Best Foot Forward Read Online Free PDF Page A

Spanish. When Opal was playing so badly at her piano recital and her father stood up in the audience and bellowed, “That’s enough!” I said, “Well, at least you didn’t have to play the whole song through. You always hated that song.”
    I told her about Tanner coming to work at the store. “Should I be worried?” I asked.
    Her face grew grim. “He sounds scary and hot, Jenna, which isn’t the best combination. My father always tells me that facing fears makes us stronger. I’m not sure how much stronger you need to get.”

Chapter 6
    Tanner Cobb was wearing khakis and scuffed brown shoes with a blue shirt—no belt. His hair was slicked back, which made his black eyes seem even more intense. It was hard for me to look at him straight on because there was something in him, energy, maybe, that just jumped out at you. I suppose Opal would consider him dangerously cute. My grandmother, who’d been married three times and had boyfriends up till she went into the nursing home, always told me, “If you smell danger on a man, run.”
    Tanner was studying the shoes we had displayed, taking everything in. Mrs. Gladstone was telling him how a shoe store isn’t about individuals, it’s about a community of people working together to serve the customers. “Jenna has been with us for over a year and she has contributed in remarkable ways to the success of the business.”
    That felt good. I stood tall.
    â€œAnd Murray Castlebaum has seen it all,” Mrs. Gladstone offered.
    â€œEverything,” Murray said threateningly. As threatening as a skinny guy with three strands of hair and a chicken neck can get.
    â€œTanner,” said Mrs. Gladstone, “I respect the fact that you came here today. I want you to understand that what you’ll be doing in the stockroom is still part of making this business run.”
    He nodded, a bit surprised. I don’t think he was expecting to work back there.
    â€œJenna will show you the stockroom.”
    I glared at Mrs. Gladstone. I don’t want to go in the back with him.
    â€œMurray, on second thought, why don’t you show Tanner?”
    Murray looked Tanner in the eyes, searching, probably for heart, desperation, character, and adaptability. “We’ve got a lot of boxes.”
    Tanner slumped. “I’m strong.”
    â€œThey got to be cut up just right or Nolan the recycling guy has a conniption. He lives and dies by whether the twine is tied perfect.”
    â€œI know how to do it.”
    Not too humble, this guy.
    Murray reached for the sole. “Okay, kid, you’re about to enter the exciting shoe world from the ground floor up, which is where I started.”
    Tanner put his hands in his pockets; Murray lifted his like an actor going into a long speech.
    â€œMost people walk into a shoe store and don’t think about anything except getting shod, but in the walls of this place are hidden the voices of those who have come before.” Tanner’s eyes glazed over, but he snapped to when Murray pointed to the security camera. “Just so you know, we’ve got those everywhere.”
    Mrs. Gladstone cleared her throat. Everywhere was a nice concept to introduce, even though we only had one camera.
    Tanner swaggered up to the camera and waved. “Hey, Mama.” He grinned like he was God’s gift to retail.
    I started to laugh, caught myself.
    Murray took Tanner in the back. Mrs. Gladstone smiled. “That was an auspicious start, I’d say.”
    I didn’t say anything because I couldn’t remember what auspicious meant. I dug back through vocab lessons—it either meant things went pretty well or the whole situation smelled suspicious.
    Â 
    I walked upstairs to my desk that was outside Mrs. Gladstone’s office. Her big office was at corporate headquarters in Dallas, Texas, but this year she’d been spending most of her time in