The Haunted - Jessica Verday [75]
I watched him go, feeling abandoned and slightly hopeless as I turned back to Aubra.
She exhaled loudly and said, “The store will be dead for a while now. Prepare to be bored out of your mind.”
Leaning on the counter, I stared out the window at all the people walking by and willed them to come in and prove her wrong. But she was right. Only twenty-two minutes had passed, and I thought I was going to die of boredom. This must be what it’s like for Caspian.
Watching every second crawl by with nothing to help pass the time. No wonder he likes to read.
Finally I couldn’t take it anymore, and I glanced over at Aubra. She was texting furiously on her phone. “Does anything need to be done?” I asked. “Like the floors swept, or napkin holders filled or something?”
“No.” She never even looked up.
I wandered out from behind the counter. I thought about going back to Uncle Bob’s office and hanging out there, but I felt bad about leaving Aubra alone.
Grabbing a bottle of cleaner and a roll of paper towels, I headed to the tables. They weren’t really all that dirty, but it was something to do. I cleaned each one and the chairs, too, taking my time to make sure that every speck of dirt was gone.
The doorbells went off again and I looked up, happy to see a customer at last. But my happiness vanished when a guy in cargo pants and a looks-vintage-but-costs-five-hundred-bucks T-shirt walked through the door. A silver Rolex gleamed on his wrist.
His hair was different, black now instead of the carefully highlighted blond spikes, but I still recognized him. It was the jerk I’d met here once before during Thanksgiving break.
Aubra squealed and came flying out from behind the counter. The boy smiled at her, flashing a perfect dimple.
Immediately my hackles rose. I really did not like this guy.
“Baby!” Aubra cooed, jumping into his arms for a hug. He held her at a distance, being sure not to let her press too tightly against the front of his shirt. Aubra composed herself and flipped the OPEN sign on the front door to CLOSED. She glanced over at me. “Time for another break.”
I wasn’t going to argue. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t run the cash register on my own.
She started to walk away, then said sharply, “Abbey, come on.” I looked up at her, surprised. “Me? I’m, uh, fine here. You two go ahead.” Aubra planted both hands on her hips and gave me a cold glare. “You can’t stay out here.” She paused, and I could almost hear the “stupid” she wanted to add in there. “If people see you, they’ll think we’re open. Come on.”
Dropping the cleaner onto the table, I followed both of them. When we came to the room that held the freezers, she tossed her hair and said, “We’re going in here. You can go wherever. Just don’t go out front.”
I nodded and headed to Uncle Bob’s office. At least he had a couch in there. How long is this “break” going to last, exactly?
Several stacks of newspapers were scattered across the surface of the couch, but I just swept them to the floor. Stretching out, I closed my eyes to take a short nap. Let Aubra come find me when she was ready.
But I couldn’t sleep. Loud voices kept waking me.
“Fine!” someone shouted. It sounded like Aubra, and then there was a thump. Muffled noises came next, and it ended in weeping. I didn’t know what to do. Should I stay out of it?
Or go check on her?
I shifted to a sitting position. But I didn’t have a chance to do any more than that, because Ex-Blondie-Turned-Goth-Boy suddenly appeared at the door.
He sauntered in and ran one finger down the edge of Uncle Bob’s desk as he came toward me. Never breaking eye contact, never missing a step. Which was an impressive feat in an office as cluttered as Uncle Bob’s. He stopped less than a foot away from the couch, holding up his finger to inspect it.
“Tsk, tsk. I do so hate a messy work area.” Neatly sidestepping one of the stacks of papers, he sat down next to me. My skin crawled, and I forced myself to let out a breath I didn’t even know I’d been holding.
“I like things neat and tidy,” he said. “Do you?”