Page 36 of Starry with a Chance of Nightshade

Cadee rolled her eyes and laughed. “Dad, we’ve been over this. Classes don’t start back for me untilnextweek.”

“But I saw the buses running this morning,” he countered.

She snorted. “You keep forgetting the university is different. We don’t ride yellow buses and we have different start times.”

He chuckled, his voice deep. “You’re forever seven to me, hon. Never forget that.”

“Oh, I couldn’t even if I wanted to,” said Cadee with a grin. “You won’t let me.”

He nodded. “Yolanda needs to find someone to fill those open positions she has. You can’t keep working here and there when classes start. And I think we both know I’d be lost without your help.”

She laughed, handing me my receipt. “For sure. Besides, I kind of hate the smell of coffee. But she’s been trying to hire help. No takers yet.”

That perked my interest. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’m interested in finding a job. Where can I find out more about the position?”

The man looked me over slowly before glancing at his daughter. For a second it felt as if he was looking directly into my soul. “Call Aunt Yolanda. Tell her you found someone to fill one of the open spots.”

“Uh, Dad, don’t you want me to tell her that someone is wanting an interview?” asked Cadee, stating my exact thoughts.

He stared harder at me. “No. I said what I meant.”

She glanced at me and shrugged.

He kept watching me. “Have we met before?”

“I don’t think so,” I said, avoiding saying what I was really thinking. He’d be a hard guy to forget.

He narrowed his gaze. “You sure?”

I nodded.

“You didn’t happen to go to Grimm U, did you?” he asked.

Before thinking better of it, I nodded. As I saw recognition dawning on him, I knew it was too late to walk back my answer. When I checked the papers from eighteen years ago, there hadn’t been any mention of the incident, but that didn’t mean people were clueless about it. And they might know it was all my fault.

“That’s it,” he said. “Astria, isn’t it?”

I took a deep breath and pressed a smile to my face. So much for keeping a low profile. “Yes.”

“Right,” he said. “I thought so. I almost didn’t recognize you without the short purple hair. It’s really long now and black.”

That had more to do with the fact I couldn’t really afford monthly haircuts and hair dye anymore. It had been easier to just let it grow and be my natural color.

I stared blankly at him for a second before I realized I had seen him before. My eyes widened. He’d pretty much been nothing but skin and bones back when we were in college. Sexy and nice, but very quiet. He’d taken Stevie out on some dates if I remembered correctly. “Michael Bass?”

He grinned. “Yep.”

“Sorry. You’ve, well, grown up quite a bit. A good bit. Not a bad bit. Not that there was anything wrong with you before.” I groaned at my normal social awkwardness.

He chuckled, his gaze going to my arms. “In addition to the hair change, you’re covered in a lot of body art and metal. That’s a change.”

I nodded.

He took a deep breath. “You still friends with Stevie?”

“No. I mean, yes, but I haven’t talked to her in quite a while,” I said, my chest tightening.

“Lost touch with her right before graduation,” he said, sounding sad about that. “She was nice. Always thought so. I was hoping you might know how to contact her. She just kind of left town without a word. No warning. No anything. I don’t even think she finished all her finals.”

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