“I feel like I should pay admission to this show,” Apollo says, and Tanner nods.
“At least twenty bucks a person,” Tanner agrees.
“Smartasses,” Wolfe mutters, but gives us all a smile. “Sorry.”
“For what?” June asks. “It was a damn good show. I give it a seven out of ten. By the way, when do I get to drive the Ferrari?”
“Never.” Wolfe smirks and reaches for his beer. “You may ride in it. But you’ll never drive it. You couldn’t handle that car.”
“Uh-oh,” I mutter as June’s eyebrows climb into her hairline, and she blinks at Wolfe for ten full seconds before flipping him the bird.
“I can driveanything,” she replies and bares her teeth. “Even your fancy car. But that’s fine. I don’t want to, anyway.”
I hide my laugh behind my own glass of water.
“You can’t even drive a backhoe,” Apollo adds with a smirk. “You’d kill yourself in a muscle car.”
June whips around and glares at Apollo.
“If looks could kill,” Tanner whispers, and I press my lips together so I don’t laugh.
“I missed them,” I say, not bothering to whisper now. “All of their drama and quirks keep us on our toes.”
“You have plenty of your own drama,” Luna reminds me. “And speaking of, have you heard anything about Angela?”
“No.” I shake my head. “And I probably won’t.”
“Right.” June nods and then rolls her eyes. “That girl is vindictive. You watch your back.”
“If I watch my back any more than I already am, I’ll have a permanent kink in my neck.”
“For such a nice girl,” Apollo says thoughtfully, “you sure have a lot of people who don’t like you.”
“It’s a gift.”
“So,I’m hoping that I can cut my hours back to part time. I don’t want to quit altogether right now, but I really would like the chance to focus more on my art and explore the possibility of making a living from it.”
Gordy’s eyes narrow. He always looks so grouchy, but I know that he’s just a big teddy bear.
He is with me, anyway.
“You listen to me,” he says, shaking his finger at me. “You only get this one life to live, and you have to do whatever it is that makes you feel good. Makes you feel proud. I knew that working for me was just a stopover until you found what that was.”
My jaw drops. “You did?”
“Sure. You came home sad, and a little broken, but the important thing is that you came home. You’re figuring yourself out, and I’m damn proud of you for that, kid.”
He’s always called me kid.
“I’m over thirty and just starting to figure myself out.”
“Many folks never do, no matter their age, so don’t be hard on yourself. You can talk with Sunny and work out a schedule with her. I’ll give her a heads-up. Do what makes you happy.”
“Thank you.” I know it’s not terribly professional of me, but I love Gordy, so I cross the space between us and hug him. “You’ve always been here for me, no matter what, and I can’t tell you how much I love and appreciate you, Gordy.”
“Don’t get too mushy now.” He may sound gruff, but his face is soft as he smiles down at me. “Same goes, kid. Now, I have to get back into the kitchen.”
The rest of my shift runs smoothly. Sunny and I are able to work out a schedule that works for both of us, and when I bounce out to my car at seven in the evening, I feel excited about the possibility of selling my art.