A California Christmas (Silver Springs #7) - Brenda Novak Page 0,38
the entire drive, trying to help her calm down. She’d never thought she’d be so afraid to apply for a minimum wage job, but she felt anyone who hired her, especially in such a small town, could come under fire. So she was frightened she might get turned down, even for this.
“Right.” With a deep breath, she got out, cast a parting glance at Dallas—and received a nod of confidence. After a quick smile to signify that she was okay, or at least determined to see this through, she straightened her spine and focused on Sugar Mama while forcing her feet to carry her to the door. It was a darling shop, decorated in pink and brown—with both stripes and polka dots—and it was fully decked out for the holidays.
Open the door. Close it. Smile. She couldn’t chicken out the way she wanted to.
“You must be Emery Bliss,” Susan said as soon as the bell went off, announcing her presence.
Emery assumed it was the way she was dressed that indicated she wasn’t simply a customer and swallowed to ease the dryness of her throat. Would Susan mention the recent scandal? Would Emery have to explain what’d happened? Make excuses? Apologize for what she’d done, even though it should’ve been a private matter between her and her boyfriend?
Susan’s gaze ran over her, making her think that maybe she would. She didn’t seem overly welcoming.
But then she smiled. “You’re a beautiful young woman. You remind me of my daughter.”
“Thank you.”
“And you seem familiar. Where do I know you from?”
Aiyana obviously hadn’t mentioned her situation. Susan didn’t seem to be aware that she’d even been a news anchor. Emery didn’t know whether to be disappointed that the matter wasn’t already out in the open or grateful that she had a chance to circumvent it—although not mentioning it would be taking a chance. Susan could so easily find out and get angry that she wasn’t notified. But Emery didn’t feel as though she had to sacrifice her self-respect for a mere four weeks of work. “I grew up here.”
“Oh! I’ve been here forever, so I’ve probably seen you around. Aiyana just said you were an old friend visiting for the holidays. I didn’t realize you were one of our own. Who are your folks?”
Emery gave Susan her parents’ names, and as soon as she mentioned that her dad was a plastic surgeon, Susan nodded. “I’ve heard of him. I don’t know that we’ve ever met, but—”
“They live in Boston now. My mom and Aiyana are close, and since I live in LA, Silver Springs was much less expensive to come for the holidays, so...”
“I see. How long will you be staying?”
“I don’t know yet. But I hear you only need help with the store for a little while, and I would love to be able to lend a hand.”
The dark circles under Susan’s eyes and her sunken cheeks suggested she was struggling. She was tall and thin—too thin—and she looked tired even though it was early yet.
“Some days are better than others,” she responded with a brittle smile. “But for some reason, this month has been particularly rough. I’ve had to rely on my son-in-law’s brother far too much. Fortunately, he makes sure I have what I need.”
“Did you say your son-in-law’s brother?”
“I did. My son-in-law is the principal at the girls’ side of New Horizons, so he can’t help much. And my daughter is really busy with the kids and her social media business. So Tobias, his brother, helps me out a lot.”
“That’s really nice. He must be a good man.”
“He is. I didn’t think so for many years, but I was wrong about him. I feel bad about that.”
Emery didn’t know how to respond to such a comment, so she went back to Susan’s health. “Maybe the long hours are what’s giving you trouble. The Christmas season is wonderful, but it’s busy.”
“True. I’m grateful for the extra business, but it’s hard for me to put in so many hours without ever getting a break, especially because the damp weather causes my lupus to flare up.” She rested her hands in the pockets of a cute apron that matched the decor of the shop. “So. When would you be available to start?”
“Whenever you need me,” Emery replied, a little startled that Susan was going to hire her that easily. “You could even call me at the last minute, if you begin to feel poorly, and I could run over.”