Fan Mail by Daryl Wood Gerber

Author:Daryl Wood Gerber
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Suspense
Publisher: Beyond the Page
Published: 2019-10-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Sorcha followed me into the ice cream parlor. I was shocked by the size of the crowd. There were three lines, each at least ten people long. If this was June traffic, I couldn’t imagine what the lines would look like by the middle of summer.

Through a narrow opening in the throng, I spotted Candace and Waverly sitting at a white bistro-style table.

I approached them and introduced Sorcha. “Where’s your mom, Waverly?”

“Where do you think?” Waverly toyed with her curly hair. “Another emergency at the shop.” Her mother did very well selling Lake Tahoe memorabilia at a boutique in town. “She said she’ll be right back, but you know Mom. She packs three days into two.”

“Where’s your ice cream?”

Candace pointed toward the counter. “Rory’s getting it. That’s him, center line.”

I tried to determine which one he was. Two young men in the middle line had reached the counter. One, with a golden tan and curly tresses cascading around his shoulders, was wearing shorts and a sleeveless yellow shirt featuring a Grateful Dead logo on the back. Definitely an Adonis. Warning bells rang in my head. His sidekick, who stood in profile, had short hair, a square jaw, and a lean body. He wore a tame blue T-shirt.

Hiding my concern, I said, “How was the movie?”

“Lots of dumb jokes. And lots of drinking. The boys thought it was a hoot.”

After the last teen movie I’d seen, I vowed I would never go to another—bathroom humor wasn’t my thing—although with Candace in my life, I might have to break my promise.

“I’m never going to drink,” Candace added.

“Never?” Waverly said.

“Well, maybe wine. Even you said you’ll drink that, and you’re a real stiff.”

“I’m not a stiff.” Waverly adjusted her ramrod-straight back.

“Yes, you are. Nothing bad comes out of your mouth, and nothing bad goes into your skinny body.”

“You should talk. You’re skinnier than me.”

Waverly stuck out her tongue and giggled. So did Candace. I couldn’t believe how quickly the girls had become friends. Amidst a second fit of giggling, Adonis and his sidekick arrived toting four banana splits.

The girls quickly sobered.

“Rory,” Candace said, her cheeks blooming pink. “This is my aunt Aspen Adams and her friend Sorcha McRae.”

Adonis thrust his hand out. I braced for the handshake. If the guy were half as bold as he came across, I would have to ground Candace for life.

“Hi, I’m Billy,” he said.

Quietly, I breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to Rory, the one I considered more worthy of my trust . . . until he opened his mouth.

“Nice to meet you.” His voice alone would rev any young girl’s engine. “May I get you two something?”

And he was polite to boot? Shoot. I’d met lots of good-on-the-surface kids who, over the years, had turned out to be rotten seeds. How I hoped Rory disproved my concern.

“We’ll get it,” I said. “Eat yours before they melt.”

As Sorcha and I joined a line to purchase ice cream, Rory drew two extra chairs to the table.

When

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