Read Online Dead Is So Last Year by Marlene Perez - Free Book Online
Authors: Marlene Perez
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in.
"Daisy, it's nice to see you," Rachel said. She gave me a big hug.
"I'm glad to see you," I said, hugging her back. Samantha and the rest of the squad came in, and since they were the only customers in the restaurant, I stayed and chatted.
"Could we please get some water? Like sometime today?" Penny demanded in a cold voice. I laid a restraining hand on Flo's arm." I'll get it." I didn't want the whole squad getting kicked out of Slim's because of Penny's snotty attitude. Flo was capable of banishing them for much less.
I gave everyone glasses and set the water pitcher down in front of Penny. She gave me the cold shoulder, but her eyes held the gleam they got when she had good dirt. By the way she could barely suppress her glee when she looked at me, I knew that she was dying to say something about my sisters or me.
Flo took their order, which consisted of a dozen diet sodas, several salads, and a couple of orders of fries, so I headed back to the kitchen, but not before I heard Penny's raised voice. What had her in such a dither?
"He's in town, I'm telling you. My mother saw him in the parking lot of the grocery store and he looked like a bum or something."
"Shut up, Penny," Sam hissed, but for once, Penny ignored her.
"I'm telling you, it was Mr. Giordano."
So my father wasn't a figment of my imagination.
The jukebox chose that moment to end its silence and "Big Mouth Strikes Again" by the Smiths came on. Lil had finally forgiven me, but now I had bigger problems. If Penny had seen my dad, it was only a matter of time before news of his presence would be all over Nightshade.
CHAPTER TEN
When my shift ended, I rushed home to try to catch my sisters. I wanted them to hear the news about Dad from me instead of Penny's big mouth.
Rose and Poppy were hanging out in the living room. Poppy was in sweats, but Rose still wore a white lab coat, so she must have just gotten off work.
"Don't you ever take that thing off?" I teased.
Rose blushed. "I brought it home to wash it," she said, but I knew she was proud of her job at the university. Her boss, Dr. Franken, was a sort of superstar of the science world, always making headlines with her research in genetics.
"How was work?" Poppy asked, as she turned the pages of a fashion magazine.
I took a deep breath. "Fine," I said, losing my nerve. "How about you?"
"The weirdest thing happened," she replied.
"What?" Rose said.
"Remember Mrs. Wilder, Elise's grandmother?" Poppy said. "She came by the stand and just started stuffing cotton candy in her mouth."
"You mean without paying?" It seemed out of character for the normally elegant matriarch to do something so vulgar.
"Exactly," Poppy said. "And she ate about five pounds of the stuff and then ran off with this dazed look on her face."
"I saw Mr. Krayson doing the same thing at the new donut shop," I said. It dawned on me that I'd seen several Nightshade residents scarfing sweets lately.
" That's strange even by Nightshade standards," Rose commented.
I saw my opening. "Well, here's something else strange," I began. "I didn't know if I should tell you, but Penny Edwards came into the diner today..." I paused, uncertain how to continue. "She was gossiping about Dad."
"When will they get sick of that old scandal!" Rose snapped.
"No, it's something new. Penny said Dad's in town," I blurted.
Poppy sat up. "Like she would recognize Dad if she saw him," she scoffed.
"No," I said slowly. "But I would."
I told them about the man I'd seen by the dumpster.
My sisters were obviously as stunned as I was by the news. "I'm not positive it was him," I admitted. "He didn't seem to recognize me." I tried to keep the hurt from my voice.
Rose said, "How could you not recognize your own father?"
"Six years is a long time," I said. "Do you remember everything from that long ago?"
"Yes, actually, I do," Rose said. "I have an excellent memory."
"Of course you do," I said. Rose was brilliant. And besides, she was fourteen when
"Daisy, it's nice to see you," Rachel said. She gave me a big hug.
"I'm glad to see you," I said, hugging her back. Samantha and the rest of the squad came in, and since they were the only customers in the restaurant, I stayed and chatted.
"Could we please get some water? Like sometime today?" Penny demanded in a cold voice. I laid a restraining hand on Flo's arm." I'll get it." I didn't want the whole squad getting kicked out of Slim's because of Penny's snotty attitude. Flo was capable of banishing them for much less.
I gave everyone glasses and set the water pitcher down in front of Penny. She gave me the cold shoulder, but her eyes held the gleam they got when she had good dirt. By the way she could barely suppress her glee when she looked at me, I knew that she was dying to say something about my sisters or me.
Flo took their order, which consisted of a dozen diet sodas, several salads, and a couple of orders of fries, so I headed back to the kitchen, but not before I heard Penny's raised voice. What had her in such a dither?
"He's in town, I'm telling you. My mother saw him in the parking lot of the grocery store and he looked like a bum or something."
"Shut up, Penny," Sam hissed, but for once, Penny ignored her.
"I'm telling you, it was Mr. Giordano."
So my father wasn't a figment of my imagination.
The jukebox chose that moment to end its silence and "Big Mouth Strikes Again" by the Smiths came on. Lil had finally forgiven me, but now I had bigger problems. If Penny had seen my dad, it was only a matter of time before news of his presence would be all over Nightshade.
CHAPTER TEN
When my shift ended, I rushed home to try to catch my sisters. I wanted them to hear the news about Dad from me instead of Penny's big mouth.
Rose and Poppy were hanging out in the living room. Poppy was in sweats, but Rose still wore a white lab coat, so she must have just gotten off work.
"Don't you ever take that thing off?" I teased.
Rose blushed. "I brought it home to wash it," she said, but I knew she was proud of her job at the university. Her boss, Dr. Franken, was a sort of superstar of the science world, always making headlines with her research in genetics.
"How was work?" Poppy asked, as she turned the pages of a fashion magazine.
I took a deep breath. "Fine," I said, losing my nerve. "How about you?"
"The weirdest thing happened," she replied.
"What?" Rose said.
"Remember Mrs. Wilder, Elise's grandmother?" Poppy said. "She came by the stand and just started stuffing cotton candy in her mouth."
"You mean without paying?" It seemed out of character for the normally elegant matriarch to do something so vulgar.
"Exactly," Poppy said. "And she ate about five pounds of the stuff and then ran off with this dazed look on her face."
"I saw Mr. Krayson doing the same thing at the new donut shop," I said. It dawned on me that I'd seen several Nightshade residents scarfing sweets lately.
" That's strange even by Nightshade standards," Rose commented.
I saw my opening. "Well, here's something else strange," I began. "I didn't know if I should tell you, but Penny Edwards came into the diner today..." I paused, uncertain how to continue. "She was gossiping about Dad."
"When will they get sick of that old scandal!" Rose snapped.
"No, it's something new. Penny said Dad's in town," I blurted.
Poppy sat up. "Like she would recognize Dad if she saw him," she scoffed.
"No," I said slowly. "But I would."
I told them about the man I'd seen by the dumpster.
My sisters were obviously as stunned as I was by the news. "I'm not positive it was him," I admitted. "He didn't seem to recognize me." I tried to keep the hurt from my voice.
Rose said, "How could you not recognize your own father?"
"Six years is a long time," I said. "Do you remember everything from that long ago?"
"Yes, actually, I do," Rose said. "I have an excellent memory."
"Of course you do," I said. Rose was brilliant. And besides, she was fourteen when
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