The longer I’m with Chloe, the less appealing is the thought of leaving for Baja after the carnival the following weekend.
Lunch is a distant memory when Chloe's parents burst in through the back and drop the bombshell that the girl who was supposed to be helping Chloe has actually quit. Mrs Henderson, in particular, is really annoyed. “I can’t believe Nina would up and leave without notice. All we got was a text message. We’d have let you know, but there didn’t seem any point. Craig from next door rang and told us you were handling things like a pro.”
Craig? Ah, the guy from the deli. I vaguely remember his daughter had been the year ahead of me.
Chloe’s dad then takes over. “We thought it was best to get on the road as soon as we could. She left for Vegas in pursuit of some man, apparently.”
The two extra pairs of hands are a huge help, with the backlog of customers soon cleared. The register is Chloe’s mom’s domain while the rest of us are on the shop floor.
The remainder of the afternoon is a blur, and it’s not until I see Chloe locking the front door that I realize the time. All I want to do is walk across the shop, toss her over one shoulder and get outta there, but I can’t. I’m stuck talking to her dad next to the row of surfboards that line one side of the shop.
“Thanks for helping out, son. Chloe could never have managed alone, not with the carnival coming up. The shop is always like this, but trade shows don’t change their dates to suit the likes of us.”
He straightens a couple of boards before turning back to me. “I know you like to follow the surf, but would you be interested in helping out here until we can find someone to replace Nina? We won’t find it easy replacing her.”
