AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You don’t give yourself enough credit.” April leaned against the counter and returned the salt shaker to its tray. “You might not beconventionallyattractive, but you’ve got a certain…” she waved her hands in front of my face, “quality.”
Her voice rose, and Bob shot us a stern glance from the other side of the cafe. He was her father and our boss, a barrel-shaped man with a receding hairline and a contagious laugh. He was fair and generous, but he didn’t tolerate goofing around. Especially not while we were so busy.
“Why don’t you take over here?” I pulled my apron over my head and passed it to April. “I’ll take my break now and see if they’ve called.”
I walked slowly, glad to ease the pressure on my joints. Most days, the cafe was quiet enough that I wasn’t always on my feet, but today had been intense. My left foot ached, my prosthetic leg pinched the stump below my right knee, and sweat trickled uncomfortably down my spine. All I wanted to do was fall into an armchair and read one of the books that we stocked on the shelves that lined three walls of the store, but those chairs were occupied by teenage boys who stared at my leg, so I kept moving.
“Excuse me,” a male voice said, and I turned to see the balding man at table forty-eight glancing at my leg before his eyes moved to my face. He was sitting with a friend now, and they both wore t-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops. I gave them a weary smile.
“Your coffee will be out in a moment.”
“I’d like to add an omelet to my order,” the man said. “With tomato and ham, but hold the mushrooms.”
“And I’d like a breakfast burrito,” his friend added. “With bacon and salsa, and a hash brown on the side.”
I looked over at the counter and the sign above which saidOrder Here. We encouraged everyone to order and pay at the register, but April was swamped with customers — surely it wouldn’t hurt to takeoneorder at the table?
“Certainly,” I said. “I’ll let the kitchen know, and you can pay when you’re done.”
“And a cappuccino,” the friend said. “Extra strong, with three sugars.”
I nodded. My leg ached, and all I wanted to do was go home and remove the prosthetic. “Sure.”
“Aren’t you going to write it down?” the first man asked, looking pointedly at the spine of my notepad that poked out of my pocket. I gave him a self-assured look.
“I’ve got it.”
“Do you have a photographic memory or something?” his friend snorted, and I smiled.
“Yes I do.”
Before either of them could challenge me or ask for anything else, I hurried away to relay the order to the kitchen staff before continuing into the back room. It was cooler than the rest of the cafe, with the heat from the ovens blocked by the door and fresh air streaming through an open window. My half-finished book was where I left it, on a blue milk crate, and while I’d normally read while I ate a snack, today I picked up my backpack and rummaged through until I’d found my phone.
There was one missed call. A Sydney number, one I didn’t recognize.
I called it back.
“Starstruck talent agency.”
“Hi.” My heart thumped, and I hoped she couldn’t hear it. “My name’s Kyla Wright, and someone tried to call me from this number?”
There was the sound of shuffling papers, and then a curt, “Please hold.”
The instrumental hold music seemed painfully slow. Finally, a woman with a clear American accent picked up.
“Am I speaking with Kyla Wright?”
“Yes,” I said, keeping my breathing steady. The missed call didn’t necessarily mean I’d been chosen — this could still be a rejection. They might have received too many applications, or decided that my platinum blonde hair would stand out too much. Or when I didn’t answer the phone, they might have offered my part to someone else. I couldn’t let myself get too excited.
Not yet.
“My name’s Marina Alvarez, and I’m calling about your application to work as an extra onPushing Daisy.”
I held my breath.
“I’m happy to confirm that you’ve been successful,” she said. “We’ll send you a background actor information package by email, with instructions and some documents for you to sign.”
“That’s wonderful!” All the tension in my body evaporated. I couldn’t wait to tell my dad!
