“Stop pacing,” Aunt Pari said, squinting over her glasses at the computer screen as she ticked boxes on a bill of lading. “You’re going to wear out the office carpeting.”
“It’s already worn.”
The office chair squeaked as my aunt swiveled and stuck out her leg to stop me. “You’re driving me strawberries, kid. We’re past bananas and onto strawberries. I love you, but you’ve got to calm down. Go to lunch. That’s where you’re supposed to be anyway. Tom can’t run the register all afternoon. Forget about the apartment and stop pining over this girl.”
“Easy for you to say. You don’t have Jasmine for a mother!”
She laughed and pushed her glasses on top of short, dark curls that matched mine. “No, just an older sister, what do I know? Why do you think I ended up with your uncle? She’s a meddler and a matchmaker. Whatever she’s trying to do, ignore it.”
“You love Uncle Charlie.”
“Sadly, I do. And I blame her. Go to lunch.” She kicked at my ankle to shoo me out, and when I was almost out the door, she called, “By the way, that Tybalt widow wants you to come back tomorrow to work on her record collection. Alone. Now there’s a match for you. Lonely old white lady on the prowl—bet you could make some extra cash servicing more than her collection. Pay me back for those Curtis Mayfield records.”
“You are my least favorite aunt.”
She threw me some folded-up cash. “You are my second favorite nephew. Bring me back some iced tea and I’ll move you up to number one.”
I jogged down the stairs that led onto the sales floor, where I ignored the customers milling around and the fact that Tom was overwhelmed at the front counter. I had to get to the apartmentand stop whatever it was Mama thought she was doing. But when I rushed out the front door into the sun and pulled on a pair of dark sunglasses, I stepped onto the sidewalk and came face-to-face with one pixie and a hairless dog.
“Hey,” Jane said, wide-eyed and breathless. Red cheeks. “I was… trying to catch you.”
“Caught me.” I glanced behind her. “Where is she?”
Jane looked over her shoulder briefly. “Your mom? I waited until she drove away.” She chuckled nervously. “Seems silly now. I don’t know why it matters.… Uh, she was going to drive me back to the lodge, but I told her my dad would pick me up. That while I was in town, I had, um, that thing, when you have stuff to do. A list of chores…?”
“Errands.”
Her face brightened as she smiled. “That’s it.”
God, I wanted to touch her again. Just her hair. Hold her hand. The tip of my finger on the back of her hand. Anything.
“Fen? I don’t know what just happened,” she said, looking up in the direction of the apartment. “But that wasn’t my idea. She texted me—I didn’t know it would be here.”
I nodded. Licked dry lips.
“I didn’t know,” she whispered.
God, she was really shaken up. As much as I was, maybe. That made me feel less anxious. At least we were in the same place. “Welcome to the Sarafian family,” I said. “This is very much a Jasmine move.”
“It was, I don’t know… like she was trying to test me?”
“No, she did it to rile me up. It’s okay. I can take it.”
She shook her head. “No, I think she knows.” She leaned closer. “About us.”
Us.
Did you hear that, world? There’s an us!
Jane was not in the mood to share my excitement.
A customer was walking toward the shop, so I moved out of the entrance to let them get inside. “Hey, want to walk with me?” I asked Jane. “Where we can talk alone?”
She nodded. No hesitation. That was good.
I definitely didn’t want to hang out here where Aunt Pari could see us.
“How long before you need to get back to the lodge?” I bent down to scratch Frida’s head as we walked.
