The Holiday Switch(14)
The speed limit through Main is twenty miles an hour. I raise my eyebrows. “KC.”
“I know, I know. I feel guilty thinking about it.” He sighs.
“You’re lucky Chief Dasher or any of his reindeer didn’t get you.”
“For real.” He snorts. “Reindeer. That’s cruel.”
“I can’t help it.” Chief Dasher is, in fact, the chief of police’s name, but the coincidence is hard to ignore. “This is Holly, after all.”
“Then why do you look like you’re an extra on The Walking Dead?”
“Gee, thanks. Always keeping it real.”
“You know what I’m saying.”
I shiver, and as if reading my mind, the shop’s furnace clicks on. The temperature dropped a good ten degrees since yesterday, a true sign that winter is here. “Studying for finals. Three babysitting shifts, with parents sneaking out to buy Christmas presents. And it’s sugar rush season for the kids.” I shake my head to free myself of the memory of last night’s gig. “Do you know that Magic Eraser actually erases crayons off walls? Takes a lot of elbow grease and a couple layers of paint, but still. It works.”
“Blergh.” He sips his coffee. “So update me. What’s up with your full-time hours? I didn’t get mine. Something about a new employee.”
“I didn’t get mine either, and yes. It’s her nephew.” I catch KC up on Ms. Velasco’s offer to train Teddy.
“Is he even here?”
I glance around. “Doesn’t look like it. He’s supposed to start this weekend, though. And I’m supposed to give Ms. Velasco my answer today.” I tip the cup to my lips, and the smell of java hits my nose, waking me up. Undoubtedly, the scent is the best part of coffee, because I’m not a fan of anything bitter.
“What are you going to say?”
I shrug. “Honestly? I don’t know.”
The chatter quiets as Teddy walks through the door. He’s bundled up, but he looks like someone who didn’t get any sleep either.
KC glances back. “That him?”
“Yep.”
“I mean, he is the owner’s nephew. Should you say no to training him?”
I press my lips together so as not to let my less-than-complimentary opinions gush out, but KC’s words settle into me. Teddy and I had one shift together, and looking back, the night was busy and chaotic. Did I give him enough of a chance? Maybe I was making a choice based on a flawed impression.
“Well, he’s cute.” KC shrugs out of his coat. “He’s got that tired, cuddly look about him.”
“He’s all yours.”
“Nope.” KC grins. “I’m taken.”
KC is on cloud nine with his long-distance boyfriend, Seb, who is away for his first year of college. They’re probably the sweetest couple I know. “Anyway, it isn’t me who needs to have some fun,” he says.
“What is it with you and Carm trying to add to my schedule? Last night, she sent me a shared calendar of our activities during break.” I show him my lock screen, riddled with calendar invites, and tell him about Mission: Holly. A blog notification pops up and I flip the screen down quickly.
“Oh, wow,” KC remarks, eyebrows lifting. “That’s serious business.”
Carm, KC, and I are in the same bubble of friends at our high school, but we don’t usually all hang out together. An idea lights up like Rudolph’s nose. When KC’s attention drifts, I send Carm a text.
Lila: Hey, can we add to our Mission: Holly crew? Can I invite KC?
Carm: Yeah!
If that gets you to actually go
Lila: YAY
Carm: Should I invite Aiden, too?
Aiden O’Conner is another senior at our high school, and Carm’s longtime crush.
Lila: But of course
I tug KC’s sweater and show him my phone screen. “Hey, do you know what I think?”
He bends down and reads. “Really? Are you sure I won’t be crashing?”
“No way. The more the merrier, right?”
“Okay. I’m in.”
Just then, Ms. Velasco strides in and makes her way to the front of the room. She looks fresh-faced and awake; in fact, she’s buzzing with energy this morning.
KC and I raise our eyebrows at the same time.
“Something’s up,” he whispers.
“Agreed,” I say, remembering Ms. Velasco’s excitement the other night.
She pulls a stool from behind the register and perches upon it. The room quiets, and her red lips part into a smile. “It looks like everyone’s here. Thank you for coming this morning. Today’s staff meeting won’t run like usual—as a matter of fact, we have a lot of planning to do.” She pauses, her eyes brightening. “Because Jonah Johanson and Remy Castillo are coming here. Right here, to the Bookworm Inn!”
It takes a beat to piece the puzzle together. To cobble the images of Jonah Johanson and Remy Castillo as Leo and Estelle, kissing next to the soaring trees, with Max’s paws on Jonah’s calves, as if trying to catch his attention.