Skip's voice broke into my thoughts. "What's wrong?"
I swallowed. "Nothing. Why?"
Suddenly, he was looking a little afraid. "Because you look like you're gonna cry."
I froze.Oh, no.He was right. I reached up and rubbed at my eyes. "No, I'm not. I'm probably allergic or something."
"To what? The recliner?" And when I gave him a sharp look, he mumbled, "I'm just saying, you should probably avoid it. And itismine, you know."
That did it.All day, I'd been thinking about Ryder. And Evan Carver. And my own sorry situation. I'd come to Mackinac Island, telling myself I was running from danger. And yeah, there was definitely some of that.
But what I'dreallybeen running from was my own failures – and yeah, maybe the shame. And then, there was the thing with my sister. For weeks now, I'd been sticking it out in this sorry shop, telling myself I was doing it for her, just in case shehappenedto wander in?
Was I completely insane?
Possibly.
But I'ddefinitelybeen an idiot, especially when it came to this job.
Ryder was right, which somehow made everything worse – because if he was right about that, what did that say about his decision to send me packing?
Suddenly, it was all too much, and I heard myself say, "You know what? I quit."
Skip's eyes widened for half a beat before his face broke into a smile. "Really?"
I stared in disbelief. "So, that'sgoodnews?"
"Hell, yeah, it's good news. I can go back for my master's."
"Uh…come again?"
"It's my parents," he said. "They said they wouldn't pay as long as the shop was humming."
I looked around. The shop was empty, the reviews were terrible, and the tip jar contained only three lonely quarters. The only thing humming was the espresso machine, which had been making that funny sound for days. I looked back to Skip and said, "Humming? Seriously?"
"Hey, it's Mom's word, not mine. Anyway, she said as long as I had a good employee, I had to keep at it."
And now, I was at a loss. "But Iwasn'ta good employee. I totally sucked."
He shrugged. "Hey, you were still better than me."
On this, he had a point. "But I don't get it. Why didn't you simply fire me?"
"Why would I do that?" he asked. "Classes don't start 'til fall."
What the hell?"You can't be serious."
"Sure I am. Theyalwaysstart in the fall. What, you didn't know?" He gave me a sheepish smile. "Plus, I kind of liked having you around."
I blinked. "Really?"
He nodded. "Sure. Other than you, I hate this place."
I wasn't sure if I should feel flattered or annoyed. Probably I was a little bit of both. But in spite of everything, I couldn't help but smile back – not because I was happy, but because if I didn't, I was pretty sure I'd burst out crying.
I'd save the crying for later, when I was all alone with just me and my pillow. But first, I needed to talk to Maisie, if only to see where I stood.
91
