reheating them?"
"I'm crushed." He put his hand to his chest, feigning hurt. "Truly crushed that you don't believe I can cook."
"You're right. How presumptuous of me," she said, turning back to finish stocking. "Between your pie baking skills and my expertise around the kitchen, we might just be able to pull it off and save Thanksgiving dinner."
He chuckled and slid from the counter. "You have yourself a deal, Blue."
"Blue? I have a name, you know," she admonished him playfully.
"Yeah, I know," he said with a nonchalant shrug.
Even though barely a handful of customers had wandered into the store that afternoon, the rest of her shift flew by. She hadn't even realized it was time for her to go home until Shane announced, "It's six."
Star sighed, remembering she forgot to grab a coat earlier. They'd left the house in such a hurry. She leaned against the back counter and frowned. "I don't suppose you have an extra coat I could borrow?"
Shane peered at her through narrowed eyes. "Why?"
"I don't have one, and it's cold out there," she pointed out. "I can't very well walk home without a coat."
"You can't walk to Aunt Neona's, are you crazy? That's like three miles," he said, scowling.
She laughed, "It's not the three miles that bothers me. It's the fact that I'm not exactly dressed to go for a stroll."
"I'm not letting you walk," he said. He pulled out his cell phone, and when Star started to protest, he held his hand up to stay her objections. "Hey, swing by the store. I need a favor...yes, now."
Star didn't know who was on the other end of the brief conversation, but whoever it was must have complied. "What did you just do?" she asked.
"Called in a favor from a friend," Shane said.
"Seriously? If you'd just let me borrow a coat--"
"Seriously? No," he said pointedly.
Star rolled her eyes at him and huffed. "Fine."
Fifteen minutes later, an older model, black Chevy Impala pulled up out front, the throaty rumble from the exhaust vibrating the store windows. An extremely thin, long-legged man climbed from the driver's side and entered the store. His red hair was buzzed short, and his goatee was threaded with ample amounts of silver. He nodded at Star and bumped knuckles with Shane.
"Star, this is my friend Tommy. And tonight, he's your ride to Aunt Neona's," Shane informed her.
Tommy gave her a toothy grin and said, "Get your coat, sweetheart. It's colder than a well-digger's ass out there."
Star snorted unattractively and quickly covered her mouth. "Nice to meet you, Tommy. I don't have a coat. That's why he," she thumbed over her shoulder at Shane, "wouldn't let me walk home."
"That right?" He snickered. "How very chivalrous of him."
Shane shot Tommy a dirty look. "Shut it, old man."
Star's attention drifted between Shane and Tommy as they verbally sparred back and forth. She sensed there was a history between the two of them, and from the way their harmless barbs bounced off one another, it was an interesting one.
"Thanks for putting up with me this afternoon. It was enlightening." She smiled at Shane as she turned to leave.
"Hey, Blue?" he called after her. She tilted her head in his direction as if to say 'what?' and the smile he gave her thawed her heart just a little. He winked and said, "See you tomorrow."
Chapter Fifteen
Seventy-two hours. That's how long Estelle had been gone. Give or take the few hours Derek couldn't remember from the night she left. This was the longest she'd ever stayed away. He paced the kitchen floor for the hundred and fiftieth time that day. He was going bat-shit crazy, wondering where the hell she was. He yanked the truck keys from the hook on the wall and tugged a ratty blue sweatshirt down over his head.
The walls were starting to press in on him, so he decided to go to the gym. His nerve endings were electric, and he was wired with way too much energy. He hoped a few circuits around the weight machines would help work off the agitation so he could get some sleep.
On
"I'm crushed." He put his hand to his chest, feigning hurt. "Truly crushed that you don't believe I can cook."
"You're right. How presumptuous of me," she said, turning back to finish stocking. "Between your pie baking skills and my expertise around the kitchen, we might just be able to pull it off and save Thanksgiving dinner."
He chuckled and slid from the counter. "You have yourself a deal, Blue."
"Blue? I have a name, you know," she admonished him playfully.
"Yeah, I know," he said with a nonchalant shrug.
Even though barely a handful of customers had wandered into the store that afternoon, the rest of her shift flew by. She hadn't even realized it was time for her to go home until Shane announced, "It's six."
Star sighed, remembering she forgot to grab a coat earlier. They'd left the house in such a hurry. She leaned against the back counter and frowned. "I don't suppose you have an extra coat I could borrow?"
Shane peered at her through narrowed eyes. "Why?"
"I don't have one, and it's cold out there," she pointed out. "I can't very well walk home without a coat."
"You can't walk to Aunt Neona's, are you crazy? That's like three miles," he said, scowling.
She laughed, "It's not the three miles that bothers me. It's the fact that I'm not exactly dressed to go for a stroll."
"I'm not letting you walk," he said. He pulled out his cell phone, and when Star started to protest, he held his hand up to stay her objections. "Hey, swing by the store. I need a favor...yes, now."
Star didn't know who was on the other end of the brief conversation, but whoever it was must have complied. "What did you just do?" she asked.
"Called in a favor from a friend," Shane said.
"Seriously? If you'd just let me borrow a coat--"
"Seriously? No," he said pointedly.
Star rolled her eyes at him and huffed. "Fine."
Fifteen minutes later, an older model, black Chevy Impala pulled up out front, the throaty rumble from the exhaust vibrating the store windows. An extremely thin, long-legged man climbed from the driver's side and entered the store. His red hair was buzzed short, and his goatee was threaded with ample amounts of silver. He nodded at Star and bumped knuckles with Shane.
"Star, this is my friend Tommy. And tonight, he's your ride to Aunt Neona's," Shane informed her.
Tommy gave her a toothy grin and said, "Get your coat, sweetheart. It's colder than a well-digger's ass out there."
Star snorted unattractively and quickly covered her mouth. "Nice to meet you, Tommy. I don't have a coat. That's why he," she thumbed over her shoulder at Shane, "wouldn't let me walk home."
"That right?" He snickered. "How very chivalrous of him."
Shane shot Tommy a dirty look. "Shut it, old man."
Star's attention drifted between Shane and Tommy as they verbally sparred back and forth. She sensed there was a history between the two of them, and from the way their harmless barbs bounced off one another, it was an interesting one.
"Thanks for putting up with me this afternoon. It was enlightening." She smiled at Shane as she turned to leave.
"Hey, Blue?" he called after her. She tilted her head in his direction as if to say 'what?' and the smile he gave her thawed her heart just a little. He winked and said, "See you tomorrow."
Chapter Fifteen
Seventy-two hours. That's how long Estelle had been gone. Give or take the few hours Derek couldn't remember from the night she left. This was the longest she'd ever stayed away. He paced the kitchen floor for the hundred and fiftieth time that day. He was going bat-shit crazy, wondering where the hell she was. He yanked the truck keys from the hook on the wall and tugged a ratty blue sweatshirt down over his head.
The walls were starting to press in on him, so he decided to go to the gym. His nerve endings were electric, and he was wired with way too much energy. He hoped a few circuits around the weight machines would help work off the agitation so he could get some sleep.
On
Similar Books
Hacking Politics: How Geeks, Progressives, the Tea Party, Gamers, Anarchists, and Suits Teamed Up to Defeat SOPA and Save the Internet
and David Moon Patrick Ruffini David Segal
