After I left Nico and Violet’s place, the rest of the weekend I spent at home with my mom. The entire portion was spent trying to comfort her while she cried more about my dad. We have had our ups and downs, and I get that we all have different emotions, but I want her to move forward the way that I am. I would sit across from her at the dinner table, letting her know that I was still here for her, but she would just say that it isn’t the same without him. It did hurt my feelings, but she has to want to help herself, too.

Grabbing my phone off the couch, I call my mom before leaving for my first day of work. “Hey, Mom, don’t forget I’m going to be home late tonight.”

“Okay, sweetie, have a great first day at your new job. Remember if you end up not liking it, you can quit.”

I know that’s what she wants me to do, but I know the job will help. “All right, Mom. I better let you go since you’re working. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” I can practically feel her smile over the phone.

Her mood is good today. These are the days where she does a one-eighty and sounds okay. I know people handle things differently, but I want my mom to be like she was.

I still get sad, but I have been able to go days without crying at night now. After my dad died, I would fall asleep with tears in my eyes and wake up the next morning feeling panic flutter inside of my chest.

Today, I woke up, and I was okay. Jessie has been a great friend—she’s been there for me when I needed someone to talk to, and if I didn’t have her, I don’t know what I would do. Knowing she has the day off, I won’t be seeing her at work today.

Leaving my house, I head for the bookstore. I sit in my car for a few minutes before I walk inside, prepping myself for this new experience.

I thought I wasn’t going to be nervous, but the nerves hit me as soon as I walk through the door. I’m not sure exactly where I’m supposed to go, or what I’m supposed to do. Violet must be a mind reader because she sprouts up out of nowhere beside me. “There’s the new girl. I’ve been watching the minutes’ tick by on my clock waiting for you to arrive.”

“Really?” I sound surprised.

“No. I saw you pull up when I walked by, and you were looking all nervous and stuff. I decided to give you the honor of pulling yourself together, so you didn’t look like an idiot,” Violet laughs.

Too late, I already feel like a complete idiot.

She begins pacing to the back of the store. “Follow me, and I’ll show you where to clock in at.” She stops and looks back at me. “By the way, I forgot to tell you thank you for helping me out on Saturday. The drawing would have turned out terrible if it had only been Nico.”

I’m not too sure about that. I think Nico could pull off any picture. “No problem. I had fun.”

She gives me a wink. “I bet you did.”

Is she insinuating that I like Nico? I don’t even know anything about him besides him being really cute and apparently knowing how to play a ton of instruments. And I have to see that to believe it.

Violet shows me where to clock in and hands me my card. I place it back in the slot that reads my name.

She turns and leads me through an aisle of books until we reach the sell and trade books counter. “This is where you’ll be working.”

Nico happens to round the corner with a gigantic box of books in his arms, his face is red from the strain. “No need to break your back, little brother. You could have carried a few books at a time.”

He shoots Violet a dirty look while setting the box of books at the buy or sell desk. “You’re the one that told me to quit slacking and bring the box in as quickly as possible.”

“Anyway, focus on getting May trained. Her success at her job depends on you relaying your skills and knowledge to her.”

That last sentence should have me a little worried, but I like Violet already.

“Hey, newbie, are you ready to learn the trade skills over here?” I turn to Nico who is tapping the edge of the desk with his foot.

I hold up my hands in surrender. “I’m all yours.”

“I like that answer. Now get over here,” he smiles. There’s a small extra thump in my chest. It’s going to be hard to find him not adorable.

Nico shows me the job. People bring in books, and I search through the computer to see how many we have in the store, and then I compare them with used prices elsewhere. When people bring in books to sell or trade, all the books must be organized and separated.

Violet decides whether she wants books for sale in the store or through the website. There’s another bin by the desk for donations. She or Nico usually bring them up to the hospital for patients to get first dibs that want them. Any remaining books go to the library.

The shift has been easy and has flown by. I think it’s because Nico has been able to keep me entertained. When he goes through the books, he hums softly to himself, sometimes tapping his fingers along the desk or the books as he lightly taps his foot against the floor.

If I didn’t already know that he was a musician, I would know now from watching him, and how he’s an instrument himself. 

Nico looks at the clock hanging on the wall. “Break time!”

I close the cover of a book I’m looking at. “Oh, okay. Go ahead.”

“You and me, candy store, next door,” he says it as if I know what he’s talking about.

“What are you talking about?” I look around.

“The. Candy. Store. Next. Door,” he draws each word out slowly.

Walking around the counter, I look out the side window and see a huge sign that reads: Pete’s Candy and More. “There’s a candy store next door,” I say excitedly. Then I stop and look over at Nico. “Wait, this is an actual candy store, right, and not some weird innuendo? I know how some of those stores work.”

He gives me a sly look. “Then we’ll go next door and find out now, won’t we?”

“Go ahead. I don’t want to leave the area unattended.” I don’t want to seem like I’m slacking my first day on the job.

He kicks my foot lightly with his. “Do you know how pissed Violet would be if I left you by yourself to cover the desk on your first day?”

I shake my head and smile.

He makes the slit-throat motion with his thumbnail gliding across his throat. “I would be dead.”

Picking up the phone on the desk, Nico clicks the button to Violet’s office line. “Violet we’re going to go on break now. Can you keep a look out over here?” His eyebrows scrunch forward. “Are you really that busy? I bet you a hundred dollars you’re drawing a picture in there. You are, aren’t you? I knew it!”

Shaking his head, he taps his fingers against his leg. “Yeah, we’re going next door to Pete’s. She didn’t know the place existed.”

He pulls the phone away from his ear, stares at it, shakes his head before hanging up.

I look up, and Violet is headed our way. “You haven’t been to the candy store? What world are you living in?”

“The same one as you?” I guess.

Violet’s hands pound against the counter. “No, you aren’t! Go, now!”

I’m seriously interested in finding out more about this candy store and seeing what all the fuss is about.

Nico is already pulling me to the door. “And bring me something back!” she calls.

When we get outside, Nico and I walk side by side through the parking lot. The gravel underneath our shoes makes crunching sounds, and the heat penetrates my skin.

Nico elbows me in the arm. “So, you’ve really never noticed this place?”

“No!” I laugh. “Out of all the months that Jessie has worked here, I have never been here. When I interviewed, that was the first time I had been to the bookstore. As you will come to realize one day, I don’t pay as much attention to my surroundings as I should.” I hold up my finger. “And, seriously, I would have assumed it was a lingerie store. I mean, there aren’t any dessert decorations on the sign or the building anywhere.” I let my eyes roam across the building and then back at the big sign.

We approach the store and come to a stop at the door. “There’s a cupcake right here on the door,” he taps the picture of the cupcake on the glass with his index finger.

“Oh, okay. One small, tiny cupcake, that I would never have seen without you graciously pointing it out. And, thank you for that.” The small, pink cupcake is maybe the size of my fist.

He opens the door, still beaming with pleasure for pointing out the cupcake. “After you.”

“Such a gentleman.”

I look around, astonished. This is the best candy store I have ever seen in my life. There are all types of candy along the walls. The white chocolate section is calling my name, and I walk to it.

I stare side to side as I head over to look at the treats. There’s an ice cream section, cupcakes, smoothies, and any dessert you can think of.

Nico is right beside me. “When you said candy store, I was thinking of a rundown gas station with pre-packaged candy. This place is freaking amazing.”

“I’m thinking about saying I told you so.” Nico bumps his arm with mine.

“Don’t even think about it,” I warn. His smile grows wider, and I stare a moment too long at his mouth before looking back at the candy.

He grabs a white bag on the wall. “This place is pretty much the hang out spot after school or on the weekends.”

What do the kids at our school usually do? I always hear them talking about movies. “I think the kids at our school mainly go to the movies or the mall. I don’t do a lot.”

Or at least over the past couple of years, I haven’t. I would usually hang around my house. Most of the time Jessie would come over, or I went to her house.

Watching my dad deteriorate and seeing Mom cry all the time, had me not wanting to do much besides my homework or art.

Nico hands me one of the white bags from the wall. “Choose your poison.”

I grab the bag from his hand, and it makes a crinkling sound when I take it. “My poison is anything right here on this wall.” Moving my hand up, I point at all the white chocolate candies, and then tap rapidly at a glass box filled with white chocolate pretzels. I turn my head to the right, and my eyes strike gold when I see the white chocolate balls. The small paper sign reads that they are filled with creamy, white chocolate.

“No, way. Brown chocolate all the way.” Nico gives me a look that exudes that he’s grossed out, and then he fills up his bag with chocolate pretzels and other brown chocolate assortments.

Lifting the red lid, I grab the scoop and begin to fill half my bag up with the white chocolate balls. Then I move to the white chocolate squares with peanut butter inside that are displayed directly next to the white chocolate balls.

 Closing the lid, I set the scoop down and walk to Nico. “What are you going to get for Violet?” I ask as Nico folds the top of his bag down.

His head turns to the cupcake section, and a small frown appears on his face. “Geez, thanks for reminding me. I almost forgot about her, and I never would have heard the end of it. I mean, seriously! Would. Have. Never. Heard. The. End.”

I don’t normally giggle, but I let out a loud giggle that echoes. I’m aware it probably sounds stupid, but the way he said that’s the best thing I have seen in a while with his finger moving back and forth with each word.

“Are you crying?” he laughs.

“Just give me a minute.” I can’t stop laughing. “Hold this.” I hand him my bag of chocolate and wipe the tears away from my eyes. “I’m good now.”

“Are you sure? We can do this whole scene over again.” He hands back my bag, and I walk to the counter.

“Let’s not,” I grin.

“Do you want anything else?” He places his bag on the counter.

“No, this will hold me over,” I say. But it will only hold me over for the day because I’m going to finish the whole bag. I won’t be able to control myself

He yanks the bag out of my hand and hands it to a middle-aged woman who is reading a book on a stool.

I stare at him. “You know I can pay for that.”

He asks the lady for a key lime pie cupcake, and she sets down her book, taking one from the display. Nico then turns to me. “I’m sure you can, but I got you today.”

I’m not going to argue back about that. I tell him thank you. He replies, “You’re welcome.”

We leave the store, and a small breeze has started. The wind ruffles Nico’s hair all around, and I want to move it out of his face. I’m beginning to find him more than cute especially with his funny personality. I think if I keep working here with him, it’s going to be hard to not fall for him. To ignore that thought, I plop a white chocolate ball in my mouth, and it’s pure heaven.

I take one step in the door, and Violet slides out from behind the desk. “Where’s my cupcake?”

“Sorry, Sis. They were fresh out of cupcakes today.”

Violet’s face falls. “What?”

I roll my eyes. “He’s kidding.”

Nico hands her the cupcake bag, and she smacks his arm. “You don’t have to be an ass. You know how I get about my cupcakes.” Then she walks off.

The rest of the night is slow, and Nico and I talk about movies back and forth. We settle on eventually making each other watch the ones the other hasn’t seen. I have first pick since we battled it out with rock-paper-scissors, and I won.

I get off work before he does, so I tell him goodnight.

“See you tomorrow, May.”

I smile as I walk to my car. Then I stop, feeling guilty for smiling and being happy after what happened with my dad.