“I’m just fine on my own,” I mutter.
“You sure? Your face is all red.” He lightly traces his finger over my forearm. “Your skin tone provides a dead giveaway the second you’re even the slightest bit flustered.” He lowers his voice and leans in closer to my ear. “Or turned on.”
I scoot my chair away. “Whatever.” I do my best to refocus on what I’m working on, but his eyes on me accelerate my heart rate and make my palms sweat.
“It’s fucking adorable.”
I glance back at him and roll my eyes. I donotunderstand this guy’s angle. Not at all. One minute, he’s like a psychopath, poking at me like I’m some wounded animal he can mess around with at his whim. Then, he’s supposedly trying to protect me from someone who has been nothing but nice to me. For the final act, he’s outright flirting with me. I can’t decide which version of him is the worst, actually.
He’s making my head spin and setting me way off balance when I need to be focused.
And the biggest question I have is stillwhy me?Why is all of this weird energy directed at me? Why is he bothering? What does he care that I’m here or what I do or who I talk to?
Chapter 9
By some miracle, I make it through the rest of the day unscathed, and since cross-country practice doesn’t officially start until tomorrow afternoon, I drive directly to the ice cream shop I’d seen in town with the Help Needed sign in the window.
I pull into one of the parking spaces out front and head inside to inquire about applying for a job. I know my aunt and uncle said the whole job thing is up to me, that I don’t have to work while trying to navigate a new school this semester, but I’ve always found the busier I am, the better I do. Not to mention, it will keep my mind from dwelling too much on the mess my life has become.
An older man of about sixty sits behind the counter on a stool. He has a full head of gray hair and a smile that makes the skin at the sides of his eyes crinkle. When I enter, he stands and waves. “What can I do for you today?”
Sucking in a breath, I return his smile, and on my exhale blurt out, “Are you still hiring? I need a job.”
He nods. “We sure are. I’m Terry. My wife and I own this shop. What’s your name?”
“Scarlett Miller.” I wrinkle my nose. “I saw the sign outside. It’s Terry and Teri, huh?”
“Yep. Pretty funny, right?” He chuckles and shoots me a wink. “You’ll meet her eventually. She’s here on the weekends, mostly. Where are you coming to us from?”
“I just moved from Rykersville. I’d be interested in as many hours as you can give me, provided I can work around my practice schedule—I’m going to be running cross-country for Rosehaven.”
He comes around the counter, hands folded together in front of him. “Well, I’m looking for someone Tuesdays and Thursdays for now—possibly a few hours here and there on weekends. Would that work for your schedule?”
“Would you be willing to have me come in after practices? Like around six? And I’d be more flexible on weekends, unless we have a meet.”
“I think that should be fine, actually. It’s the after-dinner crowd during the week that I need the most help with.”
I cock my head to the side. “I’d like to take the job, if you’re offering.”
After Terry and I get paperwork straightened out, he asks if I can stay so he can give me the rundown on what I’ll be doing—I assume a whole lot of ice cream scooping—and how the cash register works. Then when the girl I’m replacing doesn’t show up, I stay to give my new employer a hand.That’s the sort of thing responsible, trustworthy employees do, right?
That’s how I find myself working the counter at Teri & Terry’s Ice Cream when a whole group of students from Rosehaven walk in later that evening.
The first thing that strikes me when this crowd rolls in is that each person’s individual style comes out when they don’t have to wear uniforms. I’ve found the academy has fairly strict rules about our uniforms, though students do get away with certain things like their choice of footwear or occasionally leaving their ties loose.
The girls enter the shop talking animatedly and laughing. When they see me behind the counter, there is a brief pause that leads to even more laughter, and I roll my eyes, bracing myself. I soon realize I’ve been right to be on guard. Several members of the football team come in right behind the girls. They’re too busy shoving each other and cracking jokes to notice me at first. I take a few seconds to scan the crowd and think I’m in the clear until the bell above the door jingles again. Like a dark storm, Micah, Beau, and Xander blow in, the sight of them practically bowling me over. The other guys seem pretty normal, but those three present a formidable presence, dominating the entire room. I don’t know if it’s their looks, builds, or personalities, but everyone, it would seem, holds them in awe. Like a united front personified, the way these guys command attention is almost scary.
I shake my head, muttering under my breath about how lucky I am they’ve all come in on my first day.
Something fiery and hot snakes its way through my veins. I look up to find Xander watching my every move, a look of amused interest on his face.
Well, it’s not like I was going to be able to hide.I do my best to shrug off the feeling and concentrate on serving customers as they place their orders.
Terry comes out from the back to help me when he hears the commotion, thank goodness. Within about fifteen minutes, the majority of my peers have an ice cream in hand and have either exited the shop to sit on the little benches out front or are hanging out at the tables inside to eat. The noise level has gone up exponentially with their sugar consumption.
With only a few people left to serve, Terry asks, “You okay for me to go in the back? I’ve got some inventory to do.” He raises a brow at me, then glances around the shop full of teenagers.
“Oh. Um, yeah, I’m good. Go ahead. I can always call if I need help, right?”