Rhymes With Cupid by Anna Humphrey Read Free Book Online Page B

very, very tired.

Chapter 5
    O n Saturday morning my bootlace came untied just as I was running down the steps. I stopped to tie it and, as a result, just missed the stupid number four bus again. Since my mom had already left for the grocery store, I had no choice but to wait. I ended up being fifteen minutes late for work. When I got there, Dina was wrestling with a bunch of unruly helium balloons while trying to sell a frazzled-looking mother on the customer loyalty Cupid promotion.
    “Thanks,” the mother was saying distractedly, keeping an eye on her two sons, who were playing tag dangerously close to the crystal dolphin figurines. “But it’s my son’s sixth birthday party today. We’ll get enough noisy, battery powered toys as it is.”
    The day before, when someone had shared a similar concern, I’d overheard Dina trying to convince them that—if you took the batteries out—Cupid could also make a lovely centerpiece for a Valentine’s Day dinner table, but for some reason, she didn’t even bother. “Dammit,” she said instead, under her breath, as a robot-shaped foil balloon made a break for freedom and floated toward the ceiling.
    “I’ll get the stepladder,” I offered, dumping my bag behind the counter and heading for the back room. As soon as the mother had left with her bratty kids and her bunch of balloons, I turned to Dina. “You don’t seem so good. Everything okay?”
    She sank down miserably on the stool behind the counter. “Elyse, if you called somebody, and they said they’d call you right back, when would you expect to hear from them?”
    “I don’t know,” I said. “Maybe in a couple of minutes.” I could tell from the look on her face that I hadn’t given the answer she’d been hoping for. “Or, it depends. If they’re really busy with something, it might be longer.”
    “How much longer?”
    “An hour, maybe? Two hours.”
    “Not sixteen?”
    I wasn’t a hundred percent sure what we were talking about, although I had a pretty good guess. “No. Probably not sixteen.” I hesitated. “Unless something really important came up. Or there was an emergency.”
    “Oh my God. I thought of that, but then I tried to talk myself out of it. But what if you’re right? I called Damien right after work yesterday. Ten after six. He was just on his way out and he sounded really out of breath. He said he’d call me right back but I haven’t heard anything. And I’ve texted him twice since then. Oh my God. It all makes sense, though. What if one of his parents fell down the stairs or had a heart attack or something? And then he had to rush home? Maybe he’s at Middleford General right now? Should I text him again? No, wait. You can’t use cell phones in a hospital, right? Because of the heart monitors. Elyse, do you think I should call his parents’ house to make sure everything’s okay?”
    “I’m sure everything’s fine, Dina,” I said. “And if it isn’t, then he’s probably just too busy to call right now.”
    “You’re right,” she said, clearly unconvinced but seeming like she wanted to believe me. “I’ll just wait. He’ll get in touch if he needs me, right?”
    “Of course he will.”
    She pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket and flipped it open, just to make sure it was still working, then put it away before walking toward the card aisle to help an old lady with a cane. While I was ringing through the old lady’s anniversary card, I saw Dina check her phone again. Suddenly, I thought of the perfect way to distract her.
    “I have something to tell you,” I said as soon as the store was quiet again. “You’re not going to believe it, but guess who my new driving instructor and neighbor is . . .”
    “You’re kidding!” Dina said once I’d told her the whole story. “That’s such a coincidence. He seemed so nice. Is he a good teacher?” she asked.
    “The worst.” I told her my parallel parking horror story from the night before. She