Read Online I Wish by Elizabeth Langston - Free Book Online Page B

woman.
    The vegetable garden received a special application of compost. It should be exceptionally productive this fall.
    Henry Jones has a real talent for soccer.
    Chief has claimed that her mother is hollow. Now that I have met Mrs. Jones, it is my opinion that the opposite is true. She is saturated with pain. May I reveal myself to her?
    My mistress has serious control issues. I allowed her to goad me into accepting a dinner invitation. The meal turned out to be pleasant. Chief had to work tonight and could not attend.
    I detected an odd note in her voice when she uttered the word “charity,” as if it were an expletive. Is her attitude part of the family’s problem?
    Humbly submitted,
Grant

7
Natural Personality
    F or the second night in a row, Grant ate dinner with my family. And, like yesterday, I had to work. Under normal circumstances, I could’ve rushed right home to make sure he didn’t hang out too long with Mom and Henry. But not tonight. It was Thursday and I’d promised to meet with Kimberley about the APUSH project.
    I needed to chill. Grant wouldn’t tell them who he really was. Right?
    The French glass doors separating The Reading Corner from its sister business, The Java Corner, swung open with a creak. I looked up to find the owner, Mrs. Lubis, scanning the bookstore, her lips set in a thin, angry line. The evening barista hadn’t shown up and hadn’t called, which meant Mrs. Lubis would have to substitute.
    Satisfied that all was well, she gave me a sharp nod and returned to the coffee shop, shutting the doors behind her.
    The door chime alerted me to a customer. Then another. I put away the duster and hovered near the checkout counter at the front, prepared to offer assistance. The after-dinner flood had arrived.
    Someone nudged my shoulder. “Hi, Lacey.”
    I looked around, surprised to find Kimberley. “You’re a little early.”
    “When does your shift end?”
    “In another ten minutes, as soon as my replacement arrives.” Kimberley must not have been planning on making much progress tonight, because she hadn’t brought a purse or backpack. Just the obligatory iPad.
    “Good. I’ll text Mom.”
    While she played on her tablet, I cut a sideways glance at the glass doors. If Mrs. Lubis saw me talking to a friend, I’d get a lecture and maybe a dock in pay. “Look, Kimberley—”
    “My mom says fine.”
    Okay, totally confused. “What?”
    Kimberley smiled. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in this place. It smells like damp cardboard.”
    I didn’t have control of this conversation, but it didn’t seem like she did either. “Do you want to wait over there?” I indicated a leather couch.
    “I’ll wait here.”
    Politeness hadn’t worked. I’d have to try again. “I’m on the clock. If my boss sees us talking, it won’t be good.”
    “I’ll pretend I’m buying something.” She picked up a bestseller from a display on the counter. “I want to do our project on cooking. Do you mind?”
    This was Kimberley. Just roll with it. “No, I don’t mind.”
    “Good. My granddad has access to a collection of kitchen things.” She bit her lip. “I mean, kitchen utensils.”
    “From the colonial period?”
    “Yes. The collection belongs to the history department at Piedmont College. Granddad works there. They said he could borrow the reproductions.”
    “Rather convenient for us.” My gaze made a quick sweep of the store. We were busier than usual. To my left was a young couple with a stroller, a fussing baby, and a growing stack of picture books. In the center, an elderly woman browsed through self-help manuals. Near the front, a man in a business suit scowled at a shelf of romance novels. Sara Tucker looked through the poetry section.
    No one looked interested in shoplifting. I relaxed my vigilance. “Mr. Jarrett loves politics. We’re not likely to get an A if we do anything else.”
    “I think we can agree that anyone on my project team should not obsess