Halfway through the lunch rush, I realize that Carrie put our cupcakes in the display case. Even though they’re hideous, Carrie convinces people to buy them. And one man, after trying the first one, buys two more. Even if we’re technically breaking the rules, I have to admit that seeing people enjoying my work makes me feel good. At least that’s one thing I have that Ava doesn’t. Or maybe we both do. How do people who lead double lives do this? It’s so confusing.
When the lunch rush dies down, Carrie holds up some coffee filters and says, “Who wants to play a game? Maybe Floppy Frisbee?”
“Shouldn’t we go give away samples?” I ask.
Carrie’s face falls. “Oh right. Okay, you two go and I’ll keep an eye on the café.”
I nod and get to work cutting up some of the pastries I baked this morning. Then we put them on plates and head out the door.
“While you’re out there, see if you can find anything good for the Gossip File,” Carrie says. “We’re expecting your five bits of juiciness by the end of the week!”
I hurry outside. Maybe if I’m lucky, Ellie will have found someone to take over for me before then and the girls will forget all about it.
“Where to first?” says Taylor, following after me.
“How about the gym?”
“You really think people going to the gym will want pastries?” says Taylor.
I laugh. “Why do you think they’re working out in the first place?”
She smiles, and we head in that direction. After we get set up, Taylor starts chatting with anyone who walks by, even the landscaping crew. I try to smile and hand out pastries. Talking to strangers is so not my forte. But then again, I’m not me. I’m Ava. Maybe she’s better at this kind of thing than I am.
“Excuse me,” I say to a friendly looking man who’s hurrying toward the bistro. “Would you like to try a cinnamon chip scone?”
“Sorry,” he says with an apologetic smile. “I’m not a big fan of the café food.” Then he rushes past and heads into the bistro.
So much for trying to improve our reputation.
I scan the area and am surprised to see my dad heading in my direction. “Dad!” I call, waving.
When he spots me, his face lights up. “Hey, Roo,” he says. “What are you doing out here?”
As he comes up to me, I realize that he’s wearing a red shirt that perfectly matches the one Ellie was wearing this morning. That has to be a coincidence, right? They can’t be one of those disgusting matchy-matchy couples.
“I’m giving away samples,” I tell him. “Want to try one?”
He smiles and pops one in his mouth. As he swallows, though, his smile fades. “Hmm, this kind of tastes like…parsley. Not one of your creations, is it?”
I shake my head. “The café won’t let us make anything from scratch.”
“That’s too bad. I’m sure they have a reason for it.”
“So what are you doing here?”
“Bringing Ellie some lunch.” He holds up a takeout bag. “Like I do every Tuesday.”
Date night on Monday, lunch on Tuesday, and pizza night every week? “I thought you were really busy with work,” I say.
“I am,” he responds, “but I try to sneak away once in a while to make time for Ellie.”
Something stabs at me. My dad can make time for Ellie every week, but I’ve come all this way and he can’t even make time for me?
“Maybe we could go out for ice cream tonight after dinner,” I say. “Just the two of us?” Ice cream has always been our thing. He can’t say no to that, can he?
Dad nods absently and checks his watch. “We’ll talk about it later, okay?”
“Or mini-golf!” I say. “We haven’t done that in years. Maybe we can go later? Or tomorrow?”
“Sure, Roo. But I have to go.” He gives me a quick kiss on the forehead and hurries off. As he walks away, I can’t help feeling that I’m looking at a stranger. He might look like my dad and sound like my dad, but whoever this person is, I’m meeting him for the first time.
•••
After Taylor and I get back to the café, I have to wait an hour before I can go through the Gossip File while Carrie and Taylor aren’t looking. My heart is pounding as I flip through it, searching for Ellie’s name and whatever bad thing Carrie said is written about her.
It takes me a while to find it, but finally I spot a page of scratchy writing with “Ellie” underlined about halfway down. I glance around to make sure Carrie and Taylor are still in the back of the café, and then I start reading.
“Ellie gets her hair done at the salon every morning, but she still looks like a mess. She pretends she’s perfect, but she’s not. Pretty soon, people are going to catch on to what she’s really like.”
Wow, whoever wrote this stuff about Ellie really didn’t like her.
I flip the page, hoping for more, but that’s all it says. I hear Taylor pirouetting across the café, so I quickly shut the book and shove it back into its hiding spot. Then I pretend to wipe down the counter, realizing too late that I’m holding a plastic bag instead of a rag.
“Um, are you okay?” Taylor asks.
“I’m fine,” I say, but it doesn’t sound all that convincing. I can’t ignore the icky feeling that’s been growing inside me ever since I saw my dad earlier.
“You seem kind of distracted. And you barely even looked at people when we were handing out the pastries earlier.”
“I’m just…” Part of me is tempted to tell Taylor what’s going on, but I can’t explain to her that my dad is seeing Ellie. That would only make everything more complicated.
Luckily, Carrie saves me from having to say anything as she rushes over, untying her apron. “It’s four o’clock. Time to go, ladies. If you want to clean up, I’ll do the registers.”
When we’re done closing up, we troop outside into the crazy humidity, and Carrie locks the café door. She turns to me. “Do you want to hang out with us tonight? I think we’re going to see a movie and get out of the heat for a while.”
“Oh, I can’t. I have plans.”
“Maybe tomorrow,” says Carrie brightly. “It would be fun to hang out.” She puts one arm around my shoulder and the other around Taylor’s. “I could use some cheering up.”
“Why? What’s going on?” says Taylor.
Carrie sighs. “My mom’s been giving me a hard time about college again.” She looks at me and explains, “She really wants me to go, but we can’t afford it. No matter how many hours I work, it’s not going to be enough, you know? But she can’t accept that. She wants me to get a second job.”
“Wow,” says Taylor. “What does your dad say?”
Carrie snorts. “What does my dad ever say? ‘I don’t know. Go ask your mother. Where did I put my socks?’ The man hasn’t had a clue since before I was born.”
I think about the way my parents were before they split up. They never argued, not really, but they never actually talked, either. It sounds like Carrie’s parents aren’t that different from mine.
“You’ll figure it out,” I tell her. “Maybe you need to take a year off after high school and earn money for college. That’s what my mom did.” I don’t mention that my mom wound up meeting my dad, getting married, and having me instead.
Carrie gives me a bright smile. “That’s what I’ve been thinking. Thanks, Ava.”
Even though it’s been a rough day, I can’t help smiling. At least I have some new friends to help make things a little better. At this point, Ava’s life is going a whole lot better than mine.