Going out of business! Everything must go!
“You’re closing?” I asked in shock. “But you’ve been here forever. What happened?”
“The landlord raised my rent,” she explained with a tired sigh. “According to him, a fancy place like Espresso Inc opening up on the corner’s made this little storefront property more ‘valuable,’” she said, putting the last word in air quotes. “But as valuable as it may be now, I can’t justify paying it. I’m not getting customers like I used to. Knitting’s not cool enough anymore to interest the young people in my store. I don’t make enough to cover staying open.”
Nerves jumbled around in my stomach. Would the landlord raise our rent too?
“Are you going to be okay?” I asked her quietly, my voice small.
“Oh, honey, I’m going to be fine,” she said, reaching out to touch my cheek. “It’s time for me to retire, anyway. I’m going to go on that cruise I always wanted.”
I helped Mrs. Dodge place the sign in her window and then left, feeling the worry overtake me. The Tiny Tiger hardly had any visitors today, even though Espresso Inc looked crowded.
Knitting’s not cool enough anymore to interest the young people in my store.But US would help the café, right? The livestreamhadto work out. I had no other option but to hope.
Phillip was due to arrive this evening, but that didn’t do much good if the full band wasn’t together. We still didn’t have Aspen, or even know where he was. According to Jake, before the guys split up for “vacation,” Aspen told everyone he was going to reconnect with nature. What if he was out in the middle of nowhere and not answering his phone?
What were we going to do? What would I tell Mom?
I stepped back inside the café to see Jake and Leon waiting for me.
“Get in the car,” Jake said with a sly grin. “We’re going to get Aspen.”
***
I slid into my car, buckling myself in as Leon got in the back and Jake slipped into the passenger seat next to me. “Aspen’s here?”
“Sort of.”
Sort of?I sent Jake a look. What on earth did that mean? He was either here or he wasn’t. “Are we going to pick him up from the airport or something?”
“Or something. We’re going to Jewel Point.”
Jewel Point was a popular vacation spot known for its stunning views, and only about an hour and a half away from Somerset.
“Aspen’s there? Is he camping at a nature retreat?”
“Or something,” Jake repeated forebodingly as he handed me his phone to read a string of texts.
Aspen
7:07 P.M.–Yeah, it starts at 8. She rented one of the party rooms in the back of Club Z. It’s gonna be lit.
7:07 P.M.–[Shared link: View Online Directions]
7:08 P.M.–Unsend.
7:08 P.M.–Unsend.
7:09 P.M.–I said unsend! You were supposed to text Anna Jade, not Annoying Jake, you stupid voice automated—
7:10 P.M.–Skit skit skit are you kidding me text to speech OFF
7:10 P.M.–[Audio message: Transcript unavailable.]
7:13 P.M.–jake these texts weren’t meant for you just ignore them
7:14 P.M.–i’m still not talking to you btw
