Page 20 of Wish You Were Her
“Hey, a bunch of us are going to the arcade tonight for drinks. You are totally welcome to come along.”
“There’s an arcade? Grace didn’t mention that on the tour.”
“It’s just off one of the dirt paths, beyond the maze. It’s one of the few places in town that stays open late and serves more than lemonade.”
“I don’t drink, I’m afraid. Still allowed?”
“Of course.”
“And who’s ‘us’?”
“Me and my friend Skye. Jonah, unless you’ve scared him out of town.”
“What about Grace?”
Allegra noticed Simon’s face flicker slightly with distaste. “Grace Lancaster?”
“Yeah. She was super nice, squiring me around town. She can come too, right?”
Simon hesitated and Allegra wondered if there was some deep, dark reason behind his reluctance. She didn’t like to think it could be snobbery—that Simon thought of Grace as someone who was beneath him.
“Sure, she can come.”
“Great, I’ll text her.”
“Wow, lucky Grace,” he said with a grin, picking up the empty doughnut box and dropping it in the bin.
Allegra smiled, curiously. “What?”
“First person in town to secure your phone number.”
Allegra didn’t know what to do with her face so she just shrugged and said, “One of my numbers. I have too many.”
“Well, can I have one of them? Or your email address?”
Allegra almost told the truth. She almost revealed that shewas the person he had been emailing but then a familiar, ever-present thought interrupted her.
Just because the emails were starting to mean something to her, it was no reason to believe that they meant anything to him. She was an all-in kind of person. But that was not the rest of the world.
So she held her tongue.
“I’ll be there,” was all she said.
When closing time arrived, Jonah was alone in the shop with George.
Courtney, Allegra and Simon had all gone to a meeting with the Lake Pristine Tourist Board and Jonah appreciated the quiet they left in their wake. He sold an economics book to a visiting tourist and some picture books to frequent customer Mrs. Heywood for her grandchildren and then began to cash up.
“Jonah?”
George’s voice sounded from the office door and Jonah froze by the till. “Uh-huh?”
“Can you take it just a little easier on Allegra? Please.”
Jonah looked over at his boss. “I didn’t realize I wasn’t.”
The lie fell flat and they both knew it.
“She’s new to town, she needs a bit of a break. Just be nice, son. She has a mad life. And I know the festival is your project, you do so much for it and I’m grateful. But she’s only helping out. She’s not taking anything away from you by just helping out.”
