Page 38 of The Change Up
It’s not like I have a mom to ask these questions of or even any girlfriends. I guess I could ask Marnie, but she doesn’t date.
Why him? Out of all the guys in the universe, does it have to be the hot baseball guy?
He’s the hot jock who gets the popular girl, and I’m the girl who waits on them at the diner after they’ve had the most glorious night together.
I’m not the girl that gets the guy.
And now I’m beginning to wonder if this is some kind of bet Hazel Eyes and Blue Eyes have with each other.
Is that why he was by himself today?
I couldn’t sleep last night. Hours of endless tossing and turning. I heard my dad come home from the restaurant at two o’clock, and I waited until he went to bed before turning on my table lamp and pulling out the current paperback I was devouring. I knew if I would’ve turned my light on before he went to sleep, he’d be in right away to lecture me on how I needed sleep, or he’d be asking me twenty questions to find out why I wasn’t sleeping.
My dad took the worried parent role on as soon as my mom left. He fusses over everything, and if I would’ve said I got asked out by a boy in town for the summer, he would have immediately told me to shut it down. Or he’d invite the guy over for an interrogation meal, and I was not about to have that happen.
When my alarm went off at a quarter after four, I jumped out of bed and went straight to the shower. Exhaustion weighed heavily on me as I only slept for maybe an hour. Typically, I put zero effort into my appearance. I work at a diner and end up smelling like fried food after every shift. But knowing that Hazel Eyes would be waiting for a response to his question had me flustered. I spent extra time curling my honey-blond hair, I added minimal makeup with extra coats of mascara before swiping on a long-lasting pink lip color. Staring at myself in the mirror I looked like a different girl. Sure I was still Chloe Mariano, but a prettier, more put-together version.
Whistles greeted me as I entered the kitchen of Marnie’s. My cheeks flamed, and I instantly wondered if I was overdoing it.
“Hey, Marnie, who’s the new girl?” Chef Steve called out. Marnie stepped out of her office, and her smile lit up her face.
“Oh, Chloe, girl, you look beautiful. Does your new look have anything to do with the two hotties who keep coming and requesting a table in your section?”
Blushing, I cut Marnie a glare as I tried to relay to her that she was embarrassing me in front of the whole crew. “I couldn’t sleep last night so I had extra time to get ready this morning.”
“Uh-huh.” Marnie heads back to her office as she hums a tune that I can’t place, but if I had to guess, it is something romantic. Marnie has been without her husband for nine years, but that hasn’t deterred her from love.
The hours seem to fly by as I spend the first few hours of my shift going from table to table taking orders, cleaning tables, and rolling silverware into napkins. At 8:45, I’m ringing a to-go order when the bell above the door chimes. Instantly, I can feel his gaze land on me. My blood starts pumping through my body, and my cheeks flame, no doubt with a pink hue that the customer in front of me can clearly see.
Glancing up, I watch Blue Eyes and Hazel Eyes follow Marnie to their booth in the back—the same one they sit in every day. As he’s following Marnie, Hazel Eyes turns, and his eyes lock onto mine. He flashes me the briefest smirk that would have my panties combusting if I were that type of girl. Clearing my throat, I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ears and finish ringing out a dozen cinnamon rolls and a box of coffee.
As my customer leaves the front counter, I rush through the kitchen doors. Finding the tiny mirror Marnie had installed on the wall, I take in my appearance. Not bad after three hours of work. With an internal pep talk, I run my damp palms down the front of my white apron.
You can do this. You can talk to hot guys. You can say yes to a date. You deserve this, Chloe Mariano.
Pushing my way through the door, I let my feet carry me to the corner booth where Hazel Eyes is watching my every move. Nerves swim through my system.
“Good morning.” My voice comes out way more chirpier than it normally does and instantly Hazel Eyes lights up.
“Morning, Chloe.” His bright white smile takes over his face, and I can’t help the smile that follows across mine. The two of us lock eyes and silence falls over the booth. It feels like hours are spent as we both try to decipher the other.
Blue Eyes clears his throat, and I turn my attention to him. “Sorry about that. Would you like your usual?”
“That’d be great.” Blue Eyes hands me his menu, and he turns his attention to his friend.
Hazel Eyes assesses me, and I swear it’s like I’m standing in front of him naked. “I’ll take the usual as well.”
“Great, I’ll go put that in for you both.” I take the menus that Blue Eyes has extended and go to turn on my heels. Hazel Eyes stops me before I have a chance to walk away.
“Chloe, um…” He pauses, and a boyish grin takes over his face. “Have you had a chance to think about that date?”
Heat flares from my head to toe, and I imagine I’m about as red as our seats. Of course, I’ve thought about a date. It’s the only thing I’ve been thinking about for the past twenty-four hours.
“I have given it much thought. Unfortunately, I don’t feel comfortable going on a date with a boy I’ve just met and whose name I don’t know.”
I take my opening to walk away as I hear Blue Eyes scold Hazel Eyes about how he could ask for a date without offering their names.
“It’s Cody, Cody Jacobs, and he’s Hudson Larsen.” Cody introduces himself in front of the busy rush inside Marnie’s Diner.
