Page 15 of Skalterra By Nightmare
“Wren got into Von Leer!” Gams cheered. Liam perked up, but I shook my head.
“I didn’tget in. I have an interview.”
“That’s great!” Liam smiled wide and genuine.
God, he was annoying.
“It’ssomething,” I admitted, “but it’s nothing for sure, and I don’t want to jinx it.”
I wiped my hands on my jeans, hoping that I might remove not only the nervous sweat but also the strange scars on my left palm.
“I’ve got to call Teddy and tell him,” Gams announced. “He’ll be so excited. Maybe you two and Riley can carpool in the fall! Wouldn’t that be fun?”
She kissed me on the cheek and hurried out of the room.
“Another one for Von Leer!” she cheered in the hallway, and Jonquil chased after her.
Liam and I stood staring at each other. His jovial smile fell from his face, and his brow furrowed. I tucked my scarred palm behind my back.
“You aren’t going to tell her?” he asked.
“About what?”
“Passing out downstairs. And then sulking in here about it. You look sweaty too.”
“I didn’t pass out, and I wasn’t sulking.” I rolled my eyes and shooed him into the hallway, closing my bedroom door behind us. “I fell asleep. I’m fine.”
“Narcolepsy?” His eyebrow hitched upwards.
“Just tired,” I growled, leading the way back down to the shop. “And I told you not to get Gams.”
“Just got the email!” Gams’s voice echoed up the stairwell. “Call Siobhan. I want everyone there. No, it’s not for sure, but be real, Teddy. They’d be stupid not to admit her!”
I groaned and quickened my step.
“Gams, what are you doing?” I demanded. She hung up the phone as I came through the door, and she threw her hands up in a show of innocence.
“Nothing. Thinking I might paint another chicken. To celebrate, you know.”
I glanced back at the shelf of ceramic chickens. Someone must have come in and bought another while I was sleeping, or maybe Gams had given one away, because they were lacking in numbers.
Liam turned sideways to shuffle past me on his way back to the ice-cream station.
“Dinner tonight,” Gams snapped at him. “Siobhan’s. You and Teddy are both coming. Riley too, when he gets in.”
“Gams,” I hissed. She patted my shoulder.
“You’ll be fine.” Her tone was gentle, and more assuring than dismissive. “We’ll call it Liam and Riley’s homecoming dinner if that makes you feel better.”
It did make me feel better, but only a little.
Gams left the shop early that afternoon. She insisted that anytime after 4:30 PM was too late for dinner and shuffled out the door, still barking closing instructions as it swung shut.
The scars on my hand continued to tingle, and I avoided Liam’s eyes as we cleaned in silence. He hadn’t brought up my sleeping spells anymore, but I knew he was worried by the way he watched me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention. He tracked my movements as I paced across the floor with the broom, and when it was finally time to pack up and head to Siobhan’s Tavern, he offered me the blue Von Leer hoodie he’d come to work in.
“You want me to jinx it, don’t you?” I accused.
“You aren’t feeling well today, and I don’t want Ethel to yell at me when you show up at your dinner with a cold.”
