Page 57 of Late Fees

“And you’re going for coffee, at least, that’s what I think I overheard.”

“So, you were listening in?”

“So was I, Weezer,” Sully said, approaching the desk. His voice startled me as I’d half-forgotten he was even in the store. Whenever I talked about—or even thought about—Wyatt, I lost all my bearings. It was pathetic how much that boy unnerved me.

“You were, too?” I asked Sully.

Naomi chuckled. “He even turned down the TVs. Didn’t you notice?”

“Are you kidding?”

“Nope. Dead serious.” Naomi shook her head. “We wanted to make sure you were okay, first of all. And second, um, look around—like I said, it’s dead in here, and Sully’s taste in movies is boring. I was curious.”

Sully nodded. “Yep. Pretty much. Everything except my taste in movies. I resent that, Ace. My picks shelf is top-notch all the time, without exception.”

“Right,” Naomi said, rolling her eyes. “Then why is This Is Spinal Tap on your shelf?”

Sully froze, his mouth hanging open. “This may be the first time you’ve ever rendered me speechless, Ace.”

“Why?”

“Because I thought you were smarter than this. But I guess I was wrong.”

“Wait,” I said, “Why?”

Naomi threw her hands up in disgust. “Oh, puh-lease.”

“That movie is genius, Ace. It’s absolutely brilliant, and frankly, I’m appalled that you don’t realize the true artistry that went into the making of that film.”

Naomi closed her eyes, shaking her head in slow motion.

“Um, is he for real?” I asked her before looking back at him.

Naomi opened her eyes and let out a dramatic sigh. “Unfortunately, yes. Everything that comes out of Sully’s mouth gives us just a little more insight into the strange man that he is.”

“Watch it, Ace. This ‘strange man’ happens to be your boss.” I had to giggle when I saw him do air quotes with his fingers. He must’ve picked that up from Naomi.

Naomi let out a roaring “Ha! Assistant manager. Co-assistant manager.”

He popped his collar. “That’s right. You’d better recognize.”

With a playful smile on his face, Sully walked past Naomi and me, grabbing more tapes from the return bin. She and I stared at each other, completely stunned.

“An-y-way, before we were so rudely interrupted…”

“Oh, right. Why do I feel like my brain just went through a meat grinder?”

“That’s the Sully effect,” she said, tapping her brain. “I know it well.”

“Yikes,” I said, puffing out my cheeks. “I kind of remember what we were talking about.”

“Your guy. Coffee when your shift ends.”

“Oh, right.” I looked down at my watch. “He’ll be here in, like, half an hour. Do I…do I look okay? God, I hate myself for even asking you that. I should hate him—I mean, I do hate him.”

“He seems like a nice guy. And I’m pretty picky.”

“That’s the problem. When an arrogant ass hurts you, it doesn’t sting as much. You know, like my ex, Oden—that bastard cheated on me, and yeah, it sucked, but it didn’t crush me. Wyatt crushed me.”

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