Even as I struggled to keep my attention from the guy beside me, I found I enjoyed reading the book he picked out. But eventually, my eyes hurt and I closed it.
I looked down at my phone. “Wow. There are only fifteen minutes until we close. Want to start shutting down the register?”
“What if a customer comes in?”
“You and I both know no one is coming in.”
He looked at the entrance, then to the cases of books that lined the store, and back at the entrance of the store before looking at me.
“Live a little, Rainier. Besides, I’m the owner’s daughter. I’m practically your boss.”
“Except I’m the shift lead.”
“Whatever. By the time we finish arguing, it’ll be closing time for real.”
Rainier sighed like he was in pain before nodding his head in agreement. What a rule follower. What was the worst that could happen?
He started his work while I emptied the trash and took it outside. The store’s back door opened up to an industrial looking area that had a large dumpster and an area for trucks to park while making deliveries. It barely took any time for me to go through my list of duties.
When I went back to the register, Rainier was just finishing up. Apparently, he sped through his work too. All that was left was pull down the gate, lock it, and go home.
“I hate to admit it,” he said, as he signed his time card. “But it’s kinda nice leaving at closing.”
“Told you so.”
Rainier smiled. “Did you lock the back?”
“Oh, crap.” I’d forgotten and went to the back room. The key to the exterior door was hanging on a hook on the wall. I grabbed it, stuck it in the lock and turned.
Well, I tried to turn the key, but it wouldn’t budge. I took it out before attempting it again. I knew how to freaking lock a door and I couldn’t figure out what was going on.
“Everything okay?” Rainier popped his head through the door that led to the front of the store.
Just great. That’s just what I needed, Rainier to think I wasn’t capable of locking a door. I turned the key as hard as I could in the lock. My hand slipped as the key snapped in my hand.
The stupid thing broke.
The long part was stuck in the lock, while I held the other piece. And to make matters worse, the door still wasn’t locked. I turned back to Rainier with wide eyes, only to find his were wider. They were so big, I could see the white around his entire iris.
“Tell me that did not just happen," he choked.
I tried to feel guilt or any appropriate emotion, I honestly did. But between the expression on Rainier’s face and the fact that I broke a key in the lock, I couldn’t help it. I started laughing.
Like, really laughing.
It started out as a chuckle. I even covered my mouth when the first one escaped my mouth. Unfortunately, as I watched Rainier’s face transform from shock to frustration, I found the situation even funnier. The small chuckle turned into a laugh, and the laugh turned into a fit that had tears streaming down my cheeks.
Of course, this would happen while I was working with Rainier. Of course, it would happen on the one night we were going to leave right at closing.
I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked back up at Rainier. He was still serious as could be, which only caused a fresh wave of hysterics.
“What are we going to do? I’m exhausted, and we can’t just leave the back door open.”
“Nope,” I said, as I caught my breath and began to calm down.
“Michelle, your dad is going to be pissed.”
“My dad, good idea! I’ll call him right now.”
I grabbed my phone and dialed his number. He answered on the second ring with a worried voice. I never called my dad, rarely texted him. Plus, he knew I was at work right now. As soon as I explained the situation, I could hear his laughter on the other end of the phone. He might be a pain in the ass, but the man and I shared the same sense of humor.
“Okay, Princess,” he said, when he’d finished laughing. “Go ahead and send Rainier home. I’ll call a locksmith and will be right there.”
“Thanks, dad.”
I hung up and told Rainier to go home, that my dad would be there soon.
“Are you sure?”
“You’re the one who said you were tired. Besides, I’m surrounded by employees in other stores and mall cops. I’ll be fine.”
He looked like he might argue, but reluctantly agreed. I watched him go, pulled out the book I’d been reading earlier, and waited for my dad to show up.
Chapter Twelve
Rainier
At my last show, my parents asked Jenny if she would want to go out and celebrate my playing in The Band with a round of ice cream. It originally was supposed to happen earlier in the week, but working around so many different schedules proved more difficult than we imagined. We had to find something that worked for my parents, my sister and me, and Jenny.
When we finally settled on a time, we all met at the small place in town. My parents treated us to a round of soft-serve. It was all very metal.
I knew I shouldn’t complain. My parents loved me and wanted to celebrate my accomplishments. After watching the way Michelle behaved when she talked about her mom, I knew I had it easy.
Even so, there was a level of embarrassment from being out with my folks, especially with Jenny tagging along. They dressed like they were straight out of Woodstock. My mom, in her long gypsy skirt, had been involved in a lengthy discussion with the younger guy working behind the counter, offering up her opinions about everything from sourcing organic milk for their ice cream to offering vegan options.
This was River Valley, not California. Sometimes I wondered if my parents knew how different they were from most of our small town's other inhabitants.
My dad eventually ordered vanilla cones for us and pulled her away from a very confused employee. We all sat at an outdoor table together.
“So,” Jenny said around a bite of ice cream. “I heard that Owen has been trying to line up gigs in Boise.”
“Who’d you hear that from,” I asked. I was a member of the band, no matter how temporary. How was it that Jenny knew more about what was going on that I did?
“Owen mentioned it to Carter, who said something to Avery, who told Mitch, who told Gwen at The Farmhouse when I was eating there with my cousin.”
My eyes snapped to my Sarah. “Did you hear that?”
My sister shrugged her shoulder. “Gwen might have said something to me when we were working together.”
“I had no clue. Shouldn’t I know before you guys?”
“Did you and Owen become best friends overnight?” Sarah started. “Last time I heard, he was a tool who treated you like sh–”
“Sarah!” my mom gasped. “We have not raised you to talk about other people like that. We need to make every attempt to live in harmony with those around us.”
“He made fun of Rainier.”
My mom’s response was a look of concern, while Jenny leaned forward in her seat. “What did he say?” She looked much less bothered. If I didn’t know how much she loved hearing about everyone else's drama, I might be offended. As it was, I was only somewhat irked.
“Owen just said some rude things to me after a show. It’s not a big deal.” I intentionally left out that it was this particular ice cream date that gave him the fuel. My parents were embarrassing, and I talked crap about them to my sister. That didn’t mean it was okay for anyone else to do the same. It also didn’t mean I was going to make them feel embarrassed over any of it.
Jenny hummed to herself before speaking up again. “I guess I was just wondering if anything worked out with the Boise shows because I wanted to ask if the band was looking to add any members.”
“Apparently I’m the wrong person to ask,” I said, under my breath. Sarah laughed while my dad made some comment about not sulking. He went on to say it was impossible to include everyone in every dec
ision, and I should be happy to be part of a group creating art for others to enjoy. I fought hard to keep from rolling my eyes. “Who were you thinking, Jenny?”
“Well, I’ve watched you guys play, and it made me realize I miss playing my violin. I’ve practiced a bit at home, and I think I can play along with most of the songs.”
“A violin in a rock band?”
“A lot of bands do that.” She had a point. “And we’d get to hang out more.”
“We get to hang out a lot at work. It’s not like it’s ever busy.”
“Yeah, well you know how my parents are. They don’t like me going out unless I have a specific purpose. Practising with the band could be that purpose.”
My mom started asking her questions about her playing, which took the pressure to respond off of me. She wanted to know how long she took lessons, what her favorite pieces were to play. While they were talking, Sarah kicked me under the table and gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head.
I wanted to ask her what she meant by it, but the conversation was already shifting.
“Oh, Rainier,” my mom said excitedly. “It sounds like it would be perfect to have Jenny play with you guys. It would also help with the glaring lack of representation of women in your band.”
“It’s hard to be diverse with four members in River Valley.”
“Which is why Jenny is just what you need.”
“I’m a stand-in, but I’ll see what I can do.”
I had no intention of following through.
Chapter Thirteen
Michelle
“How’s work going, Princess?” my dad asked, interrupting my lazy day off. I was sitting on the couch watching reruns of reality TV. I had no plans for the day. No work, no friends, no responsibilities. Just a date with me and a bunch of crazy people competing for whatever useless title the current show had.
I’d worked quite a few shifts at the bookstore this past week. More than the twenty hours my dad had originally promised. It was all right though. I’d worked a couple of days with Jenny and a couple with Rainier.
Jenny and I had worked out a system. We were friendly to each other during our shifts together. She was much more patient with me while I still learned my way around the store. The biggest difficulty was learning what genre each book belonged in. She’d been working there long enough, she just knew. Working with her was easy.
Working with Rainier was slightly more unsettling. We’d stopped fighting with one another after our weird heart-to-heart. He’d started telling me more about growing up in a family so vastly different from most of the people around us. I, on the other hand, hadn't opened up about my family beyond what I told him that night.
I did stop bringing cherries to work though. And making rain jokes.
“Princess?” my dad pulled my attention back to his unanswered question.
“Good, work’s good." I turned the volume down on the television and turned to face him.
“How are Jenny and Rainier? I’ve tried to be careful to schedule you with people your age. Make it a little less painful.”
“You didn’t have to do all that.”
“I think your exact words were ‘You’re ruining my life.’ It’s the least I could do.”
“Well, it’s not been so bad.”
“You don't know how happy I am to hear that. I know it must seem like a punishment to have to work all summer, but I still think it’s good for you to learn some responsibility.”
“I know.”
“Huh,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “This is going a lot better than I imagined. So any big plans for the day?”
“Well, as you can see, I’m swamped with bettering myself this morning.”
“Oh, yes. What’s this one about? Cake-making? Hair-styling? Designing clothing?”
“Picking the perfect wedding dress,” I said quietly. I knew a wedding wasn’t something that appealed to either of us, but there was something so addicting about watching a bunch of women try on gorgeous dresses.
“And for the rest of the day?” he asked, refusing to comment on my choice of show.
“Avery convinced me to go watch her boyfriend play in his band again.”
“Ah, yes. The Band. Did you know, there was a band in the sixties with that same name?”
“Funny you should ask. Rainier started playing with them and said something about that recently.”
“Really?”
“Yep. And they’ve had this contest all week to rename the band.”
“Sounds like fun. Did you enter?”
I laughed to myself thinking of all the names I suggested. I might not be teasing Rainier at work, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have fun with the names I’d entered.
The Rainier Season.
A Bowl Full of Rainiers.
Rainy Day Music.
His name was just too perfect. I couldn’t help it. I even came up with one only he would get.
Volvo Origins.
I knew it wouldn’t get chosen. The name wasn’t edgy enough. If I was honest, it wasn’t even that funny. I just hoped Rainier would see it and know I was thinking about him and that his secret was safe with me.
“If I know my daughter, and I think I do, I’d say that smile on your face is a good indication of whether or not you entered.”
“I did.”
“And I bet whatever you came up with will win. You’re a bright girl.”
I threw a pillow at him. What was it about parents and them thinking you must be the best at everything because you were their child? You’re the prettiest girl in your class. You’re the smartest girl in your school. You are the best at coming up with names for small-town garage bands.
“We’ll see. They plan to unveil the new name at the show tonight.”
“You’ll keep me posted?”
“Sure thing, Captain,” I said, with a salute.
He smiled at that, but his face quickly got serious. “Princess, you know I love you right?”
“Of course. I love you too.”
“I know you think I’m too tough, but it’s never out of anger. I need you to know that.”
“I do.”
“Good. I’ll let you get back to your wedding show then.”
My dad's sudden change of mood was weird, and I had no clue what could have brought it on. I only knew it was essential for him to know I loved him, so I had answered him sincerely, without any of our patented sarcasm. I spent several minutes trying to figure out what was going on but came up with nothing.
Eventually, I went back to my television marathon. I spent the next several hours in a comatose state on the couch. I watched episode after episode of pure garbage and loved it. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. So after binge-watching until my eyes burned, I reluctantly acknowledged it was time to get showered and ready for the day. It was late afternoon, after all.
I straightened my hair, contoured my face and put on my favorite shirt and skirt combo. I opted for cheap shoes that wouldn’t get trashed and headed out. Avery asked me if I would meet her at The Farmhouse before the show and I was running late after my day spent on the couch.
My best friend was already sitting in a booth when I walked in. Thankfully, Katie wasn’t working. In fact, no one I recognized was working. It was more than a small mercy. I let out a sigh of relief when I sat down that Avery completely misinterpreted.
“Okay, so I know you hate The Farmhouse.”
“I don’t hate The Farmhouse.”
“Fine, I know you hate Katie.”
“I don’t hate Katie.”
Avery closed her eyes and cleared her throat. “Well, then I’m glad you didn’t have to overcome any major hurdles when you agreed to meet me here.”
“They have great burgers.”
“My favorite. Anyway, I wanted to meet up before the show to talk to you about Carter. Things are getting pretty serious between us. He’s even talking about living together and getting married.
I wanted you to be the first to know.” Her face lit up as she said this.
I felt like I was going to be sick.
“You’re nineteen. You’re still in school. Please tell me you aren’t thinking about it.”
“Would it be so bad if I was?”
“Aves, you know how I feel about marriage. It’s a useless institution. Serious relationships, in general, are a horrible idea. Look at my parents, look at Julian and me. Those are just people in my immediate circle. Now take that and expand it. How many people stay with the people they date when they’re our age? And of those people who stay together and get married, how many get divorced? How many ruin their children’s lives with their drama?” I was breathing heavily by the time I finished my rant.
“Geez, Michelle. I’m not talking kids or anything. We haven’t even had sex yet. I’m just saying I like him. Maybe I love him. In a sea of man-boys, Carter is talking about the future. Call me crazy, but I think that’s pretty exciting. I want you to be excited for me.”
“Fine, I’m excited.”
“You are so full of it, Michelle. You are my best friend, but you can’t keep pushing me away like this. You push everyone away and blame it on your mom cheating on your dad. You blame it on your breakup with Julian. And let’s face it, you two were as perfect for each other as Mitch and I were. You just didn’t see it because you were the popular couple that was expected to be together.”
“I loved Julian,” I said, angry Avery thought she could tell me my relationship with Julian wasn’t real.
“I’m not saying you didn’t. I’m saying you two weren’t meant for each other, and that’s okay. What isn’t okay, is dismissing every other relationship because of that. I’m your friend, and I can see the distance you’ve put between us in the last year or so. I’ve tried to be patient, but you’re going to have to give a little too.”
Avery wasn’t holding her punches. Not even a little. My gut reaction was to argue and tell her she was wrong. She said I’d been distancing myself, but I hung out with her all the time. It wasn’t possible to do both, was it?
All The Things We Were (River Valley Lost & Found Book 3) Page 7
