Chapter 15 Hazel #2
I freeze in place as my eyes dart up to her. Is that a look of recognition? The moment passes before I can be sure. Gloria zips over to us, so I assume she’s overheard this tidbit.
“Oh, really? Wow,” I squeak out. So it’s when I’m uncomfortable that my voice becomes shrill. Cool.
“A lottery winner with Hazel’s name?” Gloria asks. “What are the odds?”
Oh, just about 100 percent.
Chelsea gives me another once-over. “It was a husband and wife. She was much older than you, though. And white.” She sidesteps to keep the line moving.
I don’t bother trying to tell her that I’m also white.
“I’m surprised you haven’t seen the press conference photos.
They’ve become the ‘it’ couple of the moment because of how elusive they’ve been. ”
Great. Ignoring every text and call has only made us more mysterious. And therefore, intriguing.
“Elusive, but also cute,” Chelsea self-corrects. “There are a bunch of lottery winners, but their stories aren’t as adorable as this couple’s. After decades of marriage, they still had this, like, really intense chemistry. You need to look up the photos.”
I swallow. “For sure, will do.” There’s a very real possibility that my cheeks are as bright as the red ropes in the jar in front of us.
“If the first thing that comes up is the arrest of Marlin Mavers, keep scrolling. You’ll find them,” Chelsea reassures me, though it’s not at all encouraging. I don’t need photos of any of it. I witnessed—and experienced—the whole thing firsthand.
“An arrest?” Gloria asks. “Sounds exciting.”
That’s one word for what it was.
“The press conference was partially a setup for the police to catch the guy,” Chelsea elaborates.
“Marlin had a warrant out for his arrest on theft and possession of stolen property charges. Something to do with sports jerseys and exotic fish? But then get this. He was bailed out by, you guessed it, his lottery winnings.”
Now, that part is news to me. Maybe Marlinworld will live to see the light of day, after all.
“Are you serious? He seemed—” I stop myself. “That seems… like a lot. But I don’t really keep up with that kind of thing.” I punctuate this with a shrug that I hope implies I’d like to move on from the conversation.
“A guy named Marlin stealing exotic fish?” Gloria asks with a smirk. “Sounds made up. Good for that couple, though. Talk about a sweet retirement plan.”
“My editor has been trying to reach them for a feature,” Chelsea shares, dropping a tong-full of candied ginger over her ice cream. “She wants to fly them out to a location of their choice for their second honeymoon.”
I knew that slipup about our nonexistent honeymoon would come back to bite me. Why couldn’t I just stick to food?
Gloria snorts. “Why is it that rich people get all the free stuff? You see celebrities getting sent clothes, bags, and skincare all the time. Like, why? They’re the ones who can afford it!”
“Why would they be flown out if they had just won the lottery?” I ask. I can’t help myself. I need this to make sense.
“It would be in exchange for an interview and a few photoshoots during the trip. People need good news right now. This would be such a feel-good feature,” Chelsea says. “I heard that the Today show has been trying to book them, too.”
I take in air to speak, conscious of what my voice might come out like. I need to not sound like high-pitched Hazel Yen from the press conference.
“The Today show, really?” I ask, overcorrecting too low. I clear my throat. “Interesting.” There we go. I take in a long, slow breath to calm myself. I’m nearly through this. “Well, is there anything else I can get you?”
Chelsea isn’t ready to end our little chat, though.
“We’ll keep trying. No one’s featured them yet, so it’d be a huge get and a love story for the ages.
” She shuffles forward past more candy jars and toward the register.
“They’d be put up in five-star hotels, and it’s all expenses paid.
I don’t know why Hazel and Logan wouldn’t want to do it. ”
I might have gasped out loud when she said Logan’s name. I can’t be sure since I’ve gone totally numb. I do know I’m overheating and likely sweating through my shirt, which just might be what ends up giving me away.
“Logan?” Gloria asks, her head snapping back toward us. “Well, that’s just freaky!”
“What a strange coincidence,” Emma chimes back in after helping ring up a customer. Has she been listening this entire time, too?
I force out a laugh. “Yeah. So, so… strange!”
These are all the words I’m good for right now. If Chelsea doesn’t realize it’s me, it’ll be Emma and Gloria.
Chelsea looks between the three of us, confused. When she opens her mouth to say something, Emma asks, “Will that be it for you?”
The line’s getting longer behind Chelsea, who just now realizes this. “Oh yeah. That’s it!” She pays for her ice cream and candy with the tap of her phone. “Emma, so good seeing you. I’ll be sure to tag Sweet Escape in my post. Nice to meet you, Hazel and Gloria!”
Emma rounds the bar to give Chelsea a hug as Gloria turns to me. “Hazel and Logan. Life really works in mysterious ways, huh?” she asks.
“I—I guess,” I start, not sure what I’m about to tell her. A bond has just started to form between the three of us. I don’t want our friendship—is it too soon to call it that?—to include lies. “Gloria, there’s something—”
“You look a little sweaty,” Gloria interjects. “Take a few minutes. I’ll cover for you.” She squints both eyes closed. Was that a wink, or am I now paranoid about blinking?
I nod and turn around, needing a second. That was close. Logan and I really need to be careful where we’re seen together.
I walk up to the window, highly alert. Past the glass, tourists point their phones up toward the ceiling as commuters fast-walk to catch their trains.
As they cross paths, I follow their invisible footprints and let myself wonder about where they might be going.
Uptown, downtown? To Long Island? The airport?
I fumble for my phone in my apron pocket.
Hazel (10:31 AM): If I could get us two tickets, all expenses paid, to a place of our choice, where would you go?
Of course I’m not serious, but I am curious. Logan responds right away.
Logan (10:32 AM): The foliage in Japan is supposed to be amazing this time of year. I do find the French Riviera stunning in the fall. Rome, too. I can take you to my favorite gelato place.
Has he actually been to these places? I can’t tell over text if he’s serious or not.
Hazel (10:32 AM): I’m tossing Sweden into the mix for how good their candy is.
Logan (10:33 AM): Yeah, great. I’m not picky with my free trips.
Logan (10:33 AM): What’s the catch?
I smile and write back, Oh, nothing big. We’d just have to be in our lottery disguises the entire time.
Logan (10:33 AM): Doable. I’ll just quickly learn a decades worth of makeup design, brB.
Logan (10:33 AM): Is there still time to change my answer to Iceland? Lots of layers, clothes. And gloves! Wouldn’t have to worry about aging the hands.
Hazel (10:33 AM): Iceland it is.
Logan (10:34 AM): So you finally checked your messages? Was a scammer convincing enough about a free trip?
I roll my eyes to myself. I haven’t listened to a single voicemail since the calls started pouring in. All the unknown-numbered texts get immediately deleted.
Hazel (10:34 AM): It was a travel magazine.
Logan (10:34 AM): Ah. The “love story for the ages” people?
I had forgotten Logan was actually checking his messages.
Hazel (10:35 AM): And the Today show.
Logan (10:34 AM): I’m kinda jealous of Future Us. Think we should give the disguises another go?
A buzz of energy surges through me. It’s like I’m having a sugar rush, even though I haven’t had any candy yet today.
I think if we push our luck one too many times, we’re bound to be found out, I text, practicality winning.
The typing bubble bounces and stops a few times.
You’re probably right. Shouldn’t chance it, he finally writes back.
I send a thumbs-up and tell him I need to get back to work.
The rest of the afternoon is pretty much my dream work scenario.
We serve candy, talk about candy, and eat candy.
Passcards get stamped. Customers tag us on social media.
I observe them up close and personal to better understand their behaviors.
To listen closely to the kinds of questions they’re asking.
Every hour, more ideas sprout from the corners of my brain. We can pair up with a chip company for a play on salty and sweet. Or we could do a joint event with a popcorn brand at outdoor film screenings in the park. We can offer gingerbread houses to decorate at Christmastime.
Between rushes, I sample flavors of Worldly Scoops’ ice cream and imagine myself in those faraway places. Being surrounded by sweets that are more well-traveled than I am makes me hungry for something I’ve never had.
It’s freeing, this type of dreaming. It makes me curious again. I feel that same sense of adventure I had when I first moved to the city. As mango jam lights up my taste buds, I imagine myself in Japan, France, Italy, Sweden, and Iceland.
In every destination, Logan’s right there with me.