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CHAPTER2
QUINCY
The apartment was quiet as I pulled on my new super-cute jean capris with my Henry’s Restaurant T-shirt, yesterday’s buzz of excitement spilling into today in spite of a medium-sized hangover from the celebration. The capris would probably be my last unnecessary clothing purchase for the next few months as I needed to save up as much money as I could. I wasn’t going to feel bad about buying these though.
Theywerecute. They had bling on the pockets.
I smiled at myself in the bathroom mirror even though I had shadows under my eyes from the late night, popped some acetaminophen to remedy the dull headache, then accidentally dropped the bottle of pills on the floor before I’d gotten the lid screwed on. I crouched down and played fifty-two pickup—or more like a hundred fifty-two pickup—not letting a minor thing like my chronic clumsiness get me down today.
My headache would go away soon enough, but maybe I was getting too old to stay out drinking until the bars closed, at least on nights when I worked the next day. Was twenty-eight too old? I’d definitely have to make a lot of changes in January when I went back to college. Coincidentally that was one of the things we’d been celebrating—my acceptance letter.
I swept my hair up in a messy bun, then grinned again, savoring the relief at finally finding a direction for my life. Better late than never, right? Funny how a breakup could help a girl get her shit together.
I walked out of the bathroom, pulled on my lime-green work shoes, and noted Jewel’s door was still closed, which told me she hadn’t woken up for the day yet. Probably for the best, as she’d been overserved last night, even more so than I. She didn’t have to work today.
We’d gone out to the Fly by Night and then the Barn Bar to celebrate Jewel’s promotion to management at Humble’s Pizza Pie and my acceptance letter to go back to school. It seemed like everyone who’d been out on a Tuesday evening had bought us a celebratory shot. I’d handed more than a few of mine over to my roomie, knowing I’d struggle with my work shift if I didn’t. She absolutely deserved the fun times—and the promotion, of course. She was great at her job.
I was not so great at my job as a server, but it was only for three more months. Normally my inadequacy at my full-time job would make my gut tighten, but having an end date and a plan made everything more tolerable. I just hoped the Henrys’ patience with me and my clumsy self would last that long.
I searched the trinket tray on top of my dresser for my cartoon dinosaur earrings that hung off my lobes by their mouths, making it look like they were biting me. They drew a genuine grin from me, like they always did, and were usually good for conversation—and higher tips—at work, especially on tables with kids. Since I wore my hair up, the dinos would be impossible to ignore.
I put them on, then went out to the kitchen to fill my water bottle.
The apartment door burst open, and Piper, my other roommate, breezed in, her caramel-colored hair draping over her shoulders and her eyes lit with happiness.
“Okay, what areyouup to?” I asked, raising a brow. No one should bethatcheery and bright-eyed after staying out till two a.m. on a weeknight. “Where’ve you been?”
“Downstairs working.”
“It’s Wednesday. You don’t usually start so early on Tansy’s day off.”
“I was catching up on paperwork and orders before I open.” Her tone reminded me she, too, loved her job as the owner of Oopsie Daisies, an admittedly adorable flower shop.
“You need your office back,” I said.
When Mitchell and I had broken up a few months ago, my entire world had been turned upside down. I’d been living with him, so I’d needed a new place to stay stat. Piper had cleared out the third bedroom in her apartment. She and her cousin Jewel had helped move me out of his apartment and in with them.
Finding myself suddenly single had messed with my head, made my server job seem less like a life plan and more like a stepping stone to…something. I hadn’t known what at the time. But ultimately, the breakup had led to the decision to finally go back to school, something my dad had been encouraging me to do since I’d dropped out at age nineteen.
“I can work just fine in the shop, so hush. Anyway, I have news.” Piper bounced up and down in her daisy-print sneakers.
“Tell me.”
“I heard from the Marks Resort. They’re signing the contract.”
I shed my gloom faster than a stripper could shed a Velcro dress, rushed over to her, and hugged her. “Oh, my God, that’s awesome, Piper! For the weekly service?”
“For the weekly service!”
We jumped up and down together, laughing and still hugging. I gave her a big smackeroo kiss on her cheek and squeezed her tight before ending the hug.
“I’m so stinking happy for you,” I said, my grin as wide as hers.
“Thank you. I can hardly believe it. First delivery is next week, which means this weekend is going to be double crazy what with the homecoming dance Saturday.”
“You know I’ll be helping you Saturday. I took the day off for you.”
“I couldn’t do it without you and Jewel and Tansy. I wish I could give you more frequent shifts.”
