for a long time and Taryn wanted to say something. “It will improve, right? Remember how we used to dance to that old Howard Jones song, ‘Things Can Only Get Better’? I heard that on the radio the other day and it made me think of all the fun we used to have together. I felt good, you know?”
Tears burned Taryn’s throat, remembering. Hannah had been her best friend once. What had happened?
“Working at the shave-ice stand isn’t that bad. It’s only for another week, until school starts. Just about everybody in town stops in sometimes. Lots of tourists come there, too.” She smiled, pretty. “Cute boys, too. Yesterday a couple of guys came in from California. I didn’t have any other customers so they stayed and talked to me for a while, asked me about hiking trails and stuff like that.”
Hannah laughed a little. “If you’d been there, you would have known how to flirt with them. You’ve always been so much better at that than I could ever be. I just gave them their tiger’s blood shave ices and took their money and mumbled something stupid about how they should take the Woodrose Mountain trail for the best view of town.”
“It’s…nice.” Taryn meant the trail but all of this, too. Having Hannah here, that she remembered to bring her a shave ice, that she brought back memories of fun and being a kid.
“I’m really sorry about what you’ve been through, Taryn. You didn’t deserve to have such a terrible thing happen to you.”
She did. She deserved all of it. Her fault. Layla was dead and it was her fault.
“And I’m sorry I’m babbling on. I mean, why would you ever be interested in my boring life?”
“I am.” She was. She was. Struggling, straining, she lifted her hand to touch Hannah’s hand. “Sorry.” For everything. Especially for dropping a friend because she wasn’t as popular and probably would never be. It hadn’t been nice. Or right.
Hannah laughed. It was a good, big laugh. She’d forgotten. “You’re sorry my life is so boring? I don’t blame you for that. No one is more sorry about it than I am, believe me.”
The door opened and Evie came back, pretty and smiling.
“It took me longer than I’d expected. I got talking with Mrs. Olafson and lost track of time. Are you having a nice visit?”
Hannah stood. “You know, we really are. But I’d better go. My mom is working late and I have to go fix pizza for my brothers.” She paused. “Would it be okay if I came back, Ms. Blanchard?”
Evie looked at Taryn, the question in Evie’s eyes.
Taryn formed the word carefully, so there could be no mistake. “Yeess.”
Hannah had been her best friend. Maybe they could be friends again.
“I just had a great idea,” Evie exclaimed. “Are you working tomorrow?”
“My shift doesn’t start until two.”
“Are you free in the morning?”
“I think so. Friday is my mom’s day off.”
“Great! I still want to help you make the earrings for your mom’s birthday. I’ve got a few other things I need to do at the store and I’ve been trying to juggle everything. Why don’t I take Taryn down to String Fever tomorrow and we can all work on them together?”
“That would be terrific!” Hannah was happy.
Taryn wasn’t. She was scared. She was too different and too many people she knew came to the bead store.
Evie saw her frown. “Are you okay with that? We can go early enough in the day that the only people there will probably be your grandmother and Claire. Won’t it be good to spend some time somewhere besides a hospital room and your house?”
Not really. Not when people might stare. But Hannah looked happy and Taryn didn’t want to ruin it. She shrugged.
“We’ll see you at nine-thirty then. Does that work for your schedule?”
“I think so. I’ll call you if it doesn’t. Thank you. Thank you so much, Ms. Blanchard. I’ll see you both then.”
Taryn watched her go, mad at herself that she hadn’t said no. She didn’t really deserve
Tears burned Taryn’s throat, remembering. Hannah had been her best friend once. What had happened?
“Working at the shave-ice stand isn’t that bad. It’s only for another week, until school starts. Just about everybody in town stops in sometimes. Lots of tourists come there, too.” She smiled, pretty. “Cute boys, too. Yesterday a couple of guys came in from California. I didn’t have any other customers so they stayed and talked to me for a while, asked me about hiking trails and stuff like that.”
Hannah laughed a little. “If you’d been there, you would have known how to flirt with them. You’ve always been so much better at that than I could ever be. I just gave them their tiger’s blood shave ices and took their money and mumbled something stupid about how they should take the Woodrose Mountain trail for the best view of town.”
“It’s…nice.” Taryn meant the trail but all of this, too. Having Hannah here, that she remembered to bring her a shave ice, that she brought back memories of fun and being a kid.
“I’m really sorry about what you’ve been through, Taryn. You didn’t deserve to have such a terrible thing happen to you.”
She did. She deserved all of it. Her fault. Layla was dead and it was her fault.
“And I’m sorry I’m babbling on. I mean, why would you ever be interested in my boring life?”
“I am.” She was. She was. Struggling, straining, she lifted her hand to touch Hannah’s hand. “Sorry.” For everything. Especially for dropping a friend because she wasn’t as popular and probably would never be. It hadn’t been nice. Or right.
Hannah laughed. It was a good, big laugh. She’d forgotten. “You’re sorry my life is so boring? I don’t blame you for that. No one is more sorry about it than I am, believe me.”
The door opened and Evie came back, pretty and smiling.
“It took me longer than I’d expected. I got talking with Mrs. Olafson and lost track of time. Are you having a nice visit?”
Hannah stood. “You know, we really are. But I’d better go. My mom is working late and I have to go fix pizza for my brothers.” She paused. “Would it be okay if I came back, Ms. Blanchard?”
Evie looked at Taryn, the question in Evie’s eyes.
Taryn formed the word carefully, so there could be no mistake. “Yeess.”
Hannah had been her best friend. Maybe they could be friends again.
“I just had a great idea,” Evie exclaimed. “Are you working tomorrow?”
“My shift doesn’t start until two.”
“Are you free in the morning?”
“I think so. Friday is my mom’s day off.”
“Great! I still want to help you make the earrings for your mom’s birthday. I’ve got a few other things I need to do at the store and I’ve been trying to juggle everything. Why don’t I take Taryn down to String Fever tomorrow and we can all work on them together?”
“That would be terrific!” Hannah was happy.
Taryn wasn’t. She was scared. She was too different and too many people she knew came to the bead store.
Evie saw her frown. “Are you okay with that? We can go early enough in the day that the only people there will probably be your grandmother and Claire. Won’t it be good to spend some time somewhere besides a hospital room and your house?”
Not really. Not when people might stare. But Hannah looked happy and Taryn didn’t want to ruin it. She shrugged.
“We’ll see you at nine-thirty then. Does that work for your schedule?”
“I think so. I’ll call you if it doesn’t. Thank you. Thank you so much, Ms. Blanchard. I’ll see you both then.”
Taryn watched her go, mad at herself that she hadn’t said no. She didn’t really deserve
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