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“She didn’t just study biology in college,” Zeke says, patting me on the back. “She finished top of her class at Stanford.”
“This is impressive. Why do you want to work here?”
“I’m taking a break. Exploring my options before I decide on my next steps,” I say, the answer rolling off my tongue so easily I almost believe it myself.
“Smart,” she says, folding her arms across her chest.
“She also lives in walking distance,” Zeke says.
I nod in agreement, and her eyes light up. This seems to be the most attractive of all the arguments I’ve just made as to my worth.
She grins. “Okay, yes. When can you start?”
While I give Lule my contact information, Zeke wanders outside the shop, phone in hand. I’ve never had a job that involved a cash register before, and I know nothing about yarn or knitting. But I do have perfect color vision and I can reorganize this store as soon as she’ll let me. We agree I’ll start on Monday, and I head back out onto the street.
Zeke is leaning against the empty storefront next door, smiling down at his phone. The rare spring sun glints off the gold in his shaggy hair and he looks undeniably handsome. My belly tightens and flips as he laughs to himself while typing a message.
“What’s so funny?” I ask.
He shuts off his phone and tucks it away.
“You get everything you need?” he asks, ignoring my question. His phone buzzes from his pocket.
My smile slips.
“Yeah,” I say, folding the papers and tucking them under my arm.
We walk down the street quietly. His phone buzzes again.
“You can take that if you need to,” I say.
He hesitates and then pulls it out. He smiles again as he reads it, then checks his watch. I’ve never understood that. He’s staring at his phone and there’s a clock literally at the top corner of his phone.
“Is it okay if we raincheck the rest of the day?” he asks.
I feel my face fall, but I look away, hoping he doesn’t notice.
“Megan and I have been trying to make plans for a couple weeks now and she finally has the day off.”
It feels like my stomach drops into my feet. It’s the first time he’s acknowledged that something is happening between them. But he says it so casually, it’s as if he didn’t just drop a bomb. He arches his eyebrows as if waiting for me to say something. And then I realize I’ve just been staring at him, not responding to his question.
“It’s fine,” I say, waving him off with a little too much enthusiasm. “It’s not like we actually had plans or anything.”
He stares at me for a long moment and sighs. “I’m sorry, I’m a jerk. I’ll tell her—”
“It’s fine, Zeke,” I say, stepping away from him and looking the opposite direction. Because if I look at him right now I’m afraid he’ll see right through me.
“I’ll make it up to you, Faye,” he says.
I press my lips into a tight smile. “You just got me a job. It’s fine.”
He’s quiet and I finally look at him. He’s shaking his head, a look of astonishment across his face.
“You got that job yourself,” he says.
“No I didn’t—”
“Faye,” he says, holding me by the shoulders. “You don’t give yourself enough credit.”
