Chapter Eight
It’s been two weeks since Caleb and I had left home. And since that day, I never heard from Dad again. Whether or not he had married that Southern waitress, I don’t know. I don’t even care. It’s his life, anyway, and by marrying her, he’d get the punishment he deserved.
It still feels a bit odd not being in school anymore, but I guess that feeling will fade soon in a few weeks’ time.
It was finally Saturday, which meant that there would be lots of customers—more than our usual crowd. I had just returned from cleaning a couple of tables when Mrs. Reynolds jabbed a couple of order slips at me.
I quickly scanned the order slips and set them aside before quickly assembling the orders. After that, I piled the ice creams on a tray and carried them out to the customers. The two Oreo parfaits were for table six; table nine got the Hawaiian Pineapple Split and the two Cooper Bombes. And lastly, as I turned to set down the two chocolate sundaes, one loaded with sprinkles, and a Peaches n’ Cream for table ten, Tyler’s astonished gaze mirrored mine.
“Allie!” He exclaimed in delight. “Didn’t know you worked here. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You didn’t ask.” I grinned and he grinned back.
He eyed me speculatively. “Nice hat.” I flushed red. Stupid hat. “Seems you’re as busy as Burke Street in the rush hour.”
“Yeah, well… it beats doing nothing.” I shrugged.
“Natalie, this is my Mum, and vice versa,” Tyler said as he tilted his head a bit over to his side where a woman sat.
She was a small woman with an easy and genuine smile. Her eyes were the same piercing green as her son’s, and a tumble of wild burnt honey-blonde curls spilled past her shoulders and were swept back in a loose ponytail. Her make-up was light, barely noticeable; and paired with denim jeans and flipflops, she wore a simple white flannel shirt that surprisingly said: I kiss and tell.
“Hi.” I returned the smile and blurted out without thinking. “Wow, you look like you’re still twenty-one!”
She laughed, light and musical. “Oh, I do like you! Tyler, can we keep her?”
“I always did want a pet.” Tyler chuckled. “I can build her a little house in the backyard and I’ll buy her a red collar.”
She laughed again. “Natalie, is it?” I nodded. “So are you a classmate of Ty’s?”
“She’s Caleb’s younger sister.” Tyler put in for me.
“Oh!” Mrs. Wesley’s bright green eyes lit up. “I didn’t know Caleb had a sister. How delightful!”
“Well…” I started to say, but something squirmed in Mrs. Wesley’s lap, and when I brought my gaze down, that’s when I noticed a little boy, about three years old, glaring imperiously up at me.
“Ayskim!” He demanded as both his tiny palms smacked against the table. “I wan’ one now!”
“Oh, bite ya bum.” Tyler scolded, but he said it affectionately, making the reprimand sound like it wasn’t one. He looked at me again. “This here’s Collin, our ankle biter.” He grinned at the last two words.
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Beautiful Disaster (Ongoing & on Hiatus)
RomanceEver since her mother died, Natalie has been the glue that desperately tries to keep the remains of her broken family intact. And when Caleb, her older melancholic brother, runs away from home, she comes to a moot point in her life---go after him...
