Infinite Repeat by Paula Stokes Read Free Book Online Page A

Each time the warped wood slammed into the glimmering surface, I felt a little better.
    Until the cops came bursting through the front door.
    At least they didn’t use the handcuffs that time.

Chapter 6
    S omeone coughs and I jump. I realize I’ve been staring down at this bowl of quiche custard for a very long time.
    It’s Lainey. She peeks over my shoulder, the ends of her reddish blonde hair nearly ending up in the bowl. A smile plays at her lips. “You lose a contact in there or something?”
    “Sorry. I kind of zoned out for a second.”
    She leans in close to me, so close I can see the freckles hiding under her makeup. “Are you high? Your eyes are red.”
    I step back. “No, I’m just tired. I didn’t get much sleep. I—”
    Lainey cuts me off with a flick of her wrist. “Save it, Stoner Boy.” Her smile widens. “I don’t need an alibi. Just need another pan of Caribou Cookies for up front.” She rests her elbows on the prep table and leans back while she waits for me, managing to show every millimeter of PG-rated skin possible.
    “One second.” I slide into the cooler where we keep the extra cookies and return with a tray of painted sugar cookies shaped like little caribou. The whole coffee shop is done in an Alaskan theme. Besides the cookies, which are our most popular item, we sell things like Death-by-Chocolate-Moose Brownies, Alpine Slammer Sandwiches, etc.
    Lainey takes the tray out of my hand, spins around, and heads for the front. Halfway through the prep kitchen, the toe of her left sandal hits a crack in the floor and she almost drops the entire pan of cookies.
    “Way to go,” I say, the beginnings of a smile forming on my face for the first time today. “I thought jocks were supposed to be coordinated.”
    “Whatever, Two-Hour Quiche Custard,” Lainey retorts. She glances back at me before she turns the corner. “Better hope I don’t drop them or your prep list just got longer.”
    My eyes narrow. “You wouldn’t.”
    “Don’t tempt me.” She smiles impishly, and for a second I see a flash of the girl I used to know. The girl she used to be back before life changed both of us.
     
    A few hours later, my shift is over and I’m waiting in line behind Lainey at the time clock. I pull out my phone and start to text Amber. Then I change my mind and decide to call her. As the phone rings in my ear, Lainey flips her hair back over her shoulders and strides off in her insanely tall sandals. I think about her almost dropping a whole tray of cookies and laugh under my breath.
    Amber picks up on the fourth ring. I can hear Eli playing drums in the background.
    “Sorry,” I yell into the phone as I punch my employee number into the computer. “I forgot you were practicing all day.”
    There’s thumping and then the squeak of a door and then, thankfully, silence. “It’s okay,” she says. “I can talk.”
    “Look, I was really out of it last night.” I head for Denali’s exit. “Obviously, since I didn’t invite you to come in.”
    “So come to Chicago,” Amber pleads. “We can have a whole night alone together—no sisters, no sneaking around.” She pauses. “And it would help to have you there. This is all kind of scary for me.”
    “You? Scared? You just got back from recording an actual album. You’re legit now.”
    “Maybe.” She pauses. “But it’s easier to do studio stuff. Onstage there’s no redos, and this is our first show since we got the deal.”
    “I’ll try to find someone to work for me.” I pause as a convertible Mustang backs out of a nearby spot and almost clips me. It’s Lainey and her boyfriend. Figures. I don’t really know him, but he seems oblivious most of the time. I resist the urge to give him the finger as he drives by. “But what about before then?” I ask Amber. “Your parents probably still don’t let you go out during the week, huh?”
    “No. They’re demanding even more family time than usual since they know I’m going