Infinite Repeat by Paula Stokes Read Free Book Online Page B

to be touring soon.” She sighs. “But tonight could work if you want to come by. Janne wanted us to work on a couple of songs, but we’re sounding pretty good. We should wrap things up by six.”
    “Cool.” Hanging out with Amber at her parents’ house probably won’t mean much quality alone-time, but at least I’ll get to see her and make up for last night. “Don’t eat, okay? I can stop by Sub Station on the way to your house.”
    “Ooh, delish!” She pauses. “Will you bring me one of those chocolate chunk cookies they sell? Janne was like the Diet Police in Cali and I am dying for chocolate.”
    “I can probably handle that,” I say.
    “Perfecto. See you in a little while.”
    Right as I get to my car, I get a better idea. Turning around, I jog back into the coffee shop and nearly bump into Ebony on her way out. She’s got an army-green messenger bag slung over one shoulder and a to-go cup full of soda in her other hand.
    “Where’s Mr. Mitchell?” I ask.
    “He’s in the office doing the orders.”
    “Do you think he’d let me cook some stuff here to bring to Amber?”
    “Aww.” Ebony pats my cheek with her free hand. “Such a quick learner. I’m sure he wouldn’t care as long as you pay for what you use.”
    “I might need a favor from you too,” I say hesitantly.
    She arches her pierced eyebrow. “I’m not going to play waitress. Sorry.”
    “No. I need some white wine for a sauce I want to make.”
    “Oh, sure. I think I have a couple of bottles in my purse.” She fakes like she’s going to pull wine out of her messenger bag and then turns back to face me. “Sorry. I guess I drank them at lunch.”
    Ignoring her sarcasm, I say, “I was thinking maybe you’d buy me some.”
    Ebony cackles. “You have got to be the only kid in the history of ever who asks someone to buy him booze so he can cook with it.”
    I roll my eyes. “I’m lame. Whatever. Will you do it?”
    “Why not?” She’s still chuckling under her breath. “Will one of those little single servings work? And you can dump what you don’t use? I’m sure an adult beverage would go great with whatever you’re planning, but I don’t want you driving around with an open container.”
    “No worries. I only need a little for the sauce and Amber doesn’t even drink.”
    “A rock star who doesn’t drink?”
    “She’s far from straitlaced, but her dad’s a recovering alcoholic,” I say.
    “Ah.” Ebony nods. “Well, yeah, I have time to hook you up. But find out from Keith if it’s okay first.”
    Even though Ebony is technically my boss, she’s only about five years older than me and she jokes around like we’re equals, so I feel comfortable talking to her. It’s a little different with Keith—Mr. Mitchell. He seems like a nice guy, but he doesn’t chat much with his employees—especially not the kitchen crew. Sometimes I wonder if he’s afraid of us, or if he’s back there in the office googling our criminal records instead of processing payroll and ordering supplies. I guess with all our tattoos and piercings (and C-4’s foot-long beard), we might look a little intimidating to the average dad, but hey, he let Ebony hire us.
    I stroll into the office, doing my best to look nonthreatening, reminding myself that it’s no big deal if Mr. Mitchell says no. I can always just get the Sub Station food as planned, and it’s not like Amber will be disappointed.
    He’s sitting in front of his computer, which is so old it still has a disk drive. I knock on the door frame and he looks up at me. “Everything okay, Micah?”
    “Yeah.” I tuck my hands into my pockets. “I was wondering if I could cook something here. Uh, it’s a surprise for my girlfriend. I want to take it over to her house.”
    “Something off the menu?”
    “Probably not.” I shift my weight from one foot to the other. “I mean, the menu is great and all, but I was thinking about stuffing chicken breasts and making a white wine