name.
“Bobby! Bobby Pendell! Is that you? Come over here! There’s someone I want you to meet!”
Mr. Cooper was smiling at him, his glass raised, a beautiful brunette woman leaning into his ear. And standing beside him, empty tray propped on her palm, was Gabe.
Crap. There was no way out of it now. After he finished the cleanup job, swallowing hard, Bobby shuffled slowly over to Gabe and Mr. Cooper, hoping he’d get called upon to do something else.
“Didn’t expect to see you at work tonight, Bobby!” Mr. Cooper smiled broadly. His date shook out her hair with a jangle of her jewelry and smiled, too. Mr. Cooper’s cheeks were flushed and Bobby guessed he was well past his first glass of Chivas Regal on the rocks.
Gabe turned to look at him. Eyebrows lifted, her lips curled into a smile. “Hey, Bobby Robert! Why’s that?”
Bobby shrugged. “I, um, had a little problem at school today.”
Kenny Cooper’s smile remained fixed in place. “I’m the music teacher at Bobby’s school. The boy is super-talented. He sings and plays guitar. You should hear him sometime.”
Cheeks burning, Bobby felt Gabe’s eyes on him. Shit. This was a nightmare. He couldn’t breathe.
“Really?” Gabe said.
“Uh, yeah,” he croaked. “Just for fun. I, um, don’t perform in public much.”
“I’m not the public,” Gabe said, her eyes sparkling in the muted light. Bobby felt his mouth go dry; all the moisture in his body gathered under his arms and on his palms. He had to get away before Mr. Cooper spilled the specifics of what happened at school earlier that day.
“So, Bobby,” Mr. Cooper continued, “I called the house today, but no one answered. You sure you’re okay now?”
Too late. Gabe’s eyebrows shot up in a look of bemused curiosity. “What happened now , Bobby Robert?”
Mr. Cooper squinted at him. “Something else happened, Bobby?” Then he turned to Gabe. “He passed out cold in my office today. I had to drive him home early.”
Bobby felt his mouth move like a wide-mouthed bass stranded on the dock. He needed to come up with a good lie. Fast.
“Wow,” Gabe said, looking him up and down. “You said you’d get that head injury looked at.”
“Head injury?” Mr. Cooper asked, incredulous.
Gabe proceeded to recount the entire incident in the woods the day before. Bobby felt his cheeks catch fire and looked frantically for an escape route.
“I’m fine now. Really. It’s all just—I haven’t been eating right lately. I didn’t really hit my head. Okay?” He felt himself blinking fast, the lies coming in waves. Anything to make them stop asking questions.
Gabe pursed her lips. “You couldn’t see for a few minutes, Bobby. I never heard of not eating causing something like that. C’mon. You’ve really got to get that checked out. Getting bonked on the head one too many times can be fatal.”
Bobby sighed, still looking for a getaway. “I—I should get back to work.”
He turned to leave, but Kenny Cooper had him by the sleeve. “You should take care of your noggin, you know, or I’m going to have to talk to your dad, and that won’t be pleasant.”
“I will. Promise,” Bobby said.
“Well, I’d better get back to work, too,” Gabe said, turning to leave.
“Wait!” Mr. Cooper called.
Gabe stopped and turned around. “Yes?”
Mr. Cooper’s voice dripped with excitement, the blue eyes slightly unfocused. “Bobby, do you know who she is?”
Gabe lowered her head, her hand over her mouth.
“She’s my boss’s daughter. And if he sees me slacking,” Bobby heard the bitterness creep into his voice and instantly wanted to take it back, “then I won’t have a job, Mr. Cooper.”
Mr. Cooper still had hold of his sleeve. “I know that, Bobby. But that’s not what I meant. Do you know who she is ?”
Wearing a tight little smile, Gabe was turning a bright cherry red.
Mr. Cooper continued, unfazed. “You haven’t heard of Gabriella Sorensen—piano
“Bobby! Bobby Pendell! Is that you? Come over here! There’s someone I want you to meet!”
Mr. Cooper was smiling at him, his glass raised, a beautiful brunette woman leaning into his ear. And standing beside him, empty tray propped on her palm, was Gabe.
Crap. There was no way out of it now. After he finished the cleanup job, swallowing hard, Bobby shuffled slowly over to Gabe and Mr. Cooper, hoping he’d get called upon to do something else.
“Didn’t expect to see you at work tonight, Bobby!” Mr. Cooper smiled broadly. His date shook out her hair with a jangle of her jewelry and smiled, too. Mr. Cooper’s cheeks were flushed and Bobby guessed he was well past his first glass of Chivas Regal on the rocks.
Gabe turned to look at him. Eyebrows lifted, her lips curled into a smile. “Hey, Bobby Robert! Why’s that?”
Bobby shrugged. “I, um, had a little problem at school today.”
Kenny Cooper’s smile remained fixed in place. “I’m the music teacher at Bobby’s school. The boy is super-talented. He sings and plays guitar. You should hear him sometime.”
Cheeks burning, Bobby felt Gabe’s eyes on him. Shit. This was a nightmare. He couldn’t breathe.
“Really?” Gabe said.
“Uh, yeah,” he croaked. “Just for fun. I, um, don’t perform in public much.”
“I’m not the public,” Gabe said, her eyes sparkling in the muted light. Bobby felt his mouth go dry; all the moisture in his body gathered under his arms and on his palms. He had to get away before Mr. Cooper spilled the specifics of what happened at school earlier that day.
“So, Bobby,” Mr. Cooper continued, “I called the house today, but no one answered. You sure you’re okay now?”
Too late. Gabe’s eyebrows shot up in a look of bemused curiosity. “What happened now , Bobby Robert?”
Mr. Cooper squinted at him. “Something else happened, Bobby?” Then he turned to Gabe. “He passed out cold in my office today. I had to drive him home early.”
Bobby felt his mouth move like a wide-mouthed bass stranded on the dock. He needed to come up with a good lie. Fast.
“Wow,” Gabe said, looking him up and down. “You said you’d get that head injury looked at.”
“Head injury?” Mr. Cooper asked, incredulous.
Gabe proceeded to recount the entire incident in the woods the day before. Bobby felt his cheeks catch fire and looked frantically for an escape route.
“I’m fine now. Really. It’s all just—I haven’t been eating right lately. I didn’t really hit my head. Okay?” He felt himself blinking fast, the lies coming in waves. Anything to make them stop asking questions.
Gabe pursed her lips. “You couldn’t see for a few minutes, Bobby. I never heard of not eating causing something like that. C’mon. You’ve really got to get that checked out. Getting bonked on the head one too many times can be fatal.”
Bobby sighed, still looking for a getaway. “I—I should get back to work.”
He turned to leave, but Kenny Cooper had him by the sleeve. “You should take care of your noggin, you know, or I’m going to have to talk to your dad, and that won’t be pleasant.”
“I will. Promise,” Bobby said.
“Well, I’d better get back to work, too,” Gabe said, turning to leave.
“Wait!” Mr. Cooper called.
Gabe stopped and turned around. “Yes?”
Mr. Cooper’s voice dripped with excitement, the blue eyes slightly unfocused. “Bobby, do you know who she is?”
Gabe lowered her head, her hand over her mouth.
“She’s my boss’s daughter. And if he sees me slacking,” Bobby heard the bitterness creep into his voice and instantly wanted to take it back, “then I won’t have a job, Mr. Cooper.”
Mr. Cooper still had hold of his sleeve. “I know that, Bobby. But that’s not what I meant. Do you know who she is ?”
Wearing a tight little smile, Gabe was turning a bright cherry red.
Mr. Cooper continued, unfazed. “You haven’t heard of Gabriella Sorensen—piano
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