machine in a sink full of cleanser. My hands were stuffed inside a pair of yellow rubber gloves and I was in a hurry to get out of them.
Alesha stomped over and tried to jerk my hands out of the sink to regain my attention. “You can’t do this, Carly! I’ll go insane at Grandma’s!”
“That’s not my problem,” I grunted, tugging my arm free of her pinching fingers. “I’m calling Dad in the morning and he’ll hold up his end of the bargain and put you on a plane out of here.”
Alesha started to cry. I cast a sidelong glance at her to see if they were genuine or not.
Damn it . They were.
I tossed the basket in my hand back into the suds, peeled off the gloves, and slapped them on the edge of the sink. I turned to face her, my eyes storming, and planted my hands on my hips. “Stop it.”
She brushed at the rims of her eyes, trying—and failing—to catch the tears before they tracked through the thick eyeliner she’d smeared on at some point during the day. “I—I can’t.” She sniffled and wiped at her eyes again. “I just don’t—don’t want to go!”
“Why not?
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