Her jaw drops to the counter. “No, I did not know that.”
I smile at her reaction.This must be what it feels like to be a celebrity.
“Are you joking?” she asks, still in disbelief. “Youdid notwork for Iyala.”
“No,I did. How do you think I got the pink tote from the spring collection?”
“I don’t know. I just thought you were cool or something.You worked for them? For real?”
I laugh. “Yes. I promise. You can look at my email if you want. They got ahold of me last week to offer me my job back.”
“Did you take it?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
I slice the apples and set them aside. Then I smear a few spoonfuls of peanut butter on the board.
“It wasn’t a good fit anymore,” I tell her, relishing the peace that comes with those words. “I worked there for a long time and had a lot of great experiences. But I’m just not a California girl.”
“Where do you live?” she asks, watching me drizzle caramel on the peanut butter.
“Well, I’m from Dallas. That’s where my mom lives. So I guess I live there.”
She looks confused.
“I’m between jobs,” I say, snapping the caramel bottle closed. “Sometimes being an adult sucks.”
She throws her chest onto the counter and sighs dramatically.
I laugh. “What’s that about?”
“You think being an adult sucks? Try being a kid.”
“I was one once, you know.”
“Yeah, but a single dad didn’t raise you.”
Okay. Where are we going with this?
I place some cookies, chop a banana, and add it to the board's periphery.
“You’re right,” I say carefully. “But I was raised by a single mom.”
“Yeah, but moms know about periods and boyfriends. Dads are just … cringy.”
I grin and slide the board between us. She takes an apple and drags it through the peanut butter and caramel.
“Like, I know he means well, and he wants the best for me,” she says, crunching down on the fruit. “But he has no idea what it’s like to be a teenage girl.”
“No, he wouldn’t know that. But what about your aunt Kate? Can you talk to her about stuff?”
“Ha.” She drags the apple through the board again. “Kate is busy. I love her and know she’d do anything for me, but I can’t call her and ask her to buy me tampons.”
Wow. I never thought about that.
I nibble a piece of banana and watch Kennedy pick out a cookie.
