Saving Wishes (The Wishes Series) (28 page)

“Two cappuccinos and a skim milk latte,” said Jasmine in her superior tone.

I stared at her blankly like I didn’t understand her order.

“Do you need to write it down?” she asked, making the other two girls giggle again.

“No. I’ve got it,” I replied dryly.

Ignoring them was impossible. The whispered comments seemed louder than the fake casual conversation they threw in for effect, even over the sound of the coffee machine. It wasn’t until I took their coffees to the table that they spoke directly to me.

“What’s this?” asked Jasmine sourly.

“It’s what you ordered,” I said, pointing to the cups in front of her. “Three flat whites.”

“You are so stupid,” said Lily. She didn’t say it meanly, it sounded more apologetic. I smiled at her, safe in the knowledge that I wasn’t the stupid one.

“Did you hear the news, Charli?” asked Lisa. Her friendly tone offered false comfort. I held the empty tray to my chest like a shield. I had a feeling I was about to need it.

“Does it matter? You’re going to tell me anyway.” My childishness was beginning to echo theirs, which added weight to my theory. If you hung around them for any length of time, there was a chance you’d turn into one of them.

“Mitchy is back in town.”

As usual, Jasmine was the spokesperson for the group. I wondered if rank was based on age or hair colour.

“I know,” I replied, wondering how he’d react to being called Mitchy.

“How could
you
know? He only just got back,” spat Lisa.

“I saw him on the beach this morning.”

Lisa’s face crumpled and I realised there was a new game in play. It had only taken Lisa a few days to set her sights on Mitchell Tate, no doubt with the full support and encouragement of his sisters.

“I told him to stay away from you,” snarled Lily.

“Good. I hope he listens,” I said, making my way back to the counter.

More muted whispers followed before Jasmine spoke again. “It’s our birthday soon. We’re having a huge party. We’ve organised everything. It’s black tie.”

It was hard enough to get Mitchell to wear shoes, let alone a suit and tie. The Beautifuls used any excuse to get dressed up, and a birthday party was obviously a prime opportunity, even if one of the guests of honour was sure to hate it.

“Why are you telling me?”

“We
have
to tell you about it. It’s not like you’ll be there to see it for yourself,” replied Lily.

“Thank goodness for small mercies,” I muttered.

The Beautifuls stopped talking to me when they realised I wasn’t taking the bait. Their irritating banter slowly faded to background noise. The only time I looked up was to serve the odd customer that came through the door. I had four in an hour, and the day was dragging.

The Beautifuls still showed no signs of leaving when the telltale bell at the top of the door jingled.

“Mitchell!” shrieked Lisa, launching herself at him. Snaking her arms around his waist, she squeezed him tightly.

“Hey, Lisa,” he mumbled, prising her off. He stared at me the whole time, paying no attention to Lisa who was unashamedly trying to maintain her grip on him.

“Sit with us,” instructed Jasmine, pulling out a chair.

“In a minute.” He was walking towards the counter.

“What do you want?” My tone was cutting but, as usual, he ignored it.

“To see you.”

I felt my heart unfairly skip. “I’m busy,” I lied.

“What time do you finish?”

“I’m busy then too, Mitchell.”

“I’ll wait. We need to talk.” He leaned too far across the counter as he spoke and I instinctively took a step back.

From the corner of my eye I had enough vision to see the Beautifuls hanging on every word. It was an impossible conversation and I hated being pushed into having it in front of an audience.

“We talked this morning,” I hissed.

“No. I tried talking to you this morning and you walked away from me.” His voice was low and muted but our audience missed nothing.

“There’s nothing to discuss. Leave.” My voice sounded strange, like I was trying to whisper and yell at the same time.

“Fine,” he said, shrugging. “We’ll talk later.”

Part of me hoped he’d join his sisters at the table. That might have made it seem a little less like he’d come there just to see me. But he didn’t sit down. He walked out of the shop without another word and the minute the door swung shut, all eyes were on me.

“You need to leave him alone,” ordered Lily.

“Does it look like I’m trying to do anything but that?” I demanded.

“You have Adam,” said Lisa, as if I needed reminding.

“Yes, I do,” I spat.

“So what are you doing? Do you want both of them now? That’s not very ladylike, Charli.” Jasmine chided. The smile she gave me didn’t match the choler in her voice. She was grinning like she’d just won the lottery.

“Why does he want her? Why do they
always
want her?” asked Lisa in a tone so theatrical I could only half believe she was serious. She looked like she was about to cry and I did
not
want to see her cry.

“He doesn’t. He’s just confused,” Lily soothed, making me laugh out loud. She whipped her head round and shot a look of sheer poison at me. Lisa burst into tears, a weird guttural sob.

“He’s all yours, Lisa. Take him.
Please
, take him,” I begged.

Jasmine’s smile remained, which added to my vexation. I had somehow become the villain and it happened so quickly, I didn’t see from which direction it came – until I connected the exultant smile on Jasmine’s face to the emotional mayhem in the room.

Lisa had designs on Mitchell. Lily was doing her best to ensure they came to fruition, but Jasmine was more intent on torturing me.

“
You
called him,” I accused, pointing at her from across the room.

Lisa and Lily stared at Jasmine.

“I thought he’d like to know.” She folded her arms and leaned back in her chair.

“Like to know what?” asked Lily, patting Lisa’s back.

Jasmine’s icy glare was replaced by a sympathetic look. “That Lisa was here of course. You know what Mitch is like, he needs a little encouragement.”

I was actually beginning to feel sorry for the junior Beautifuls. Unrequited love was one thing, but Jasmine was playing on a whole level above those two.

“We need to keep him away from Charli,” said Lily, turning to glare at me again.

I said nothing. There wasn’t any point.

Adam walked through the door just in time. I got the feeling they were about to lynch me or burn me at the stake. I’d never been so grateful to see anyone.

A quick sideward glance at the table of Beautifuls was the only attention he paid them. “Is everything okay, Charli? You look a little bit flushed.”

“She’s embarrassed, or at least she should be,” said Jasmine acerbically.

Adam didn’t speak but raised his eyebrows, questioning me silently with his eyes.

“Tell you later,” I promised.

The corner of his mouth lifted. “Are you here by yourself?” he asked, leaning across the counter to speak quietly. It made no difference. The Beautifuls had supersonic hearing.

“Yes she is,” confirmed Lily dutifully.

Adam turned to face her for the first time since he’d walked in. “Well, I guess she’s lucky you’ve been here to keep her company.”

“Charity work is good for the soul,” said Jasmine, reaching under the table for her handbag. It wasn’t the first time I’d noticed the huge advantage Jasmine had over her sister and Lisa. She recognised sarcasm and was capable of responding appropriately. Her dumb blonde act was just that.

Lisa and Lily followed her lead as if she’d silently given them orders. Lisa’s crocodile tears stopped, proving that she was the second best actress in the shop. Jasmine waited until her entourage had walked out before speaking again.

“Adam, my family is hosting a black tie dinner soon, to celebrate our birthday. You won’t be there of course, it’s after you leave. But I think you should know that Charli with be there. She’ll be my brother Mitchell’s date.”

Adam turned back to me with the confused expression that overtook him whenever he was cornered by a Beautiful.

I shook my head in disbelief and he turned back to Jasmine.

“Excuse me?”

Jasmine smiled, flicking her hair off her shoulder. “She’ll be my brother Mitchell’s date,” she repeated. “I don’t like it any more than you do but it was bound to happen. He’s been back in town for two days and they’re already gravitating towards each other.”

“Jasmine!” I choked out her name. I wanted to choke her. “
You
called him. He came here because
you
told him I was here.”

“Texted him,” she corrected as she waved her phone at me.

“You know Lisa likes him. She thinks you’re helping her chase him.” My tone had an edge of revulsion now.

“I know. Poor thing,” she lamented. “As if Lisa Reynolds would ever make the grade.”

Adam said nothing. His eyes darted between Jasmine and the floor, but never at me.

“Why would you do that?” I asked, sounding more defeated than angry now.

“Because it would be a tragedy to see Adam invest so much time in you when it’s hopeless. He could be spending these last few weeks here broadening his horizons.” Her grin was reserved only for him.

Adam found his voice at just the right moment. “My horizons would never be that broad, Jasmine.” His tone was respectful but his words were not.

She overlooked the monumental insult he’d just paid her but I didn’t doubt that she understood. She breezed towards the door, turning to face me one last time.

“Honesty is always the best policy, Charli.” The superior tone was back with a vengeance. I watched as she walked out the door, fighting the unbelievable urge to drag her back in by her hair. How dare she get the last word in! How dare she assume that Mitchell being back in town would change anything! I picked up the first thing I could reach, a magazine I’d been reading, and pegged it as hard as I could at the door. Adam flinched. The bell jingled furiously and then there was the inevitable silence. Silence because neither of us knew what to say. I was so angry I could feel myself shaking.

It was Adam who spoke first. “I am in competition with a Beautiful?” he asked, only half jokingly.

“Believe me, there is no competition.” I said it too weakly to sound convincing.

I could feel the tears beginning to well in my eyes and I looked up to the ceiling, hoping to stop them brimming over.

“She really got to you didn’t she?” he asked, reading the situation entirely wrong.

Finally the tears escaped and there was no point trying to hide the fact I was crying. Gripping my sleeve in my clenched fingers, I wiped my eyes. I’d woken that morning feeling completely blissful. I struggled to understand how it had turned so ugly.

Adam swept the tears from my cheek. “I know what we have, Charli. I’m not concerned by anything Jasmine has to say.”

I knew he was trying to reassure me but his words were irritating. After my encounter with Floss, I didn’t even know what we had. I snatched my hand free.

He waited.

“Ask me if I love him,” I demanded, still focusing on the floor.

“Perhaps asking if you love me would be more appropriate.”

I stopped pacing and looked up him, seeing confusion and sadness in his eyes.

Ignoring his question, I answered my own. “I do
not
love him but I know everything about him.”

“Alright,” he said simply.

Stepping on only the white squares of linoleum and avoiding the black, it took four paces to reach him.

“I know nothing about you.” I stared at him, refusing to unlock him from my gaze. His mouth moved a little bit, as if he was going to speak but thought better of it. “You know everything about me, my heart, my head and my body. But I know nothing important about you.”

The look he gave me was one of sheer agony. “Do you want to get out of here?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I can’t. Nicole’s off doing goodness knows what with her substitute Prince Charming and Alex would kill me if I closed early. It’s been a quiet day and the takings are way down.”

I walked back around the counter and opened the cash register. The amount of money in the drawer seemed pitiful.

Adam reached for his wallet. He took out a wad of notes and slapped them on the counter. “The takings are way up today,” he replied. “Can we please get out of here now?”

Tentatively, I picked up the money, smoothing out the notes. I estimated hundreds of dollars but was too scared to count it.

“You need to talk to me.” My voice faltered, no authoritative tone whatsoever.