5. Chapter 5
five
Amanda smoothed the cover over her legs as she listened to her friend Jo Minami. She was understandably upset to hear what had happened last night. Amanda had called to do some schedule reshuffling.
“I’ll be there in fifteen!” Jo said after a string of expletives.
“I’m fine. You need to get to the store. I have a list for Rosa to handle. The cafe has enough prepared items in the freezer that Rosa can bake for the next two days.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jo asked, unconvinced.
“I’ll be okay,” Amanda replied truthfully. “I may be out of commission for a day or two, depending what the doctor sees after the X-ray.”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t worry about the store. I can help Rosa manage the cafe. We can also ask Val and Liam to work a few extra hours,” Jo said, referring to their part-time employees.
“It won’t hurt to ask them. As long as it doesn’t clash with the schoolwork,” Amanda reminded her. Liam and Val were both in high school. Despite being dedicated workers, Amanda wanted to make sure they gave priority to their education.
Until she was yanked home in the middle of her prestigious pastry program, which she eventually had to give up, she hadn’t realized the value of having a fully focused mind while pursuing knowledge. She would never regret the precious time she’d spent with her mother in the last years of her life, but she had also quickly realized how difficult it was pursuing a degree while working a full-time job and sharing responsibilities of caring for a dying loved one.
“Still monitoring their grades, even with a concussion?” Jo teased.
“I’m not, but they promised to keep them up. It’s part of our unwritten agreement.”
“Don’t worry about them. Just focus on your recovery,” Jo said. “I still can’t believe you didn’t call me last night.”
Amanda sighed. “I didn’t want to ruin your night with Ash.”
“But you should’ve had someone with you last night.”
“I had a doctor—have—he’s still here,” Amanda said.
“I’m sorry, what? You have a what there?”
“Do you remember Gene Rowland?”
“Wait. High school’s Gene Rowland? The one you had a major crush on? That Gene Rowland?”
Amanda rolled her eyes. “Yes, that one. He was my rescuer last night.”
“What’s the odds of that?” Jo whistled. “But why is he there? At your house?”
“I asked him to stay with me.”
“What?” Jo’s exaggerated stretch of the word made Amanda almost choke with a laugh. “Wow, I know you’re direct, but I didn’t know you’re that direct? It must’ve been the bang in the head. You go, girl.”
“He’s here because I banged my head.”
“I don’t understand.”
Amanda sighed. “Never mind. Details later. I just want to give you a heads-up. I may need a couple of days to deal with this mess. The car, insurance, and all that crap. I may be able to come tomorrow if we need to resupply.”
“Hey, I got you, boo. You always take care of everybody else. This time, we’ll deal with it, and you just rest and get better.”
Amanda appreciated Jo so much. Her friend often told her she put others’ needs ahead of hers and forgot to take care of herself. Maybe she was right, but Amanda couldn’t be any other way.
That was also why she didn’t mention the girl she saw to Jo just yet. Nobody seemed to believe her. But Amanda knew she’d seen her, and that girl needed help. And if nobody else was helping her, then Amanda would find a way to.
But first I have to find her.