Use Somebody Read Online Free PDF Page A

waver. I barely had enough attitude to manage a real scowl (the success of which was questionable), but not enough heat for actual confrontation. Especially with a stranger-slash-coworker. Even if his big perfect smile was totally annoying.
    What the hell was he so happy about, anyway?
    Like the coward I was, I looked away first. Damn. I was trying too hard to be a badass, but instead I was coming across like a dumbass. I fumbled awkwardly to recover. If my glare didn’t work, perhaps indifference would. I inspected my fingernails, essentially ignoring him. Maybe if he just started talking to Gwen I could make an escape.
    No such luck.
    He placed one hand on my shoulder, one over his heart, and belted out in tune of The Darkness, “I believe in a thing called loooove!”
    What. The. Hell.
    I stared at him in complete shock for a moment, trying to process what in the world was happening, before violently shaking his hand off my shoulder. My glower returned in full force. I didn’t like to be touched. Especially by guys I didn’t know. This one may be my coworker, but just like everybody else, he needed to learn he couldn’t mess with me.
    He winked, deliberately provoking me, which only succeeded in pissing me off further.
    “Who the hell are you?” I snapped.
    “The name’s Vance, and I’m your lead for this shift. So be sure to watch the language when there are customers in here, will ya? This is a family place!”
    He grinned like stupid sunshine and rainbows and it made me want to smash something. I was going to regret working in an ice cream parlor. This was supposed to be the low-stress paycheck that I needed—just enough to get back on my feet and get back into school. I was grateful to my old friend, Gwen, for getting me hired here and all that, but if I had to work alongside this grinning fool every week, not even all the free ice cream in the store could make this worth it.
    He lifted his hand, like he actually thought he was going to touch me again, but I stepped out of his reach and pumped up my glare. The boy needed to pay attention to basic effing social cues. I didn’t like to be touched.
    Finally understanding, Vance lifted both hands up in a mock-innocent gesture. “Have it your way,” he said, then he pointed. I looked down and realized to my chagrin that I had chocolate on my name tag. Embarrassed, I lifted the corner of my apron to wipe it off, then dragged my hands down the front to smooth it down.
    Vance smirked. Asshole . “Follow me. This is your first time working a closing shift, right?”
    I suppressed a groan and trailed after him grudgingly. He was going to be a talker. I could already tell.
    These days I was just trying to get through one hour at a time. I wasn’t interested in small talk or making friends. Some people, apparently like Vance, didn’t take the hint.
    Gwen smiled and wiggled her little fingers at me. She grabbed her purse and headed out of the store, leaving me alone with Boy Sunshine. Traitor . I followed him behind the counter to commence the countdown of our shift: T minus five hours… and counting.
    “We’ll have to close up the candy station, seal the ice cream case, wash the dishes and clean the store at the end of the night, but we’ll get to that later,” he continued. “Are you comfortable with the cash register?”
    I almost laughed in his face. I’d helped with my father’s business and finances since I was twelve—accounts payable, receivable, payroll and balancing books. During my brief stint in college, I worked at a bank near campus. I’d handled hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash. A small business register was a piece of cake.
    Just as I confirmed that yes, I could handle the cash register, our first customers of the night walked in.
    “You’re up Rosie. I’ll be right behind you if you need anything,” he assured me.
    I glanced down at my name tag again with a frown. It clearly said “Scar.” Why had he called me Rosie? If he