“I told you you don’t have to announce your departure, June.”
“Some of us have manners, Graham.”
He glares at me, and I glare back before he sighs.
“Goodnight, June. Thank you for your work today. I will see you tomorrow. Happy?” Warmth sparks in my chest at his acquiescence, no matter how begrudging.
“Radiant. Bye, Graham!” I say, and then, not wanting to push my luck, wave and walk out the door.
I amsogoing to win him over.
I’m still smiling over that as I move down the boardwalk to the large recreation building where I’m meeting Claire.
“Hey, June!” she says when I walk in, pulling me in for a big hug. “I just have a few more things to do if you don’t mind.”
Last summer, Claire came down to Seaside Point to work as a lifeguard and fit in so well that Maggie, the former Director of Recreation, offered to train her to take her place. Over the last year, it’s become increasingly obvious that it was the right choice, with Claire raising more money for the programs than ever before and getting the entire town involved.
“No, you’re fine,” I say, looking at the piles of papers—probably a mix of lifeguard applications and notes for the summer festival she runs. I sit, taking in the view of the beach and ocean, and after a moment, she finishes writing and turns to me, expectant.
“Okay, tell me everything!” She tried calling yesterday for details about my first day, but my mind was too twisted up, and I needed to sort through my thoughts alone. Instead, I texted her, saying I was exhausted and would give her the full breakdown at dinner. “Since you’ve avoided the topic, I’m guessing it went badly. I’ll have to yell at Sutton, since she promised me it’d be a great fit.” I sigh and rub my face.
“It is, I’m sure. The work is simple and interesting enough. Right now, I’m working on combing through applications for different jobs for my boss.” She nods, waiting for me to drop thebutshe senses is coming. I take in a deep breath, preparing myself for the chaos that’s about to break through. “But, my boss is the hot guy from the convenience store,” I blurt out.
There’s a moment of silence before she blinks twice.
“I’m sorry?”
“Graham, my new boss, is the guy who lent me a penny for the scratch off that made me quit my job.”
“Which means…” Her eyes are wide as the concept sinks in.
“Which means I had a one-night stand with my boss the day before I started working with him. It also means because of our unusual meeting, he thinks I’m some flaky woman who quit her job on a whim based on a scratch-off result.”
Silence fills the room before Claire bursts out laughing.
“It’s not funny!” I whine, letting my head fall to the counter with a resounding thud.
Her hand comes to pat my back in the fakest show of support I’ve ever experienced, laughter still in her voice when she speaks.
“You’re right, it’s not funny. It’s hilarious.” I just groan into the table. “Okay, so he’s obviously hot, and you have a crush on him?—”
I sit up quickly and glare at her. “I do not–”
“Babe, you specifically called himthe hot guy from the convenience store. A crush is kind of a given.”
“You can think someone is hot without having a crush on them,” I grumble, and she tilts her head, looking at me with a raised brow.
“Ican, yes, butyoucan not. You’re June, my sweet, optimistic best friend. You don’t call people “hot” and not have at least a teeny-tiny crush on them. Not to mention the entire fact that you had a one-night stand with him, a night youstillhaven’t given me all the details about. But we can sift through your delusion later. How was the rest of the day?” I glare at her, trying to decide if it’s worth it to argue my point, then sigh, my shoulders slouching a bit with defeat, knowing it is not, in fact, worth it.
“I think he hates me.”
“Hate you? How could anyone hate you? You’re June. That’s like hating rainbows or butterflies.” I shrug, not knowing, because I have always prided myself on being likable. Maybe that’s why I’m so determined to make him be friends with me.“Is he… is he being mean to you? Is he giving you a hard time because you two?—”
“No,” I say quickly, because for some strange reason I don’t look at too closely, I don’t want Claire to have the wrong idea about him. “He just… he seems to be both irritated and confused by everything I do. He told me my outfit was too colorful today.”
She leans back, looking over what I’m wearing, and shrugs. “Looks like a normal June outfit to me.”
“Well, he’s very boring—I’ve only ever seen him in black and white clothes, his office is completely undecorated—so I think any color shocks him, to be fair. I told him I need bright colors to offset his gloom. He wasn’t impressed.” Claire lets out a loud laugh.
