Chance Of Rain by Laurel Veil Page A

in the ditch. My keys! I wouldn’t have to go all the way back to the window. I grabbed them and held on tightly. I never ran so fast in my life.
    I was so grateful to be safely inside my car. I locked the doors and put on my seat belt. My fingers trembled as I attempted to stick the key in the ignition. Then I sped home.
    At first I was too nervous to be upset. After I’d driven a few miles, I calmed down, and then I cried.
My poor mom
.
    Luckily my mom wasn’t home when I got there. I could put off seeing her for a little longer. But I’d already decided I wouldn’t say a word.
    I piddled around my room then got ready for my
wild
Friday night. Having money was great, but sometimes I really hated having to go to work. My job was fine, I just would rather be somewhere else.
    I heard a car door slam. A few minutes later, my mom walked in. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw she was in unusually high spirits.
    “You look pretty, Mom,” I said. She was wearing a navy skirt, with a cute, matching, short-sleeve fitted sweater.
    “Thanks, sweetie!” she said happily.
    “You’re in a good mood,” I observed.
    She grinned. “Yes, I am.”
    “Well, I have to go to work now.”
    “You have your phone and—”
    “I got it covered, Mom,” I interrupted.
    She smiled as she slipped off her heels and unbuttoned her sweater. “Of course you do. I’m sorry.”
    I was almost out the door when I realized I’d forgotten my keys. I spun back around to get them and almost freaked at what I saw.
    “What’s the matter, honey? Forget something?”
    I finally managed to close my jaw. Then I grabbed my keys from the counter. “Not quite used to having to keep up with these.” I jingled my keys and smiled.
    “OK, hon. Well, be careful.”
    I turned to go but spun back around. “New shirt, Mom?”
    She looked down at her blue blouse with pink tiger stripes. “Yes! You like it? I wasn’t sure if it was too…you know…
wild
.”
    “It’s…great.” I closed the door behind me.

XIII
    75 %
    M
y mom and dad might get back together!
I was thrilled, but I decided not to mention this to anyone; I didn’t want to jinx it.
    I found a spot in the far corner of the parking lot. Mack didn’t like us using the spots up front. “Those are reserved for paying customers!” he’d told us time and again.
    I quickly walked to the café. Erica was already there getting things ready.
    “Do you like working here?” I asked, trying my best to be friendly.
    She smiled. “So far, so good.”
    As I helped her refill the napkin dispensers, we chitchatted, and she asked me to hang out after work. Just as I was gently trying to tell her no, Lindsey walked in. I looked at my watch.
    “You’re almost ten minutes late,” I pointed out.
    She didn’t respond, but her body language spoke volumes. She didn’t apologize then plopped herself down at a booth.
    “You mind giving Erica a hand over here? The silverware needs to be wrapped in the napkins.”
    With almost zero enthusiasm, she got up to help. I decided the only thing she had going for her was her looks.
    While Erica and Lindsey were busy, I went to Mack’s office to get the money drawer for the register. On the way I ran into Blake, who had a big grin plastered on his face.
Poor guy. Isn’t he ever going to get over me?
    “What’s up, Ash?”
    “Just heading to the office.”
    “You got plans to go to the Road House tonight? There’s gonna be live music. A couple of bands are playing. One of them is from Memphis. I heard they’re pretty decent.”
    I didn’t have plans, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings by telling him I wasn’t going with him.
    “I have some things I need to take care of,” I lied.
    “Well, if you get done, maybe we’ll see ya there later.”
    I didn’t miss it. “
We’ll?
” I asked.
    “Lindsey and me.”
    “Lindsey?” I questioned. Was there another Lindsey I didn’t know about?
    “You work with her…Lindsey,” he said, like I was