whom I can rely on. I built this business out of nothing. My parents, with all their money, didn’t loan me a nickel—they thought I couldn’t pull it off.”
“That must have been hard.”
“Yes, but most things that are satisfying
are
hard. Don’t let others tell you that you can’t have what you want, Anna. Go after it.”
“Most of the time I do.”
As I turned away from the shelf of angels, I glanced out the window. Zack was coming down the street, carrying cardboard mailing tubes and wearing the preppy office clothes I had seen him in before. When he started up the steps to Marcy’s shop, I quickly looked for another piece of glass to polish.
The sleigh bells jingled.
“Hi, Marcy. Hi, Anna.”
“Well, this is a nice surprise,” Marcy said to Zack. “Is everything all right with your father?”
“Yes, I’m delivering some blueprints for him, and I thought I’d stop by.”
“You never stopped by before,” she observed.
“I never realized what great air-conditioning you had,” he answered smoothly. “I may have to come more often.”
“Uh-huh.”
He flashed his stepmother a grin, then walked over to me. “Actually, I came because I have a last-minute invitation. My friend Erika Gill is having a big party tomorrow night, one of those all-out birthday bashes that girls like. Want to go?”
For a moment all I could do was stare at him.
This is just a coincidence,
I told myself. But in my gut I didn’t believe it. What I had dreamed two nights ago was somehow becoming real, just like the fire. He was carrying out the drama queen’s request to date me.
“No. Sorry.”
“Since it’s a catered thing, at a restaurant, I’ll pick you up at—what did you say?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t do it.”
Behind his back, Marcy watched, her eyes bright.
“You’re busy?”
“I just can’t do it,” I said.
“Maybe she has a boyfriend, Zack,” Marcy suggested.
“She doesn’t,” he replied quickly, then bit his lip. “I mean, it’s just that we talked about that last night.”
Was that why he had asked the question? Was last night also part of carrying out Erika’s plan?
“I thought you might like meeting new people,” he said.
“Will there be any cute jocks?”
He looked irritated. “Yeah, sure, if that’s what you want.”
What I wanted was to stop falling for guys who acted interested in me, when really . . .
“Maybe another time,” I said, and turned back to a display of glass figures.
When he left, Marcy shook her head in amazement. “Now I have seen everything. Zack never gets turned down. He needs a secretary to keep track of all the girls.”
“Then he’ll get over it.”
“Why did you say no?” Marcy asked. “It’s none of my business, but I can’t help but be curious. I hope it wasn’t because I was here.”
“It wasn’t.” I picked up a skinny Santa and polished his boot.
“Are you playing hard to get?”
“No.”
Marcy studied me, head tilted. “Well, I’m glad someone has finally said no to him. Being motherless and an only child, Zack is used to getting one hundred percent of his father’s attention, which I understand, but it isn’t good for him. And he is so popular with kids his own age, he expects everyone to do whatever he wants. This time, someone didn’t. You’re a different kind of girl, Anna.”
“I guess so.”
Playing hard to get? A guy had to be interested in you before you could play hard to get.
* * *
When I arrived home that evening, Aunt Iris and her gold Chevrolet were gone. I found two large trays of cat food and a scattering of nuggets on the kitchen floor, indicating she had recently fed the herd and let them out again. I fixed dinner and carried it into Uncle Will’s den. Two cats were sleeping on the porch, and I lured them inside with scraps from my plate, trusting them to tell me when Aunt Iris was coming home.
I sat at Uncle Will’s big oak desk, eating a chef’s salad and planning my search. The
“That must have been hard.”
“Yes, but most things that are satisfying
are
hard. Don’t let others tell you that you can’t have what you want, Anna. Go after it.”
“Most of the time I do.”
As I turned away from the shelf of angels, I glanced out the window. Zack was coming down the street, carrying cardboard mailing tubes and wearing the preppy office clothes I had seen him in before. When he started up the steps to Marcy’s shop, I quickly looked for another piece of glass to polish.
The sleigh bells jingled.
“Hi, Marcy. Hi, Anna.”
“Well, this is a nice surprise,” Marcy said to Zack. “Is everything all right with your father?”
“Yes, I’m delivering some blueprints for him, and I thought I’d stop by.”
“You never stopped by before,” she observed.
“I never realized what great air-conditioning you had,” he answered smoothly. “I may have to come more often.”
“Uh-huh.”
He flashed his stepmother a grin, then walked over to me. “Actually, I came because I have a last-minute invitation. My friend Erika Gill is having a big party tomorrow night, one of those all-out birthday bashes that girls like. Want to go?”
For a moment all I could do was stare at him.
This is just a coincidence,
I told myself. But in my gut I didn’t believe it. What I had dreamed two nights ago was somehow becoming real, just like the fire. He was carrying out the drama queen’s request to date me.
“No. Sorry.”
“Since it’s a catered thing, at a restaurant, I’ll pick you up at—what did you say?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t do it.”
Behind his back, Marcy watched, her eyes bright.
“You’re busy?”
“I just can’t do it,” I said.
“Maybe she has a boyfriend, Zack,” Marcy suggested.
“She doesn’t,” he replied quickly, then bit his lip. “I mean, it’s just that we talked about that last night.”
Was that why he had asked the question? Was last night also part of carrying out Erika’s plan?
“I thought you might like meeting new people,” he said.
“Will there be any cute jocks?”
He looked irritated. “Yeah, sure, if that’s what you want.”
What I wanted was to stop falling for guys who acted interested in me, when really . . .
“Maybe another time,” I said, and turned back to a display of glass figures.
When he left, Marcy shook her head in amazement. “Now I have seen everything. Zack never gets turned down. He needs a secretary to keep track of all the girls.”
“Then he’ll get over it.”
“Why did you say no?” Marcy asked. “It’s none of my business, but I can’t help but be curious. I hope it wasn’t because I was here.”
“It wasn’t.” I picked up a skinny Santa and polished his boot.
“Are you playing hard to get?”
“No.”
Marcy studied me, head tilted. “Well, I’m glad someone has finally said no to him. Being motherless and an only child, Zack is used to getting one hundred percent of his father’s attention, which I understand, but it isn’t good for him. And he is so popular with kids his own age, he expects everyone to do whatever he wants. This time, someone didn’t. You’re a different kind of girl, Anna.”
“I guess so.”
Playing hard to get? A guy had to be interested in you before you could play hard to get.
* * *
When I arrived home that evening, Aunt Iris and her gold Chevrolet were gone. I found two large trays of cat food and a scattering of nuggets on the kitchen floor, indicating she had recently fed the herd and let them out again. I fixed dinner and carried it into Uncle Will’s den. Two cats were sleeping on the porch, and I lured them inside with scraps from my plate, trusting them to tell me when Aunt Iris was coming home.
I sat at Uncle Will’s big oak desk, eating a chef’s salad and planning my search. The
Similar Books
