the time had flown by without my noticing, but I knew that I could spend countless nights like that and still be really happy.
Holt might like hanging out with me, but it was pretty clear he just wanted to be friends. The one thing that had nagged at me earlier came back at the end of the evening. I couldn’t help but notice that, when we got back to Carley’s house and Holt’s car, he still hadn’t touched me. Not even a brush against the arm. I told myself it was fine because I didn’t like him that way either. No big deal.
“Can I see you again?” he asked, as I stood on the porch.
“You’re the one that said it was a small town. I’m sure we’ll see each other,” I replied. He just waited. I realized that hadn’t sounded friendly at all. Leave it to me to be so awkward that I push someone I like away. “Sure, hanging out again would be great,” I said. This time he smiled.
I waited on the porch until after his taillights were out of sight down the road. When I turned to go inside I noticed all of Carley’s mom’s flowers surrounding the house. Somehow they all seemed to be glowing.
Chapter Six
When I got in I checked on Carley and Nick. They were watching another movie, so I decided to shower and go to bed. I fell asleep with lots of questions about flowers running through my head.
In the morning Carley and I had our first shift of work at UP UP and Away. I couldn’t say I was excited, but since it was cloudy and looked like it might rain, staying inside was probably a good idea.
Once we got to the coffee shop, Carley ran me through a quick review of everything I needed to know. Mostly I would just be at the cash register (we wouldn’t even be working much, said Mrs. Fritters; only a couple of times a week), but I still needed to know where everything was. By early afternoon I had the hang of it enough so that I started ringing people up. Luckily it had been a quiet morning, with most people probably relaxing at home and not wanting to get caught outside for fear it would start pouring.
I hadn’t had much of a chance to talk to Carley yet, but I knew she would ask about all the details of my evening with Holt as soon as she got the chance. For some reason I was dreading it. Carley clearly had a crush on him, which was why Nick had been so mad when he got to the house last night, but he had chosen to hang out with me. I knew she wouldn’t like it.
Suddenly, during a lull in customers, Carley, who was running the barista station, said, “How do you get two gorgeous guys talking to you within twenty-four hours? While I get stuck with good old friend Nick.... Not fair. Speaking of which....” she said as she looked towards the door Nick was just walking through.
“Miss me?” he asked.
“Yeah,” said Carley, “but my aim is improving daily,” she said, hefting a ceramic mug like she was a quarterback ready to throw.
I moved to the cash register. “Hi, Nick, how can I help you?” I asked, grinning at the shocked look on his face.
“You can get him a helmet,” Carley muttered.
“I love you too,” he said jokingly, putting his hands over his heart.
Carley called out to Mrs. Fritters, “Can I take my break now?” When she heard Mrs. Fritters agree, she tossed off her apron and went to join Nick on the other side of the counter.
“She didn’t sleep well,” I said apologetically. Carley grinned at me. “I was only kidding.”
Nick took his iced coffee and went over with Carley to sit at the same table he’d been at when I’d met him a couple of nights ago. I started to organize stuff behind the counter (Carley had already told me that Mrs. Fritters hated it when we just stood around) when I heard the bell on the door ding softly. Instead of spinning right around I continued to organize the sugars, to give the person a minute to look at the menu.
“Excuse me?”
I stuck the last sugar on the shelf and turned around. Leslie Cheshire, the one with long hair, was waiting
Holt might like hanging out with me, but it was pretty clear he just wanted to be friends. The one thing that had nagged at me earlier came back at the end of the evening. I couldn’t help but notice that, when we got back to Carley’s house and Holt’s car, he still hadn’t touched me. Not even a brush against the arm. I told myself it was fine because I didn’t like him that way either. No big deal.
“Can I see you again?” he asked, as I stood on the porch.
“You’re the one that said it was a small town. I’m sure we’ll see each other,” I replied. He just waited. I realized that hadn’t sounded friendly at all. Leave it to me to be so awkward that I push someone I like away. “Sure, hanging out again would be great,” I said. This time he smiled.
I waited on the porch until after his taillights were out of sight down the road. When I turned to go inside I noticed all of Carley’s mom’s flowers surrounding the house. Somehow they all seemed to be glowing.
Chapter Six
When I got in I checked on Carley and Nick. They were watching another movie, so I decided to shower and go to bed. I fell asleep with lots of questions about flowers running through my head.
In the morning Carley and I had our first shift of work at UP UP and Away. I couldn’t say I was excited, but since it was cloudy and looked like it might rain, staying inside was probably a good idea.
Once we got to the coffee shop, Carley ran me through a quick review of everything I needed to know. Mostly I would just be at the cash register (we wouldn’t even be working much, said Mrs. Fritters; only a couple of times a week), but I still needed to know where everything was. By early afternoon I had the hang of it enough so that I started ringing people up. Luckily it had been a quiet morning, with most people probably relaxing at home and not wanting to get caught outside for fear it would start pouring.
I hadn’t had much of a chance to talk to Carley yet, but I knew she would ask about all the details of my evening with Holt as soon as she got the chance. For some reason I was dreading it. Carley clearly had a crush on him, which was why Nick had been so mad when he got to the house last night, but he had chosen to hang out with me. I knew she wouldn’t like it.
Suddenly, during a lull in customers, Carley, who was running the barista station, said, “How do you get two gorgeous guys talking to you within twenty-four hours? While I get stuck with good old friend Nick.... Not fair. Speaking of which....” she said as she looked towards the door Nick was just walking through.
“Miss me?” he asked.
“Yeah,” said Carley, “but my aim is improving daily,” she said, hefting a ceramic mug like she was a quarterback ready to throw.
I moved to the cash register. “Hi, Nick, how can I help you?” I asked, grinning at the shocked look on his face.
“You can get him a helmet,” Carley muttered.
“I love you too,” he said jokingly, putting his hands over his heart.
Carley called out to Mrs. Fritters, “Can I take my break now?” When she heard Mrs. Fritters agree, she tossed off her apron and went to join Nick on the other side of the counter.
“She didn’t sleep well,” I said apologetically. Carley grinned at me. “I was only kidding.”
Nick took his iced coffee and went over with Carley to sit at the same table he’d been at when I’d met him a couple of nights ago. I started to organize stuff behind the counter (Carley had already told me that Mrs. Fritters hated it when we just stood around) when I heard the bell on the door ding softly. Instead of spinning right around I continued to organize the sugars, to give the person a minute to look at the menu.
“Excuse me?”
I stuck the last sugar on the shelf and turned around. Leslie Cheshire, the one with long hair, was waiting
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