Nonverbal - Aria Grace Page 0,1
early acceptance. Life seemed to be on track. Until I got the startup bug and let Jeff and Tyler talk me into leaving it all so I could join their parking spot finder company. I thought we were gonna be the next Zuckerbergs and let my ego get in the way of my brain. That was before they ran out of funding and asked me to pitch in for majority equity. At the time, it seemed like a great investment. Unfortunately, 51% of zero was still zero.
And that’s where I was now.
Back at zero.
Two
“With mayo?” I held the spatula above the vat of mayo, waiting for the woman to make up her mind.
“Yes. No.” She made a face and sighed. “Yes, but just a bit. Very light.”
“Sure thing.” I spread the thinnest layer I could onto the top of the roll and closed it up. “Is that it for you?”
“That’s it.” She watched attentively as I wrapped up her sandwich and put it in the bag with the others. “But throw in a chocolate chip cookie.”
I grinned and added the cookie to her bag before ringing up her meal.
As soon as the woman was gone, Avery stepped up beside me. “She likes you.”
“Who?” I shook my head and wiped off the counter. “You say that about everyone.”
“Well, it’s true about everyone. And since you’re practically a monk, you need to start getting some numbers.”
I rolled my eyes and turned to the older couple that walked through the door. “Welcome to The Bread Basket. How can I help you?”
“I’ll take them.” Avery hip checked me until I was out of her way. “They’re my parents.”
“Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Brenner.” I put my arm around Avery and nudged her over a few inches. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Hello, dear. It’s nice to meet you too.” Mrs. Brenner reached for my hand first then urged her husband to follow suit. “Avery never talks about her work friends.”
Avery gave me a subtle glare. She was a senior in high school and complained about her parents all the time, so she probably expected me to throw her under the bus. “Don’t you need to check on the bread? I think I heard the timer going off.”
“Nope. Five more minutes.” I loved messing with her. She was like the little sister I never wanted. Well, I did want a sibling growing up and Avery would have been a fun one. She gave me shit as good as she got, and she didn’t need to worry about me sharing her secrets. I remembered what it was like to want independence but not being nearly mature enough to handle it. But it was fun to make her sweat. “Avery was just telling me about the movie you all watched together the other night. It was a murder trial documentary, right?”
Mrs. Brenner’s eyes lit up. “Yes, it was excellent. You wouldn’t believe it. This poor girl was—”
“Mom, I already told him about it. And he’s working. He doesn’t have time for a movie review.” She gave me another shove and slid in front of me. “Why the hell are you guys here anyway?”
“Language, Avery.” Mr. Brenner narrowed his eyes at his daughter and grabbed a paper menu off the counter. “We just wanted to grab some sandwiches. Since you never cook at home, we figured this might be the only time you ever make us a meal.”
Avery shrugged. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that. What do you want?”
She took care of her parents’ order while I bussed a few tables. Ten minutes later, I waved goodbye to the couple as they rushed out, whispering and throwing glances my way. I could sense that they were talking about me but I wasn’t worried about it. Avery had told me stories about her parents embarrassing her in front of boys she liked, and although Avery knew very well I was gay, I could tell by the twinkle in her mother’s eye that she thought I was the latest crush.
Considering I was a good six years older than Avery, it was a little weird that her mom seemed so excited to meet me. But I chalked it up to harmless teasing between mother and daughter. I’d never spent a lot of time with girls her age. I was a nerd in school and didn’t hang out with girls. And despite having a few girls interested in me during my year of college, I’d never had a close relationship with any female