Chapter Four
“It’s my boyfriend,” I said. I must have gone totally white.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
I looked out the window. Thank God Leo was having trouble with first gear again. It gave me a couple of extra seconds to figure out what to do.
“Yeah. Fine,” I said, but I was lying. I wasn’t fine at all.
I heard the engine turn off. I panicked. I said, “Don’t let him see you!”
I pushed him. “You’ve got to go!”
I didn’t have time to explain. It didn’t matter. Devin was suddenly smiling at me, like we had some big private joke.
“Oh, I get it,” he said.
The car door closed.
“The bathroom window!” I whispered. “Go out the bathroom window!”
Devin winked and ducked down behind the Pringles display. I heard the door creak open. I stuffed the pastels beneath the counter and pretended to straighten the lottery tickets.
I don’t know how Leo missed seeing Devin, but he did. He walked right past the display and gave the bell on the cash register a little ding. I looked up. He kind of half-smiled at me. I went all liquid inside.
“Hey,” he said. His back was to the store. He couldn’t see that Devin was standing up now and waving at me. I wanted to kill the guy.
“You came,” I said. I didn’t mean to sound so cold. I couldn’t help it. I was terrified.
“I always come,” Leo said. “I’m a jerk, but I always come.”
I turned away. It must have seemed like I was still mad. I was really just trying to motion to Devin to get out while Leo wasn’t looking.
Leo sighed. I could see his big shadow slump. “Look,” he said, “I don’t blame you for not wanting to see me. I admit it. I’m a bonehead. I’m an idiot. I acted like a two-year-old. I’ve got a jealousy problem. I’ve got a confidence problem. But, hey, I’m a guy. Sometimes I can’t get the words out to tell you …” He sucked in his breath, “…that I’m, you know… scared, I guess. I don’t want you to leave. I don’t want you to give up on me. But I know if I keep on acting like I did, you will.”
Leo threw his hands up in the air. “I don’t know what else I can say! I’m sorry, Frances.” That’s when I knew how bad he felt. He always calls me Frank.
I could see Devin making fun of him in the background. He was rubbing his eyes like he was crying. He was pretending to go “boo hoo hoo.” If Leo saw him, he’d never forgive me.
I’d never been that scared in my life. I clenched my teeth together so they wouldn’t chatter. Leo looked at me as if he couldn’t believe I was still holding out. He usually just had to turn those hazel eyes to me and I gave in pretty quickly.
“This probably won’t make any difference, but I brought you something,” he said. He lifted his right hand to his pocket and winced. His knuckles were all red and swollen. “I have to get a softer dashboard if I’m going to use it for a punching bag.” He tried again to put his hand in his pocket, but he couldn’t close it enough. “Can you get it for me?”
I nodded—but I really meant the nod for Devin. He was pointing to the bathroom and pretending to tiptoe away.
Leo lifted his arm. I leaned across the counter and slipped my hand inside his jacket. Devin acted like he was shocked at my behavior and wagged his finger at me. It brushed against a row of chips. There was this really loud crinkling sound. I cringed. Leo jerked halfway around.
I had to do something fast.
I grabbed Leo’s head with my other hand. I pulled him across the counter and kissed him on the mouth.
It worked. Devin got out of the store without being seen.
And I got back with Leo.
I also got another box of pastels.