“I know! That’s what the guy said, but I didn’t hear him. I was too busy scurrying away.” Just the memory of how my pulse had pounded a thousand beats a minute was enough to make my hands sweat in embarrassment. “It was a tiny, silly thing, and I was terrified. I ran straight for my car without even getting any coffee.”
My super-supportive, always-in-my-corner sister wrinkled her nose. “That’s just dumb.”
“I know! Who’s afraid of a barista?” I held up my hand. “But I survived.”
“But you didn’t make sense, either. Ellie, you were a straight-A student, captain of the volleyball team, and you’ve read like every book in the library. You’re an ace at everything you try.”
I grimaced. Didn’t my sister get it? I aced everything Itriedbecause if I thought I’d fail, I wouldn’t even make the attempt. I wasn’t stupid. Just really, really afraid to screw up. And that was a big problem. No one could go through life constantly afraid they’d fail. It made me timid, and that was unacceptable in a nurse. I needed to be a strong advocate for my patients, not a shy wallflower.
Meanwhile, Rachel was still struggling to understand. “Did you seriously just run away?”
I exhaled. “That became my new rule. No running away. I nearly rear-ended a SUV just getting out of the parking lot.”
“Ugh. You cannot afford a car accident.”
Didn’t I know it?
“So what did you do next?”
I blew out a breath. “I made this one harder. I applied for a construction job.”
She blinked. “You don’t know anything about construction.”
“That’s the point. Plus, I don’t have any tools, would only work weekends, and had to interview with a guy large enough to bench-press a truck.”
She grinned. “What happened?”
Besides dry mouth, sweaty palms, and heatstroke from my blush? “Nothing. He laughed and asked me out on a date.” I grinned. “Easy peezy.” Except, of course, it hadn’t been. It had been one of the hardest things I’d ever done. I blew out a breath.
“Did you go out on the date?”
“I might have, because he was really sweet. Then I noticed the pictures of him with his wife and kids on the desk.”
“Jerk.”
I nodded. “But I survived.” I leaned forward. “I’ve been at it for almost a week. Five days of being stared at strangely, then refused.”
“Is it getting any easier?”
“Definitely. Just yesterday I went into a doughnut shop and asked for Olympic rings doughnuts.”
“The Olympics are over.”
“Doesn’t matter. I said I was watching them on reruns. Anyway, the most incredible thing happened.” I paused for dramatic effect, but she was having none of it.
“Don’t keep me in suspense. What?”
“The manager came out and told me it was a good idea. We sat there and created the design, and an hour later, I had Olympic ring doughnuts. For real.”
She stared at me. “They created specialty doughnuts just for you?”
I grinned. “Because I asked. Can you believe it?”
My sister leaned forward, her eyes taking on a mischievous look that made me nervous. “So it’s getting easier, right?”
“Well, I can ask for ridiculous things at stores now without sweating through my bra.”
“So it’s time to step it up, right?”
