“I’msorry too.” I reach for Hollie’s hand and she holds onto minetightly, taking Louisa’s offered hand in the other. “I know thisprobably won’t make you feel better right now, but it’shisloss.”
Hollielets out a little sniffle. “Itishis loss. I’m awesome.”
“Damnstraight you are,” Louisa says.
Bea approaches thetable, balancing all four of our breakfasts. I’ll never understandhow she does that. “Do I need to kick someone’s butt?” she asks asshe sets down our plates. This has been a common refrain from hersince we were teenagers.
Hollie lets out aweak laugh. “One of these days, one of us is going to say yes, andthen what will you do?”
“I’llhandle it,” she says matter-of-factly. “But the truth is, I knowyou girls can handle yourselves.”
When Bea leaves,Hollie says, “Anyway, I’m not going to dwell on it. Let’s talkabout what’s going on with you three.”
Evie tells usabout the phone calls she’s been getting from her mom, who’sknee-deep in planning this year’s Christmas party. Louisa sharespictures of the beagle she’s fallen in love with at the animalshelter where she volunteers. When it’s my turn, I tell them I’mseriously considering taking a job at FandomTown.
“I’vebeen enjoying the work Felicity has me doing, and I know she’d bean amazing boss. She told me I could basically create my own job ifI wanted to, and we’d figure out my salary accordingly. How oftendoes a chance like that come along?”
“Hardlyever,” Hollie says. “A lot of times, you’re expected to doall the things, eventhough they’re not in your job description and your pay oftendoesn’t reflect the work.”
She’sspeaking from experience; Hollie loves her job at the communityservices center, but she has to wear alotof hats, and she regularlyvolunteers on top of the work she gets paid for.
“Exactly,” I say. “So…I’d be stupid not to take this job,right?”
Theyall nod emphatically, but it’s Louisa who speaks first. “You shouldgo for it, Stella. You’d be perfect for this job, and Felicityobviously thinks so too. She’s been in business long enough to knowa good thing when she sees it. Besides, you deserve a funjob—something you can be passionate about and actuallyenjoy.”
I mullthat over as I slather raspberry jam on my last triangle of toast.When Leland and I talked about passion in one’s job, it didn'toccur to me that working in a place like FandomTown—somewhere thatcombines my interests and hobbies with the ability to work with andserve like-minded people, aka my fellow nerds—could be my passion.I always thought I had to do something serious and ‘worthy’,something like Hollie with her job at the center or Evie with hercareer as a realtor. Working at FandomTown might not be alife-changing or life-saving job, but so what? It makes peoplehappy and it would makemehappy.
Once we’ve allfinished eating, Hollie and Louisa say their goodbyes and head out.I watch them cross the diner after paying their bills, their armslinked and their heads bent close. The door opens as they reach it,and Nelle Bryant breezes inside, lifting her oversized sunglassesonto her head and scanning the room.
“Crap,”I mutter, whipping around and slinking down in my seat.
Evie averts hereyes when she spots Nelle. Her quiet sigh and the slight slump inher shoulders tell me we’ve been spotted. “Incoming,” she murmurs asecond before she straightens and plasters on a smile.
“Stella, hi, I thought that was you,” Nelle says, coming intoview. “Well, actually, I recognized your friend and figured you’dbe together.”
The way she saysit makes my hackles rise. “Yep, that’s Evie and me, completelyinseparable, practically joined at the hip since birth.”
Nelle lets out atitter, but sobers quickly, her faux smile replaced by equallyfalse concern. “I’m sure you need your best friend at a time likethis. I’m sorry about you and Leland.”
“Whatabout me and Leland?”
Nelle leansforward, scrunching up her face in a way I’m sure she hopes willconvey how much she hates what she’s about to say. “I saw Lelandthe other day with another woman, so I assumed you two broke up.They looked pretty chummy.”
I try to keep myexpression neutral even as my stomach drops. Nelle watches meexpectantly, waiting for a reaction. Before my mind has a chance torun away with thoughts of Leland seeing someone else, reality hitsme. “Was this woman curvy and about my height? With long, curlyhair?”
“Yes…”Nelle says slowly.
“Thatwould be Felicity. Leland’ssister.” I stop myself from addingthat she should recognize her since she bullied her in high school.How on earth did I get here all these years later, dealing withmean girls and ridiculous high school antics? I’m too old for thiscrap.
That being said, Ican’t deny the pleasure that sweeps through me as I watch Nelle’seyes widen. She lets out a high-pitched laugh and shakes her head.“Oops, my bad. Sorry about that.” Her eyes widen further a secondbefore a pair of warm hands drop onto my shoulders and Lelandswoops in to kiss my cheek.
“Sorrywe’re late,” he says. “I lost track of time talking to my mom onthe phone. Our dinner with her next week is all sorted. She can’twait.” He brushes his lips against my cheek again and straightens,finally looking at Nelle. “Oh, hey, Nelle, how’s itgoing?”
“Uhh,good. Really good, thanks,” Nelle stammers. “I just stopped in forsome coffee. Gotta recaffeinate! Lots to do today, you know how itis.” With that, she scurries away to the front counter.
I’m sorelieved to see her go, I don’t stop to think about it beforesaying to Leland, “I couldkissyou right now for your impeccabletiming.”
One side of hismouth tilts up as he drops into the seat beside me. “I mean, if youinsist.”
