Between Here and Forever - Elizabeth Scott [10]
“But she did do something,” I tell him. “And we both know you’re the kind of guy girls want. If you—if you say you’ll help me—help her—I’ll talk to Clement and get you out of here. He likes me and he can make stuff happen around here. I’ll tell him you’re helping me with a project for school.”
“Clement doesn’t like anyone.”
“Wrong. He just doesn’t like anyone from Milford,” I say. “Which is probably why he spends all his time here even though he’s a bazillionaire.”
Eli blinks. “Wait a minute. Are you—are you Abby?”
Wow, talk about a gamble that paid off. “Yeah.”
“You … Clement said you were—”
“He can’t see very well,” I tell Eli. “When you’re old, I think everyone who isn’t is cute or something.”
“He didn’t say you were cute.”
Okay, ouch. “Ugly, then. Whatever. The point is, I’ll talk to him, and you won’t have to work here anymore.”
“He didn’t say you were ugly either.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I say, but it does, and I just want to get out of here. “I’ll talk to Clement, and then you just have to talk to my sister.”
“Okay, but I don’t think she’ll wake up because of me.”
“You don’t know Tess. She loves gorgeous guys, and you’re the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen. You’ll wake her up, and when she does, you’ll thank me.”
“Is she like you?” he says. “I mean, is she—does she just say stuff like you do?”
“No, she’s not—Tess’s perfect. She’s beautiful and smart and everyone loves her. You will too. You won’t be able to help yourself. I’ll talk to Clement now, and we’ll start tomorrow, okay? I would say we should start now, but Clement loves to talk and I have to catch the ferry home before my parents—” I break off. No need to go into that with him. “Anyway, tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay,” he says. “Abby.” I nod at him, and walk out of the gift shop.
If he says Tess’s name like he just said mine, Tess will be awake about ten seconds after he starts talking.
Even Jack saying my name never made me feel so—
Stop it.
I promised myself all that was gone, forgotten, and it’s going to stay that way. I made myself strong, I taught myself to know who—and what—I am.
I go find Clement. He’s drinking coffee in the cafeteria and looking out at the river, and he grins the second I mention Eli’s name.
“Told that boy to look out for you,” he says. “I said, ‘Eli, there’s a firecracker.’”
Well, Eli was right. Clement didn’t call me ugly. He just called me an object people blow up on holidays. I’d been wondering a bit about how they knew each other, but now I so don’t care. And besides, Clement knows everyone.
“The thing is, I need him to help me with something,” I say. “And we both know you know everyone and everything and can do stuff. So can Eli help me?”
“What do you want him to do?” Clement says. “I know how you young girls are about love, Abby, but if you want to go out with him, you should—”
“Oh no,” I say. “I don’t—this isn’t about me. It’s for Tess. She moved her eyes, remember? And she did it when Eli was talking. So I know that if he talks to her, he can wake her up.”
Clement takes a sip of coffee. “Just like that?”
“I know it’ll work. I know my sister. She likes cute guys and Eli—well, he’s—you’ve seen him. If his voice can get her to move, just imagine what she’ll do once she opens her eyes.”
“He is a good-looking boy,” Clement says. “Takes after his grandmother’s side of the family, but he looks like his mother too. She’s a tiny little thing. Came over here from Japan and—”
I cut him off. “So can he do it?”
“You know what your problem is?” Clement says. “You’re impatient.”
“You said I was worried before.”
“So you’re both,” Clement says, and takes another sip of coffee.
“Well?” I say, when he doesn’t say anything.
“See?” he says.
“Fine, you’re right,” I say, grinning at him. “So can Eli do it or what?”
“He can help you,” Clement says. “And you can help him.”
“Well, I think Tess will take care of that,” I say. “When she wakes up, I mean.”
Clement starts to say something, and then pats my hand. “You shouldn’t be—you should like yourself more, Abby.”
I swallow.