“Wonderful,” said Elly, trying to regain face from her disastrous chair dive and thinking how “her people” consisted of Cadbury. They exchanged cards, and with a small smile, the woman walked silently out of the store. Elly leaned back, her hands on her hips. “Well, that was kind of serendipitous.”
Snarky Teenager approached her, still holding Hadley, a scowl marring her normally perfect face. “Thanks for not introducing me,” she snapped.
Elly was taken aback. “Why do you care? You were on the floor with Hadley and that woman was important.”
Snarky Teenager rolled her eyes. “How could you possibly know that?”
Elly flipped her card over. “Karen Chow. CEO, Marketplace Industries. She’s a big deal. How did I know? How did you not? If you are going to run this store, you should learn to read people. From the way they stand to how they speak, you should be able to tell who is a big deal.”
Snarky Teenager fidgeted. “Well, I wasn’t paying attention.”
“More reason that you aren’t ready to run this place alone.”
“Whatever.” Snarky Teenager handed Hadley hastily back to Elly. Hadley had been riveted by their argument, but now was looking around for his mom with a whimper.
“Your mom just went to get coffee,” Elly whispered. “She’ll be right back.”
In the corner, Snarky Teenager began nailing the gray slate order board to the wall.
“That looks great!” Elly called out, trying to be encouraging. She was met with a sneer.
Kim stepped back through the door, carrying two drinks. She immediately sensed the tension in the room. “Is this about the Buddha?” she asked. “Because I was thinking, what if we could find a giant gold Jesus or something?”
Elly took her drink, handing Hadley back to his mom as she mumbled under her breath, “I’m going to have a talk with her. She’s always stomping somewhere or mad about one thing or another.”
But Kim wasn’t listening. Her eyes, Hadley’s eyes, and Snarky Teenager’s eyes were all trained on the door. Elly looked up. Looking more out of place that should have been possible, Dennis stood awkwardly at the store’s entrance, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. To Elly’s delight, he had showered, although his clothes were still dirty. I need to take him clothes shopping ASAP. He stared at the floor as he shuffled his feet back and forth. Kim clutched Hadley close to her chest.
Before Elly could say anything, Snarky Teenager stepped in front of Dennis. “The comic book store is down the street, it’s not on this block anymore.”
Dennis pathetically raised his head. His bright-blue eyes opened wide as he stared at her with amazement. Something was changing in him, Elly could see it and do little to stop it. His mouth opened slightly and his posture straightened as he looked at this miraculous creature in front of him.
Snarky Teenager pushed her hair back. “Do you want some change?” she asked nicely.
“I’m not homeless,” said Dennis quietly. Elly, watching silently, felt Kim’s bony elbow in her side. Crap.
“That’s my brother!” she loudly proclaimed. “This is my brother, Dennis.”
Dennis raised his hand in a half wave. “Uh, hey.”
Elly walked over to him. She could have hit him with a brick, it wouldn’t have mattered. His eyes were trained on Snarky Teenager with a wild interest. The svelte teenager was obviously amused by his intense attraction—people like her were used to it.
“So, you’re Elly’s brother. I hear you like World of MageCraft.”
Dennis gave a slow nod. Elly could see that he wasn’t sure if he should admit that or not.
“Hmm. That’s … unique,” she replied, with a toss of her blond ponytail. “Hi, I’m….”
“I’m Dennis.” He interrupted her, speaking frantically. “I’m Dennis, I’m Elly’s brother.”
Elly felt a surge of pride well up in her chest. Yes, he was. “Dennis, would you like to help us set things up? We could use a strong male to lift some of these shelves.”
Dennis didn’t answer her, his expression frozen in place, his eyes taking in every inch of Snarky Teenager’s long legs.
“Hey! Dennis!” Elly snapped her fingers. “Respect!”
He blinked. “Uh, yeah. I can help, I guess. I actually just walked over to ask where the TV remote was.”
Elly knew this wasn’t true.
Snarky Teenager handed him a hammer. “Here. You can start by helping me put up the slateboard and work on the fabric swagging.” She wiggled her hips a little and gave him a wink. Dennis looked like he might faint. Poor guy, thought Elly. She’ll eat him alive, but hey, he’s doing something.
Dennis tripped over his own feet, careening into the side of the huge desk, while Snarky Teenager looked at him with the kind of amusement you reserve for pets. Apparently, he found walking difficult as well. Hadley reached out for Elly and Kim passed him over so that she could sip her latte without the baby grabbing at the cup. It struck Elly, watching Dennis clamber awkwardly up a ladder, his pants slipping down past the band of his tighty-whities, that she was, at this moment, surrounded by family, both adoptive and biological. A surge of happiness rushed through her, intoxicating and brief. It lasted until Dennis’s pants slipped off his waist.
Chapter Fourteen