Thrill Ride Read online

  “For what?” I asked.

  “For hanging out with me.”

  “We weren’t really hanging out.”

  “Whatever. Think about coming to my place the next time we have a party.”

  “Do you have a lot of parties?”

  “Oh, yeah, and every Wednesday night we have a hump party…and it’s not what you think. It’s to help us get through the middle-of-the-week hump.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Great.”

  I didn’t know why I felt bad walking away. I didn’t know if it was guilt because he was involved with Jordan and I was involved with Nick. Or if it was just leaving him there, with a lie. Because I wasn’t going to think about it.

  If I felt this guilty just talking to him, getting ice cream with him, how much worse would I feel if partied with him?

  Only 50 Nick-less days to go, and counting….

  Chapter 8

  “I’m sure that my son did not eat a little gingerbread man,” the woman standing in front of my cash register said.

  The fact that the five-year-old monster still had crumbs at the corner of his mouth seemed to say otherwise to me, but the customer is always right, so smiling brightly, I removed the cookie from her total.

  “That’ll be $12.56,” I said.

  She began laying coins on the counter. I wanted to scream. There was a long line behind her with harried parents and tired kids, and she’d dipped into her piggy bank. I wanted to tell her to forget it, but I started helping her count.

  She slapped at my hand. “Don’t touch my money.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  An eternity later, I was finally saying, “Next!”

  “When’s your break?”

  How could I have not noticed Parker standing in line? And how long had he been standing there?

  “Not soon enough,” I said.

  He stepped aside without me having to prod him to get out of the way, and I took care of the next customer. At least this one was using a credit card.

  It had been nonstop customers from the moment I came into H & G. Although we were open until midnight, people with kids were getting ready to leave the park, and each and every one of them needed souvenirs. It was a constant stream of customers.

  I felt a tap on my shoulder and glanced back. It was Nancy. “Time for your break.”

  I wanted to hug her. “Great! Thank you.”

  I slipped through the narrow opening in between the two sections of the counter and started for the door. I barely noticed when Parker fell into step beside me.

  “I have to sit down,” I said, as soon as we were outside.

  “Over here.”

  I didn’t protest when he took my arm and led me to a small table, a pint-sized table—because we were, after all, in Storybook Land—and my knees touched the tabletop when I sat in the small chair. I put my elbows on the table and dropped my head into my hands. I just wanted to go to sleep and it was only seven o’clock.

  “Here.”

  I looked up. Parker had set a cup of lemonade and a huge salty pretzel in front of me.

  “Thanks.” I tore off a piece of the pretzel, popped it into my mouth, and chewed. It was heavenly. “I didn’t even realize I was hungry.”

  “You usually don’t. At least not at first.”

  “This is insane.”

  “It’ll get worse before the summer is over.”

  I sipped the lemonade. “I don’t see how it can.”

  “Trust me, it will.”

  I took another bite of pretzel. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

  Shrugging, he tore off some pretzel and ate it. He was in his uniform: khaki cargo shorts, red polo shirt, name tag. Parker (Los Angeles, CA).

  So he probably wasn’t Jordan’s summer boyfriend. They probably knew each other from school or the neighborhood or something. I remembered that first day, how excited she’d been that he’d called. Maybe she’d come here to be with him. But then what was Ross to her?

  They obviously had a connection.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  Now it was my turn to shrug, shake my head, and lie. “That I never knew eight hours could seem so long.”

  He grinned, reached for the lemonade, and took a sip. The park didn’t use straws because too many ended up on the ground and the maintenance crew had to sweep them up. Still it seemed intimate that we were sharing a drink, even if he wasn’t using the side of the cup that I’d used.

  “So how is it at Magnum Force?” I asked.

  “Unbelievable. When I left, the wait in line was an hour and a half.”

  “I can think of better things to do with my time than wait in line.”

  “Me, too. Listen, some of us are getting together at my place after the park closes, just to unwind. Thought you might want to join us.”

  “You know, I really think I’m going to be too tired.”

  He studied me a couple of seconds, then said, “Okay.” He did a rat-a-tat-tat on the table with his palms. “I need to get back to work.”

  He stood and stepped back.

  “Thanks again for the rescue,” I said.

  “Sure thing.”

  “Maybe after I’ve adjusted to the schedule…”

  He nodded and smiled. “Let me know if you think of anything that I can do to help you adjust.”

  Before I could respond, he’d spun on his heel and was walking away.

  What in the world made me say that, made me offer him any kind of hope at all?

  In the end, I was actually grateful that I had said no to the party. I was completely wiped out.

  Or so I thought. But it was just my body that was exhausted. My mind was traveling about as fast as Magnum Force. I couldn’t get it to slow down.

  I lay in bed, staring in the darkness, the sound of the cash register still ringing in my ears.

  No, wait, it wasn’t the cash register. It was the phone. I reached over and grabbed it. “Hello?”

  “Hey.”

  Parker. Why was I not surprised?

  “Listen, Jordan crashed in my bed, so she’s staying here tonight. I didn’t want you to worry about her.”

  “I’m not her keeper. And listen, Parker, stop bothering me, okay?”

  I hung up before he could answer. I knew it was totally irrational on my part to be upset, but could the guy be any more of a player?

  I reached for my cell phone and punched a number. Nick picked up on the second ring.

  “Megan? What’s wrong?”

  “Did I wake you?”

  “No.”

  He was lying. I could tell by his voice. It had that just-woke-up rasp to it, but I loved him for trying not to make me feel guilty.

  “I know it’s late, but I needed to hear your voice,” I said.

  “I’m glad you called. I needed to hear your voice, too. How is it there?”

  “Busy.” I’d called him two nights ago and told him about the position I’d been given. “Lots of little kids wanting souvenirs, crying because they’re tired. Typical stuff. My feet hurt.”

  “Mine, too.”

  “How are things there?”

  “Frustrating. We got this new waitress—Tess. I’m supposed to train her, and she thinks she already knows it all, so when I try to tell her something, she won’t listen.”

  “Then leave her to it. Let her make a fool of herself.”

  “But it’ll fall on me and I’ll get chewed out. I wish you were here. I really need a distraction.”

  I wasn’t certain that I liked being called a distraction.

  “A distraction?”

  “You know. Something to take my mind off work. I miss you, Megan. I miss kissing you, talking to you, holding you.”

  “I miss you, too, Nick. We can still talk, even if we can’t kiss or hold.”

  “I know, but it’s not the same when I can’t look at you.”

  I tried really hard not to think about the phone calls that Park