Chapter 14 Playlist Walking on Sunshine
I SLIDE ONTO THE bench seat at the picnic table.
Me: Nothing much, you?
Myles: went surfing this morning and hung out at the beach for a while. just got back
Me: You and your surfing
Me: There’s no beach at the White House, you know. What are you going to do when you’re POTUS and need to blow off steam? Gonna install one of those surfing simulators on the south lawn?
He doesn’t reply right away, and I’m starting to wonder if I need to clarify what the acronym stands for, but then another message comes through.
Myles: can I tell you something?
Me: Sure
Myles: I hate that that’s in the yearbook
Myles: the president thing
Me: Really? Why?
Myles: it’s like, people have this expectation of me
Myles: why would people think I’d be a good president? or that anyone would want me there?
I frown, surprised.
Me: Why wouldn’t they? You’re smart and friendly and a total baller.
I toss in that last one in the hopes it makes him smile. Myles Ford being self-conscious is like making clam chowder with tomatoes. It’s not right.
Myles: bahaha
Myles: because being a baller is all that matters
Myles: no need to understand economics, world politics, or to perfect the firm but friendly handshake
Me: Meh
Me: You’ve got 18 years to get that stuff figured out. The baller life can’t be taught.
Myles: it just seems like my valedictorian brother would be the better choice. Maybe even the homecoming king brother
Me: I will 100% vote for you for homecoming king.
Me: I’ll sneak in two votes
Myles: please don’t, i don’t want to have to stand up there in front of the whole school
This is the second time Myles has brought up his brothers like that. Does he feel inferior to them or something? And why wouldn’t he want to be homecoming king? Is Myles… shy?
Me: I get that. I wouldn’t want to either.
I figure he might appreciate a subject change, so I type out, So tell me truthfully—how do you like working at Pearl’s?
Myles: I like it a lot
Myles: the tips are awesome and its more fun than I thought it would be
Pathetically I wonder if there’s any possibility it’s also because of me.
I stare at the screen for a long moment and am finally bolstered by the fact that he texted me, which means five minutes ago he was thinking about me.
That’s gotta be a good sign, right? Maybe he’s not so disappointed that I’m the one he’s texting after all.
Me: More fun than you thought it would be, huh?
Me: Probably because you have a super cool coworker who’s funny and gives good advice and has excellent taste in music
Myles: actually I’m not sure what kind of music anders likes
Me: Ouch
Myles: haha kidding, you’re my favorite for sure
Myles: why did we never hang out before pearl’s?
Me: Uh
Me: Because you’re Myles Ford and I’m nobody?
Myles: didn’t we just talk about unrealistic expectations? my name means nothing
Myles: and you’re definitely not nobody, amelia madden
I gasp audibly and clamp a hand around my mouth, then look around, embarrassed. Thank God I’m still alone out here.
Flirting. That’s flirting, right?
I can’t feel my legs.
My mind races, trying to come up with some playful or coy response, but I’m so not good at this. If Myles were anyone else, I’d call Kat and ask her to tell me what to say.
The best I can do is heart that message, and I can’t decide if I want him to read into that shape or not.
Myles: what about you?
Myles: what do you think about pearl’s?
Me: I love it so far too
Me: Sampling Chef Ray’s specials might just be my favorite part
Myles: ouch
Me: Second favorite! After getting to work with Myles Ford, of course.
Myles: i don’t like that you used my last name, but better
I’m grinning at my phone as I gather my purse to head home. I keep an eye out for Gregory as I pass back through the store, but don’t see him anywhere.
Myles and I chat on and off for the rest of the day but pause our conversation for dinner, and when eleven o’clock rolls around, I wonder if he’s out somewhere (but where and with whom?) Then, just moments after I give up on hearing from him again today, my phone chimes.
Myles: you up?
My eyes go wide. That’s, like,… booty call language, right? Even though I’m not super experienced in that department, I know that much.
Me:… Is that what you meant to say?
Myles: oh god, no!
Myles: I really meant are you still awake, haha, sorry
Myles: my brother made me watch the newest final destination movie with him and it really freaked me out
Me: Those movies are so messed up!
Myles: right
Myles: I figured maybe you owed me for distracting you when margarine was sick
Me: Wow, and here I thought you were just a nice guy
Myles: I have many sides, and I like to think most of them are nice. but one of them is currently hoping his favorite coworker will convince him he doesn’t need to sleep with the hall light on like he’s 7 years old again
Me: Hahaha
Me: TBH I wouldn’t blame you if you did, that movie is pretty gnarly.
Myles: I came here so you’d talk to me about something else, amelia!
Me: Sorry, sorry! Okay… something happy to think about…
Me: What was the best part of your day?
Three dots appear on my screen, then disappear, like he’s typing and deleting.
Myles: the waves were awesome this morning, so that, maybe
Myles: but I think I’ve smiled the most texting you
I suck in a breath and clutch my phone to my chest.
Myles: was that too much?
Me: No. Because same.
Myles: where’d you disappear to last night? at the bonfire?
Me: Me? You’re the one who wandered off first.
Myles: sorry about that. chuck needed help unloading a keg and by the time I got back you were gone.
Me: I didn’t go far, just walking on the beach with a friend.
Myles: i guess i’ll just have to look for you a little harder next time
Oh my God. I tuck my lips between my teeth and glance up, absolutely giddy. My eye catches on a candid of Kat and me on my photo wall, and I quickly redirect my gaze. Pretending I didn’t see it, I start typing again.
Me: I hope you do
“I decided what I’m unreasonably knowledgeable about.”
Myles greets me with this the second I walk into Pearl’s the next day.
I stare at him, thinking, I was up until one o’clock texting with you.
What is this world I’m living in? He’s wearing a pale blue Pearl’s tee that brings out his eyes, and his nose and upper cheeks are pink, like he didn’t put enough sunscreen on yesterday.
How does he make his hair look so perfect all the time, sort of swept to the side like a runway model—
“Amelia?” he asks, probably wondering if I’ve gone into some sort of trance.
“What? S-sorry,” I stammer, recovering quickly. “I’ll do you a solid and won’t point out that it took you forever to figure this out. What is it?”
He laughs as he walks with me toward the office to drop my stuff. I catch a glimpse of his dimple. It’s like a secret prize I win every time he smiles. “I’ll warn you now, it’s weird.”
“I like weird.”
He nods, like this helps. “So… I’m a walking encyclopedia of what animal groups are called.”
I tuck my purse into a cubby and turn back to regard him, angling my head. “What does that mean?”
“You know how, like, a group of horses is called a herd? And dogs are a pack? Pretty much every animal has its own category name, and it’s very possible that I know them all.”
I’m just standing there, blinking at him. “I think I need an example.”
“A group of bats is called a cauldron. A group of squirrels is a dray. Ferrets? A business.”
“A business?”
“Yep.”
“What about sharks?” I ask. I feel like I should know this already.
His eyes light up. “A shiver.”
Ooh, I like that. “You’re right, this is weird. I like it, but it’s weird.”
He groans. “I know. But during family game night sometimes we’d play this trivia game that had a category for it, and it was usually double points.
I never beat my brothers at anything, but I can memorize facts pretty easily.
When I realized I could ace that category every time, I made a point to learn as many of them as I could. ”
“That’s dedication.”
“When you have two brothers who are good at everything, you take your wins where you can.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” I raise a hand. “Only child.”
He gets a far-off look in his eye. “That must have been nice.”
“Sometimes it was,” I say. “Sometimes it’s lonely.”
Myles nods. “Yeah, I could see that. When it really comes down to it, I wouldn’t give them up for anything, but there are times when I wish we had come in a different order. It sort of feels like being last in everything.”
I hold up a finger and raise my brows. “Except in animal group trivia. Quick, what’s a group of lions called?”
“Easy.” He gives me a look like I threw him a softball. “A pride.”
“Whales.”
He glares at me. “Pod. Come on, Amelia, let me show off a little. I need this.”
I laugh and try to think of the most random animal I can. “Zebras.”
His eyes light up, and at the look of pure joy on his face, my heart does a little thump. I swear, that dimple is lethal. “A dazzle.”
My eyes go wide. “A dazzle?”
“Yup.” He’s so proud of this, it’s like he coined the term himself.
“I’m obsessed with that.”
“Fun, huh?”
“Maybe that should have been our code word,” I murmur, almost to myself.
Myles just laughs, and it’s one of his real, uninhibited ones. I like those the most.
“You realize what you’ve done right?” I ask him. “I’m going to pester you about these nonstop. Before work, between tables, when you drive me home if it’s raining. At the next bonfire because clearly this needs to be your new party trick.”
Whoa, who is this girl just assuming she’ll go to the next bonfire? I’ll call that progress.
“Say less,” he says, unperturbed. “That sounds like a promise that we’ll stay together at the next one, which is fine by me.”
By now we’re in the kitchen, joining Shelby to try the special.
Myles is grinning and so am I, and as I ooh and aah over the shrimp scampi that Chef Ray concocted today, my mind is still on the guy standing beside me.
I think about all the things I’m learning about him that Kat doesn’t know, and instead of feeling bad about it, I think about how certain I am that he wore the same smile last night when we were texting.