Page 40 of Fall I Want
“Are you kidding?” Julie’s voice goes up an octave.
“Why would he do that?” I ask, glancing between them.
“He said he wanted to put some magic into the world.” Blaire shrugs. “I’ve been telling everyone it’s their lucky day. Our tip jar has been stuffed full three times.”
“Gotta be truthful, I fucking like him,” Julie states.“A lot.”
“Next you’ll be planning our wedding.” I shake my head as Blaire returns to the register wearing a bright smile.
“Who says I’m not right now? I get to be your maid of honor. You were my best friend before Blaire moved here!”
I bump her with my hip as I slap a lid on a vanilla cinnamon latte.
“I heard that. We’ll play paper, rock, scissors for it,” Blaire says.
They’ve fought over who’ll get the position since we were teenagers. If I ever get married, I’ll have two, I guess. It’s a choice I can’t make.
Julie and I work as fast as possible, apologizing to those who may have waited a little longer, and offer them a free chocolate croissant. They’re all happy and in a good mood because it’s their lucky day. Not one person complained or cared.
The rest of the day flies by and it’s like I blink and our shift is over.
Blaire and Julie finish restocking and I rebalance the register, then sign off on completed midday duties. Tracy, another supervisor, asks for an update of where everything is. I fill her in as Blaire grabs our tip jar and the other two that are full. Several twenties fall onto the floor.
Tracy’s eyes widen. “Damn. How’d you manage that?”
“We flashed our boobs to every customer,” Julie explains. “Works every time. Coffee and cleavage.”
I roll my eyes. “Someone gifted a lot of drinks to customers, who reciprocated with tips,” I explain.
Tracy laughs. “That’s it. I’m putting in a request to switch to the morning shift because all the cool shit happens to the three of you.”
“Today was magical,” Julie explains, glancing at me. Alex accomplished his goal and put some magic into the world.
After I wrap up my mini meeting with Tracy, I meet Blaire and Julie in the office where they’re grabbing their things.
Blaire glances at the bag and sees the phone and accessories. “He hooked you up. Smart for him to get you a non-destructible lifetime guarantee screen protector considering this is the third one you’ve destroyed this year. Gonna make it a quarterly habit?”
“I hope not. We’ll see if this one lasts until December. If I keep it,” I add.
“Accept the gift with an appreciative thank-you,” Blaire says. “Damn, you’d never make it as a sugar baby.”
Julie chuckles and slides her coffin-shaped purse over her shoulder. “I’d let him spoil me.”
“God, me too. Can we trade places? He’s actually hilarious. I told him I thought he was an asshole, and he said he was, but he’snice sometimes, too. I dunno. He seems genuine. Also, did anyone else notice the diamond-encrusted Rolex he sported today? He’s wearing a two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar watch around town like he picked it up at the souvenir shop on the corner.”
My eyes widen because Blaire knows her jewelry. Since we were teenagers, she’s been obsessed with making and designing it.
Julie is speechless.
“Yeah. When I saw it this morning, I nearly shit my pants. I’d researched those watches a few months ago, so it took everything not to grab his wrist and look at it up close. No way it was a knockoff. They’re too easy to spot.”
“So he’srichrich. Now I don’t feel so bad about my phone. Or the tips,” I say. “That’s like five bucks to us.”
They burst into laughter.
“Ireallylove this for you,” Julie says.
Blaire nods. “Please date this man.”
