because the cloth was cold and wet, and it smeared everything around.
“Ummm…that’s the floor rag,” Trent said, taking it from me after he’d served everyone.
“Oh, sorry. I was just—”
He grabbed my arm dramatically and pulled me in close. “No one will ever know,” he whispered into my ear. “I’ll take your secret to the grave.”
“My hero,” I said, playing along. But then I realized exactly how close we were standing to each other and how shallow my breathing had become, and I broke away from him, grabbing a stray spoon off the floor.
“How come you always talk like you’re in a movie?” I asked, trying to make my voice sound casual. “I bet you watch those old black-and-white ones on TV late at night. Or I know! You want to be an actor.”
He took the spoon from me and held it up like a microphone. “No. And no,” he said. “I like art films and action movies, the occasional rom com, and even the ones that make you cry, but not old black-and-whites. And I’m strictly behind the camera.”
“Really? Cool. I want to be an actress.”
We stood there grinning at each other so long, we whizzed right past
this is
so
awkward getting to know you,
sailed directly through
goofy but having fun,
and landed at
I should leave now because I have a boyfriend
.
“I better go,” I said.
He shoved the spoon into his apron pocket and brushed backhis hair. “Yeah, I need to make more coffee or whatever it is we do here.”
I gathered up my applications, trying to smother a smile the whole time. This was totally wrong. Josh trusted me. And he should. I was completely trustworthy. I told myself I’d been under a lot of stress the last two weeks and so I was just having a bit of fun. Besides, if Trent was into filmmaking, then he was probably a lot like all the theater guys…a harmless flirt.
I used the bathroom before leaving, but still couldn’t do anything with my hair. When I came out, Trent was waiting for me.
“Here.” He held out a tall paper cup with a lid. “Mocha.”
“Oh, I don’t—”
“On the house. For helping out.”
“Thanks.” I took the hot cup and passed it back and forth from hand to hand. Like the first time he’d given me a free drink, I got all teary. What was wrong with me? But it was so sweet, I couldn’t help it. Trent stared at me, his head tilted until I couldn’t stand it anymore.
“What?” I asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m trying to decide whether to ask you out on a date or offer you a job.”
“Oh, a job!” I said. “I want a job!”
Trent whirled around and squatted down to look under a table. “Did you see that?” he asked.
“Ummm? What?”
He stood up. “That was my ego scurrying for cover.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. He’d made me giggle more this morning than I had in weeks. “Oh, sorry,” I said. I tried to force down my smile. “I mean, a date would be…ummm…I just…I really need a job.”
“Fine. Break my heart,” he said, all business. “So the deal is this: I need another person for the weekday morning shift. You up for it?”
“Can you do that?” I asked. “Just hire me?”
“OF COURSE I CAN,” he said in one of those deep movie-announcer voices. “I AM THE SHIFT MANAGER!”
I just shook my head at him. He was crazy.
“Besides,” he said in his regular voice, “today’s Becky’s last day. She quit without notice. Pay’s not great. Minimum wage plus tips. But you never have to ask customers to supersize their drinks.”
“When do I start?” I asked.
“You can train this afternoon with our other manager, Amanda,” he said. “Come back at four thirty, okay?”
“Yeah. Definitely. I’ll be here,” I said.
“DON’T BE LATE,” he said in his shift-manager voice.
“I WON’T!” I answered back.
Finally something was going my way.
As if I didn’t have enough to worry about, Krista was driving me insane about getting in to drama school. Now that she
“Ummm…that’s the floor rag,” Trent said, taking it from me after he’d served everyone.
“Oh, sorry. I was just—”
He grabbed my arm dramatically and pulled me in close. “No one will ever know,” he whispered into my ear. “I’ll take your secret to the grave.”
“My hero,” I said, playing along. But then I realized exactly how close we were standing to each other and how shallow my breathing had become, and I broke away from him, grabbing a stray spoon off the floor.
“How come you always talk like you’re in a movie?” I asked, trying to make my voice sound casual. “I bet you watch those old black-and-white ones on TV late at night. Or I know! You want to be an actor.”
He took the spoon from me and held it up like a microphone. “No. And no,” he said. “I like art films and action movies, the occasional rom com, and even the ones that make you cry, but not old black-and-whites. And I’m strictly behind the camera.”
“Really? Cool. I want to be an actress.”
We stood there grinning at each other so long, we whizzed right past
this is
so
awkward getting to know you,
sailed directly through
goofy but having fun,
and landed at
I should leave now because I have a boyfriend
.
“I better go,” I said.
He shoved the spoon into his apron pocket and brushed backhis hair. “Yeah, I need to make more coffee or whatever it is we do here.”
I gathered up my applications, trying to smother a smile the whole time. This was totally wrong. Josh trusted me. And he should. I was completely trustworthy. I told myself I’d been under a lot of stress the last two weeks and so I was just having a bit of fun. Besides, if Trent was into filmmaking, then he was probably a lot like all the theater guys…a harmless flirt.
I used the bathroom before leaving, but still couldn’t do anything with my hair. When I came out, Trent was waiting for me.
“Here.” He held out a tall paper cup with a lid. “Mocha.”
“Oh, I don’t—”
“On the house. For helping out.”
“Thanks.” I took the hot cup and passed it back and forth from hand to hand. Like the first time he’d given me a free drink, I got all teary. What was wrong with me? But it was so sweet, I couldn’t help it. Trent stared at me, his head tilted until I couldn’t stand it anymore.
“What?” I asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m trying to decide whether to ask you out on a date or offer you a job.”
“Oh, a job!” I said. “I want a job!”
Trent whirled around and squatted down to look under a table. “Did you see that?” he asked.
“Ummm? What?”
He stood up. “That was my ego scurrying for cover.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. He’d made me giggle more this morning than I had in weeks. “Oh, sorry,” I said. I tried to force down my smile. “I mean, a date would be…ummm…I just…I really need a job.”
“Fine. Break my heart,” he said, all business. “So the deal is this: I need another person for the weekday morning shift. You up for it?”
“Can you do that?” I asked. “Just hire me?”
“OF COURSE I CAN,” he said in one of those deep movie-announcer voices. “I AM THE SHIFT MANAGER!”
I just shook my head at him. He was crazy.
“Besides,” he said in his regular voice, “today’s Becky’s last day. She quit without notice. Pay’s not great. Minimum wage plus tips. But you never have to ask customers to supersize their drinks.”
“When do I start?” I asked.
“You can train this afternoon with our other manager, Amanda,” he said. “Come back at four thirty, okay?”
“Yeah. Definitely. I’ll be here,” I said.
“DON’T BE LATE,” he said in his shift-manager voice.
“I WON’T!” I answered back.
Finally something was going my way.
As if I didn’t have enough to worry about, Krista was driving me insane about getting in to drama school. Now that she
Similar Books
