When We First Met by Norma Fox Mazer

Author:Norma Fox Mazer
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781480478329
Publisher: Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller

Chapter 16

“Jenny!” Frank, Sr., called for the third time.

“Coming,” she called back from the hall, but she still didn’t appear. Frank’s legs ached. He kneaded his calves. Maybe he should get space shoes, the ones they molded to your feet. He drew in a deep breath, let it out. The brain was a funny thing. Right there, thinking about space shoes, he’d thought, Gail in the sky with her space shoes.

A hollow opened up beneath his breastbone. There’d been a song Gail used to play all the time, one of those Beatles songs he couldn’t understand. Lucy in the Sky with … something. Amelia had sung it to Gail when she was in the coma. They’d both sat by her bed, holding her hands, talking to her, singing, reading, the kind of thing you see in the movies. Only in the movies it would always work out. One day the beautiful girl in the coma would flutter her eyelashes, the eyes would open, and she’d … smile! And the music would rise, and even though you knew it was just a movie, you’d get this lump in your throat.

He didn’t go to movies anymore. He’d rather watch TV. Anyway, he had movies going on right in his own home. What else was Jenny’s bringing that Montana boy into their house but a bad movie?

“Jenny!” he bellowed. Mimi and Frankie talked in low tones, their heads close together. Frank drummed his fingers on the table, aware of his anger like some small creature rushing back and forth in his belly. Hastily, without thinking, he drank another cup of coffee. Shouldn’t have done it. Now he’d be up half the night—just what he didn’t need after the day he’d had.

Rough day, rough. Starting right out with Jim parking in the spot everyone knew was Frank’s. From there, it had all been downhill. One thing after another. Crystal, his best cashier, out with a sick kid. Not that Crystal usually let him down. Give credit where credit was due, she had the best work record of anybody in the store, including that idiot Jim, who, the minute the weather warmed up, called in sick. Sick? He was out on the lake with his boat.

Frank should have replaced the guy years ago, but when it came to cutting meat nobody could cut the way Jim did. When you were a store manager you had to go along with people. It was like being captain of a ship. It was up to you to keep things running smoothly, keep the crew and the customers satisfied and coming back.

Half the time what you really thought you kept to yourself. Waited to see how things worked out. Like this new girl with her la-dee-dah name. Now, who in their right mind would name a girl Morgan? Sounded more like a horse than a girl. She was no winner either: skinny, big front teeth, and always gaping at him. Today, she’d given a customer twenty dollars too much.

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