How (Not) to Fall in Love(23)

I thought for a few moments. Did running count? “I do run. A lot.”

“There you go. And I bet you didn’t start out running five miles at a stretch, did you?”

No, I definitely hadn’t. I’d started by just running with Toby as a puppy, the two of us romping in the park, then trotting along the canal trail haphazardly. But somewhere along the way, it turned into something I was really good at. I made goals and met them every week, every month. I entered local 5k and 10k races that Dad never knew about, so he wasn’t waiting at the finish line expecting me to win. But I charted my progress and bettered my time each time I competed. Only I did it for me. Not for my school. Not for my dad. Just for me.

“Maybe I can do this,” I said, more to myself than to Liz.

“Of course you can. Especially with our secret weapon.” Her smile deepened.

“Secret weapon?”

“Lucas. He figured that baby out in five minutes. Every time she acts up or throws a tantrum, he’s the one who fixes her. We have a deal—free drinks as long as I can keep him on speed dial for emergency repairs.”

Magic Hands on speed dial? Oh God. How would I ever concentrate enough to learn to make an espresso?

As if on cue, the tiny TV screen glowed blue, then faded back to black and white, showing Lucas headed for the counter. The girls around the board game stopped chattering and watched him, elbowing each other and giggling.

“Hi, Lucas,” one of them sing-songed, her voice tinny through the small TV’s speaker.

He turned and shot them his sexy grin. “Hey,” he said. “Who’s winning?”

There was snorting and laughing and something that sounded like, “Whoever you want to.”

Liz pushed herself out of the deep chair, shaking her head. “That poor boy. Girls follow him like rats and the Pied Piper.”

At the curtain, she glanced back and shot me a devilish look. “Come out after you catch your breath. I know he tends to take it away.”

She left me staring openmouthed. Maybe I should just hide out until Lucas went back to Charlie’s store. Or maybe I should just sneak out the back door to the alley and make my escape. If Liz had other applicants for this job, did I even stand a chance?

God, I wanted this job. But I was terrified I’d screw it up, if I were lucky enough to get it.

The TV screen flickered blue again. A frazzled-looking mom had come in with a bouncing child begging for a brownie.

Lucas had disappeared from the screen. Whew. He must have gone back to Charlie’s store. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.

“You can do it,” I whispered. “Even McDonald’s sells espresso now.”

“Hey, Darcy,” said a familiar, sexy voice.

I jumped, sloshing tea out of my cup and onto my shirt. My face flushed.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Lucas pushed the curtains aside and walked toward me, a steaming to-go cup in his hand. “Do you need a towel?” He glanced at my chest. My wet chest.

“No, no. It’s fine.” I grabbed a napkin and dabbed uselessly at my shirt. At least it was a small stain so I didn’t look like I was competing in a wet T-shirt contest, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to disappear.

He sank into Liz’s chair and grinned. “Were you talking to yourself?”

I leaned back in the chair. If I hoped to get a job where I’d be seeing this guy all the time, I’d better practice my coping skills. “No, I was talking to my friend about applying to work here.” I tilted my head toward a David Bowie poster on the far wall. “He comes with me everywhere. But most people can’t hear him.” I lowered my voice. “Can you?”

Lucas burst into laughter. “I’ve met the other job applicants,” he said. “They didn’t talk to imaginary friends.”

I returned his arch smile. “Then maybe I have an advantage.”

Lucas’s smile widened to a grin. “You might. Then again, it might depend on Bowie’s conversational skills. That’s an important part of the job.”

I looked at the floor. I might be able to joke around in Fairyland, but Lucas was right. Conversation was an important part of the job. And strangers made me sweat.

“Are you worried about that?” Lucas asked. “The talking to customers part?”

“Yeah.” I peeked at him from under my lashes, which weren’t half as long as his. “That and the monstrous Bella. I don’t think I can handle her.” I glanced at the TV screen, where Liz stood at the espresso machine, working like a maestro.

He grinned and stretched out his long legs. “You can handle Bella. Liz and I can teach you. It’s pretty cool to be able to make yourself any kind of coffee drink, instead of having to pay five bucks a pop.”

“But I’m a total klutz.”

He took a drink from his cup. “You should’ve seen Liz when she first got that machine. She was in here every day swearing at it. She’d get so mad, she’d tell Charlie she was going to close the store and give up. But we found some videos on YouTube that helped. And she called the guy who sold her the machine. She paid him to spend a day with her, making the same drinks over and over. Now she’s a pro.”

Ugh. She hadn’t made it sound so grueling. “What about you?” I asked him. “How long did it take you to tame Bella?”