Page 23 of The Rebound
“She’s just visiting,” Luke says.
“She told me that.” Beth rolls her eyes. “But we only need someone to start us off. Then Ollie can take over.”
Ollie looks at Beth with an expression that tells me she will be doing nothing of the sort.
“Do you even have marketing experience?” Luke asks me and I feel a sharp spike of annoyance at his tone.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “Are you the owner or the landlord?”
“I’m a friend,” Luke says. “And we don’t need the help.”
I do a pointed sweep of the empty café. “You sure about that?”
Shit.
I feel terrible as soon as I say it, even more so when Beth’s mouth pops open, her lips forming a little hurto.
“Nice,” Luke says, turning back to Beth. “You want to hire her? Be my guest.”
Oh, for the love of— “I don’t even want the damn job,” I snap. “I was being polite.”
Shutup, Abby.
Beth looks crestfallen. Luke looks furious. Ollie looks like she’s trying to solve a puzzle.
“I didn’t mean that,” I say after an awkward beat. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Beth says. “We’re new and I guess I haven’t had the chance to—”
“It’s not that,” I say quickly. “Luke’s right. I won’t be staying around long. You should hire someone who can commit.”
Luke huffs at the last word and it takes all my willpower not to glare at him. I tell myself I don’t care. Let him think what he wants to.
Instead, I try my best to focus on Beth. “I think you have a lovely space here. Really. Small communities like this can be hard to break into but you’ll win them over. It just takes time. Plus it will be tourist season soon, so rack up those online reviews and you’ll be flying.”
I knock back the rest of my espresso and slip the cup into my bag.
“Compostable,” I say, patting it. “I’ll have to tell my sister.”
Beth looks miserable, but maybe for a different reason now. “Abby—”
“I’ll swing by tomorrow,” I say. “Try one of those pastries.”
“Okay,” she says quietly.
Luke just looks at me. Ollie is back on her phone.
“It was really nice to meet you,” I say finally, and walk as quickly as I can out the door.
“You’re on mute, Dad.”
I keep my smile on my face as he searches for the right button, my mother frowning unhelpfully beside him. I’m sitting on my bed, using Louise’s laptop to video-call them. The machine itself is a heavy industrial thing that’s already starting to heat up from the strain of having to turn on, and I slide a plastic tray under it, not wholly convinced it won’t set the duvet on fire.
“I can’t hear you,” I say as Mam’s mouth moves. “You’re going to have to—”
“—said you look very pale.” I quickly turn the volume down as her voice blasts through the speakers. “Are you taking enough zinc?”
“Probably not, no.”
