Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Shannon
Kneading the dough in my hands, I consider the menu for Thursday. I still can’t believe I offered to cook dinner for half of the men’s ice hockey team. What was I thinking? Around Jamie, I find it hard to gather my thoughts. He makes my mind race to the point I can’t concentrate.
“How come you’re not using the stand mixer?” Mrs. Rizzo says from behind me.
“I enjoy doing it by hand. It relaxes me.”
She steps next to me, taking a large handful of dough from the stainless steel bowl on the table in front of me.
“My Antonio said the same thing. He’d stand here for hours listening to Italian folk songs while he made the bread.
” Her gaze falls on me, and I can see the concern on her withered face. “You look worried, child?”
“I have a lot going on at school. Between my coursework, my sorority, and the boy I like—”
“A boy?” Her voice reaches a higher octave. “What’s his name?”
“Jameson… well, he goes by Jamie. I’ve known him for years.”
“Is this boy a friend?”
“Sort of. We were acquaintances until this weekend when we kissed. And now we’re something else. I’m not sure what, though.”
“Men are complicated.” She drops the dough to the wooden board and grabs a rolling pin. “But if he’s the right one, he’ll make your life easier. That’s how you’ll know he’s the one.”
I chuckle. “The one? Mrs. R, we’re barely friends.”
She hums a tune under her breath as she works with the dough. “Lovers?”
I shrug. “No, not yet.”
“Pay attention to how he treats you. A lot of men will say things you want to hear, but a man who deserves your time and attention will show you with his actions.”
I smile at her. “You always give the best advice, Mrs. R. How did you get so wise?”
A smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. “Age and experience. My Antonio taught me a lot of things over the years. I had to kiss a few frogs before I found my prince.”
“Mr. R was a good man,” I offer.
She turns her head away from me for a second before meeting my gaze with a hint of tears in her dark eyes. “He was. I miss him every day. The bakery isn’t the same without him around.”
Seeing the pain on her face, I want to wrap my arms around her and squeeze the life from her. Mr. Rizzo hired me at the beginning of my senior year of high school. He passed away from cancer last year. We both miss him. He was like a grandfather to me—a kind man who would do anything for anyone.
His smiling face and the beautiful Italian songs he used to hum are just a few of the things missing around here. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to lose the love of your life. Mrs. Rizzo puts on a strong front, but I know she’s hurting on the inside.
“You can leave early,” Mrs. Rizzo says. “I can finish up here.”
I glance up at the clock on the wall across the room. “I still have another fifteen minutes.”
She cups my shoulder. “Go ahead. You have two buses to catch, a little brother to tuck into bed, and I’m sure plenty of homework.”
Yes to all of this. I have so many things to do when I get home. Strickland University is ten minutes from the bakery in South Philadelphia. But I live in the Northeast, which requires two buses to get home from campus.
“Are you sure?”
She squeezes my shoulder. “You work hard, Shannon. Take a few minutes for yourself. You can use it.”
I pull the apron over my head, drop it onto the table, and slap a kiss on Mrs. Rizzo’s cheek. “Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow after school.”
She smiles in response.
* * *
After riding two buses and walking six blocks in the cold, I push open the front door. The scent of clean linen mixed with berries—my mom’s favorite candles—fills my nostrils. She has four different mason jars burning in the living room, one at each corner of the room.
I sneeze a few times before she peeks up from the book in her hand. “Hey, honey.” My mom drops the book on the coffee table. “How was work?”
I shift the bag on my shoulder to redistribute the weight and force a smile. “Same old, same old.”
Wondering where Cameron and my dad are hiding, I look around the living room and into the dining room. “Where’s Dad and Cam?”
“Upstairs. Cameron couldn’t wait until you got home.” Relaxing against the couch cushion, she sighs. “He begged your dad to play that video game with him.”
I laugh. “I guess I better give Dad a break then.”
She smiles. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate that. His favorite show is about to start. Let him know, would you?”
When I reach the top landing, I’m surprised to hear my dad and younger brother laughing and yelling at the game.
My dad hates video games. He didn’t even want to buy the gaming console for Cameron for Christmas last year.
He’s convinced technology rots your brain.
If he had it his way, Cameron would only play outside like my dad did when he was a kid. And now he likes video games?
I step into Cameron’s bedroom, surprised to find my dad clutching the controller in both hands, his eyes full of excitement. This is interesting.
“Hey, guys,” I say to get their attention. “Who’s winning?”
“The mages,” Cameron says, his eyes focused on the flat screen hung on the wall across from his bed. He leans forward, his elbows on his knees, clicking the buttons. “They keep stealing artifacts from us.”
“Dad, your show is about to start.”
He glances over at me for a split second. “Okay, tell your mom I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
I attempt to leave the room when Cameron yells over the sound of blades clashing. “Don’t go. Take Dad’s place. We’re on level fifteen.”
Dropping my bag on the floor, I sink to the mattress next to my dad and brother. “I’m not going anywhere. Promise.”
A few minutes pass where I exchange the same conversation with my dad as I did with my mom.
Every day is the same—go to work and school, come home and play games with Cameron, do homework, and repeat. Throw in the weekend frat party or sorority event, and that’s my life. Nothing ever changes. I can’t wait until the day I can open my bakery. That’s my dream.
My parents think my ideas are crazy. I guess when you work for the same trucking company for most of your life, it’s hard to grasp the concept of working for yourself.
Dad is a truck driver. Mom answers the phones at the office.
They met when they were in their early twenties and have been together ever since.
Cameron groans when Game Over flashes across the screen in red letters. Even my dad mutters something under his breath, annoyed.
He hands me the controller and gets up from the bed. “Now I can see why you two are so addicted to this game.” Dad fixes his gaze on Cameron. “One more hour and then time for bed, buddy.”
Cameron peeks up at him from beneath his light brows and smiles. “Can I stay up until ten?”
Dad considers his request. “Nine-thirty, but not a second later.”
Cameron throws his hands in the air, his face illuminated by the broad grin tugging at his mouth. “Thanks, Dad.”
After my dad disappears into the hallway, Cameron slides over to where I’m sitting on the edge of his bed. “You ready to play, sissy?”
Though Cameron is ten-years-old, he still acts like a baby sometimes, starting with his nickname for me. He couldn’t say sister when he was younger. Shannon was even harder for him to say. That’s how I ended up with ‘sissy.’
“Yeah, kid.” I nudge him in the arm with my elbow. “Do you want to play on the same team or against each other?”
“Same team,” he beams. “I was crushing it with Dad… until we lost the Sword of Balthazar.”
I gasp. “What do you mean you lost it? We need it to advance to the next level.”
“Why do you think Dad is letting me stay up late? He’s the one who lost it.”
I laugh. “Way to con your way into staying up past your bedtime.”
He shrugs, clicking a button on the remote to start the game. “He owes me one.”
“It took us three days to get the sword last time. Don’t even think we will find it again before you go to bed.”
Beyond exhausted, I want nothing more than to sleep for days.
I rode four buses to get to and from school, attended five classes and a chapter meeting for my sorority, and worked at the bakery today.
All I do is work. And then I come home without a second to relax before Cameron wants to play Mage Wars.
Cameron will not go to sleep unless I play with him before bed. He’s obsessed with this new role-playing video game where you choose a character who has magic. As the levels progress, you earn points to collect weapons, spells, and magical artifacts to beat the mages at the end of the boards.
Before we start, my cell phone dings, and I reach into my pocket to retrieve it. My heart rate speeds up when I see Jamie’s name on the screen.
“Give me a second, Cam.”
My brother grunts but does as I ask and pauses the game. “Hurry. We have mages to beat.”
Jamie: I got everything on your list. What are you cooking for us?
Earlier, I sent Jamie the list of foods he needed to buy for tomorrow night’s dinner. What was I thinking? A meal of this magnitude will take a while to cook. At least Jamie will help me. A few hours alone with him, even if his teammates are there too, makes it worthwhile.
Shannon: Italian food, obviously
Jamie: Duh. That’s about as far as I got.
Shannon: You said you don’t mind surprises
Jamie: I lied. Tell me.
Jamie: J/k you don’t have to. How was work?
Shannon: It was work
Jamie: LOL What are you doing now?
Shannon: About to play Mage Wars with my brother
Jamie: Want the cheat codes?
Shannon: What are those?
Jamie: A way for you to beat the game faster
Shannon: How did you get them?
Jamie: I know a guy who knows a guy
Shannon: Can you help us get the Sword of Balthazar back? My dad played with my brother earlier and lost it. Now we can’t get past level fifteen.
Jamie: Easy. But don’t tell Preston or any of the guys I gave them to you.
Jamie texts me a series of button commands we have to hit in the exact order.
I’m clueless, but when I mention cheat codes to Cameron, he slams his hand on the bed and screams. Cameron follows Jamie’s prompts.
Within seconds, the Sword of Balthazar falls from the sky.
It flashes at the center of the screen, spinning in a circle as its magic grants us an additional power.
“Sweet,” Cameron says, gripping the controller in his hands. “How did you get the code?”
“I know a guy who knows a guy,” I joke.
“Can he get us a code to beat the Grand Mage?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I can ask.”
He looks at me with wonder in his eyes, and I glance down at my cell phone.
Shannon: Thanks for the code. You’re officially my brother’s hero. Any chance you have the code to defeat the Grand Mage?
Jamie: Now I’m feeling used.
Shannon: Shit, I’m sorry.
Jamie: I was kidding… Here it is.
I screen capture the code Jamie sends me, knowing we’ll need it later. Even with an advantage, this game is hard to beat.
Jamie: You have mages to spell. Let me know how it goes.
Shannon: Thanks. You’re a lifesaver. See you tomorrow.
Jamie: Can’t wait.
I smile so wide my cheeks hurt.
Cameron notices and taps me with his elbow. “C’mon, sissy. Stop messing around. We don’t have a lot of time.”
I lift the controller from the mattress and hit the button to join the game. “I’m ready.”
Jamie saved the day.
Without the codes, I’d have spent days on one level with Cameron. As much as I like this game, I would like some time to myself for once. All I have to do is help him beat Mage Wars. And Jamie just gave us an advantage.