Page 14 of Emerald Moon
“Oh come on!”
They scrunched up their face.“I don’t know!I mean, I guess I do.I don’t want to kiss her again, if that’s what you mean.Except, we didn’t even kiss the first time!So there’s nothing to repeat.”
“Do you still want to hang out with her?Or has the weirdness made that ship sail far away?”
“No, no.I still want to see her.And it’s not weird because nothing happened.”Jo stressed the final two words and leaned in towards her for emphasis.
Krista rolled her eyes playfully.“Sure.Whatever you say.All I’m saying is Cass came home awfully chatty.She had a lot to say about you.”
Jo couldn’t help their curiosity.“Like what?”
“Just how fun and easy to talk to you were.Cass doesn’t share much, except with me and her brother sometimes, so it was nice to see her so animated.And, what do you care?You’re not interested or anything.”Krista’s tone had a teasing lilt that they didn’t love.
“Not like that, no.You know how I am!I get crushes on new friends super easily.They hit like that.”Jo snapped their fingers.“With Cass?Nothing.Not a hint of awkwardness or clinginess after our initial nerves in the car.”
She shrugged.“Maybe that’s a good thing.All your crushes end in friendship anyway.Maybe this one feels different for a reason.”
“Or maybe I’m finally over all that nonsense.Man, I hope that’s the case.”
“Maybe,” she replied in a noncommittal way.“Either way, we’re all hanging out sometime.Soon!Okay?”
“Sounds good.Just, you know, run it by me before so I can see if I’m up for it that day.Never know which version of me is getting up that morning.”
Krista gave them a gentle smile.“Of course.”Her smart watch buzzed.“Heck, that’s my warning that I’ve got to book it to work now.Okay, hug, hand pie, and I’m out of here.”She crushed Jo in another hug before stepping towards the counter.“I mean it.Let’s hang soon!”
Jo waved on their way back to the kitchen.“Absolutely.Just tell me when.”
After Emmaline left and their shift ended, Jo lingered in the bakery kitchen.They stuck out their tongue as they carefully piped a red, jammy filling onto half a light blue macaron.There were several macaron shells in front of them, some more circle-like than others.Their short, always messy hair poked out at odd angles and the tips of some light brown strands were dyed blue from the food coloring they’d used earlier.
Billie, another packmate who took over running the back when Emmaline left, called out across the kitchen, “Those for out front finally?”
“Hardly.Look at these things.”They held up one shell.“These are a long way from making it out into the cases.It’s not like what you, Emmaline, or even Lock make.”
Billie wiped her hands on her apron and walked over, giving the macarons a glance.“Way better than the ones you made the other night.Progress, or something like that.”She shrugged and tilted her head to the side, her cotton-candy pink hair falling in her eyes.“How long are you staying?You going to be in my way?”
“I’ll keep to my little zone!”
Billie glanced at the long line of used mixing bowls and baking trays on the counter next to Jo.She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll clean up and then keep to my little zone,” they promised.
“What flavor are these anyway?”She asked, picking up one macaron half.“Blueberry because they’re blue?But the filling is red.I have no idea.”
“Raspberry.”
“So why the blue?”
“Blue raspberry is a thing!Inexplicably.But also the red food coloring made my hands look like they were covered in splotchy blood last time and I didn’t feel like scrubbing my hands to death again.”
“And blue hands are somehow better?”
“They’re less horror movie, yes.Also, the pastel blue is cute.”
“If you say so.But blue is so last month,” she said, having had blue hair the month prior.She gestured towards Jo’s mess.“Just let me do my thing and we’ll be fine.”
“I wouldn’t dream of getting in your way.”
“Good.”
