Page 17 of Cupcake of the Month
Hell yeah, it sounded good. To get the words executive chef on his resume?
But the temporary part held him back. It left him with noemployment or income when her aunt returned. His chest hurt as he turned her down. “Thanks, Brandi. It sounds like a great opportunity, but I can’t leave the job I have.”
There was a pause while she caught her breath. “You can’t?”
From all he remembered about Brandi, she wasn’t a woman who heard no from a man very often. But he had a reliable job. With steady hours. It came with a sucky manager, but it was still work that gave him a paycheck beyond trip a to Paris, and kept him and Zach in their shithole of an apartment. “Sorry. Not for a temporary position.”
“Well, don’t make a final decision yet, okay?”
Waiting wouldn’t change the dollar amount in his bank account, but he didn’t want to burn this bridge. “Okay. But you should try to find someone else.”
She implored him one more time before he managed to get off the phone. When he started up the stairs with the rickety bannister, he heard the click of Berry’s door closing.
Josh took the stairs two at a time until he reached the third floor, then veered into his apartment. Zach entered a minute later.
“You haven’t gone to the Sumners’ yet?” Josh asked.
“No, I was helping Vela move some furniture and got all sweaty.”
“That was nice of you.” Josh took the bag of marked-down chicken out of his pack and put it in the fridge. He’d have to cook it tonight or tomorrow so it wouldn’t go bad. Mix it with macaroni to make it last the week. Maybe throw in some lemon and basil. There were probably capers in the fridge that he could add, too. “Let me change out of my stylish ensemble and then we can head upstairs.”
“Okay.”
Josh noticed a pile of thick, ripped paper next to the sink. The orange and yellow striped pattern matched the one in theirbathroom. “What’s this?”
“Oh. That.” Zach stopped on his way to wash up. “Can we get new wallpaper?”
Josh briefly closed his eyes. “Why did you pull it off?”
“I didn’t mean to. I thought if I pulled on the loose part, it would rip off that little bit.”
“Why did you keep going after that?”
“I dunno.” Zach shrugged. “It was there. I wanted to see what was underneath.”
“Yeah, don’t do that.” That wallpaper had to’ve been there since the fall of Rome anyway. Tearing it all off might even be an improvement.
“I made a casserole for tonight in case you were too tired to whip up something.”
“Oh, thanks, buddy.” And they still had leftovers from Thursday’s fundraiser that he could bring as well. Josh headed behind the partition that created his bedroom and shucked off his clothes. “All your homework done?”
“Almost. Got some English left.”
Josh pulled on something that resembled clean and shoved his feet into his shoes. “Let’s go.”
He and his brother grabbed the food and climbed one flight up to the Sumners’ fourth floor apartment, where a group of residents gathered for dinner and camaraderie. It made for a crowded and noisy night, but it was a good way to start the week.
Berry was right behind them as they entered the small living room where people had already gathered. The aroma of garlic, onions and peppers permeated the air.
Vela greeted him holding a bottle of wine and a corkscrew. “Can you open this?” She didn’t give him a chance to answer, only took the pasta and bag of hors d’ouevres from him and headed through the living room into the kitchen.
He followed, embracing the smell of tomatoes and beef, andwiggled the cork out of the bottle. He poured a taste into a glass waiting on the counter. It was okay, but he’d let it breathe before pouring more.
These Sunday dinners had been a regular occurrence for a couple of years. The fifteen families who lived in the run-down building knew all they had to do was open the Sumners’ door. Over time, the residents became a family. They all pitched in to do what they could for the others. Vela helped the Sumners with their grocery shopping. Lucy helped change the oil in Marty’s car. There was always someone to call to keep Zach company when Josh had a late night. He’d be lost without these close-knit people in his life.
Mrs. Sumner popped one of the salmon croquettes in her mouth. “Josh, did you make these? They’re divine.”
“Leftovers from a party,” Zach piped in.
