Open Up
I only had a minute to spare for my break, but that was long enough to ask him a question. I had to know if we could be more than friends, or at least let him know I wanted that before he went off with someone else.
I went into Geppetto’s Workshop. Little tinkling bells accompanied a bubbly voice. “I think your grandfather might’ve made my favorite toy.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me. He always loved you,” Sal said warmly.
“Aw, I loved him too. And all the toys.” The bell girl giggled. “Now, I can tell everyone to get them from you.”
“You’re so sweet. Seriously. Thanks for thinking of me. By the way, that outfit’s one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen,” he said.
“Thanks,” she enthused, setting the bells off again. “This is pretty cute too.”
What was with all the niceties? I spotted Sal’s khakis and her peppermint-striped leggings through the shelves. Who was this girl? A customer? An ex-girlfriend? I surreptitiously rearranged a board game box to get a better view of her.
The girl was a fucking mall elf, all sparkly reddish-brown hair and rosy cheeks in a shiny red-and-green uniform with pointy bell-shoes to match. He was intothat?
Cute? More like childish.
I wrinkled my brow, but my heart stopped when I realized what she was holding up as one of the cutest things she’d ever seen: Tom.
My turkey, Tom.
She hugged him and looked up at Sal from under her lashes.
What the fuck? Did he just let random girls pick up my favorite stuffed animal? Oh my god, not that I had a claim to him, but he knew that was mine, in theory.
My insides wound tighter at the way he leaned closer, his smile soft and teasing, showing off those dimples.
“I can hook you up with a discount on select items. What do you like?” he teased.
Was he offering her my turkey or his dick?
She widened her eyes, scandalized, and stuffed Tom back on the shelf. “I can’t.”
He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Why not? My stuff’s not as good as Papa G’s?”
“No, it’s not that.” She eyed the merchandise, and I ducked behind the board games in case she saw me spying.
Hopefully, she’d think I was just a browsing customer.
He sniffed, then chuckled. “I’ve been trying to keep his touch intact, but I’m not doing a great job of it. I don’t hand-make any of the items. I never put on the apron. I don’t know. Maybe once we lost him, we lost the magic.”
My pulse throbbed in my ears, my whole body ice. The one time he’d tried to make something, even digitally, it’d blown up in his face. Maybe that was why he was depressed. And all it took was this random girl to get it out of him. Why didn’t he open up to me? I was his friend…with benefits. Did that make me less of a friend?
“I think everyone has a little magic in them,” the girl said. “Plus, I’ve heard how great some of the demonstrations have been. You’re inspiring purchases, curiosity, and playfulness. People will remember how you make them feel, and that’s what’s important.”
How did Sal feel around me? Was he inspired, curious, and happy? Or was he just passing time with me?
My phone buzzed with a reminder my time was up. Sal and the girl glanced in my direction, but I hurried out and tugged my cap before they could make eye contact.
This was so stupid, catching feelings. We’d agreed we weren’t looking for anything serious.
Was it worth it to ask him for more when he was friendlier with some random mall employee who knew his grandfather?
I flopped into my roller chair and sighed, the armrest ricocheting against the desk.
Ash furrowed her brow. “You okay?”
