Read Online Happenstance by Jamie McGuire - Free Book Online

romantic I could die!” She
bent over, nearly in half, pretending to sob in a very unflattering way.
    “That’s ugly,” I said, trying to stifle a grin.
    “It’s soooo beautiful! I can’t stand it! Agh ha ha!”
    “Stop,” I said, scooping M&Ms into the cup of vanilla I’d
just pulled out.
    She stood up. “Sorry. I had a moment.”
    I handed the M&M Blizzard to the little girl. She turned on
her heels, revealing my next customer, Alder. Her eyes were red, and she was
beyond pissed.
    “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice already breaking.
    “We were just joking around. What can I get you?” I asked.
    “Fuck you. You know what I’m talking about, Easter,” she seethed.
    My mind raced for a response, but she hadn’t come for a fight.
She was alone, and that wasn’t like the Erins.
    She cocked her head a bit, impatient with my silence. “Answer me.
And don’t you dare pretend to be innocent. We both know what’s been going on.”
    Frankie stood beside me. “She’s working, Alder. You can talk
about this later.”
    “No, I can’t,” she said, her eyes glossing over. “Because I’m
leaving in half an hour for South Padre. I was supposed to be riding with
Weston, but he’s suddenly decided that he doesn’t want to go, so I’m riding
with Sonny. Explain to me why that is, Easter.”
    “I can’t speak for him.”
    “Well someone’s going to have to. The only thing he said was that
it wasn’t working out between us.”
    “He broke up with you?”
    Alder put both of her hands on the little counter in front of the
window, palms down. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”
    “I never expected him to,” I said. It was the truth.
    “He didn’t have a lot of time to go into details, because he was
taking some stupid drawing to Ponca City to have it framed.”
    I choked. “He . . . what?”
    “So you can tell me, Easter. Why are you doing this to me?”
    “I’m sorry,” I said, that same anger I felt with Sara bubbling up
again. “Why am I doing something to you ?”
    “Has he been cheating on me? I deserve to know!”
    Frankie put her hand on her hip. “If he broke up with you, does
it really matter?”
    Alder’s eyes targeted Frankie. “Oh, go push out another kid,
Frankie.”
    Frankie slowly moved me to the side and leaned down. “You need to
leave right now, or you’re going to have to try to enjoy your senior trip with
no boyfriend and a new black eye. Because I will come through this window at
you.”
    Alder rolled her eyes. She walked away, but stopped and came
back. “You watch yourself, Easter. When I get back, I’m going to make it my
mission to make you so miserable you’ll have to finish high school at home. You
think I’ve been mean to you? You haven’t seen anything yet.”
    “That sounds like a threat.” Frankie narrowed her eyes at Alder.
    Alder smiled, but she looked more frightening that I’ve ever seen
her. “I don’t make threats. I’m just giving her an idea of what the next six
weeks of her life are going to be like.”
    “Same thing,” Frankie said.
    “I’m going to go enjoy my Spring Break. You should really try to
enjoy yours.”
    “I will,” I said, lifting my chin.
    She shot me a look that made my blood run cold and returned to
her Honda.
    “Whew! You lit a fire under her ass!” Frankie said, nearly
euphoric from the confrontation.
    I leaned my butt against the counter. “She’s serious. When she
gets back, it’s going to be hell.”
    “Who cares?” Frankie said with a wink. “You’ve got Weston.”
    “I don’t have him.”
    “He’s framing your drawing.” She sighed. “He’s got it bad.”
    “This is all really weird. Everything has been the same every day
since first grade. Things have steadily gotten worse, and now they’re . . . I
don’t know.”
    “Amazing?”
    “Different.”
    Frankie nodded. An SUV pulled into the parking lot, and four kids
hopped out, followed by their toddler-toting mother. Frankie and I