Waiting

Waiting Ch. 7

Chapter Seven

For the next few days, I realized that Dad wasn't going to give me money, so I decided to get a job at the ice cream parlor, the one I went to with Lexie the other day. When I got in there, I was surprised to find out that Mason worked in there.

"Hey," He smiled, "What can I help you with."

"I didn't know you worked here," I said instead, "I thought you worked at the fire house."

"Nope," He told me, "I'm a volunteer there. I clean the fire house, and do little things on the scene of the fire."

"Oh," I whispered.

"So you want a job?" He asked nodding to the help wanted sign in my hands. For a minute, I had the urge to not take the job. Wouldn't being around him more make me like him more?

"Yeah," I whispered, "I mean yes please."

He laughed, and motioned me to come behind the counter. "Shouldn't you tell the boss that you're hiring me or something?" I asked.

"Nah," He said, "I'm pretty tight with the boss. She won't care!"

Tight with the boss? She? For some reason that made me jealous, and I couldn't shake it off. I put on a fake smile, and nodded. Mason showed me where everything was, and where the extra scoopers were. "You got it?" He asked.

"Yeah," I muttered, looking at all the ice creams, "Yeah, I think I got it."

"Good," He said, "I'm going to go wiped some tables down."

He could have asked me to wipe them down since I was new, but he didn't. Oh God, Taylor, stop it.

No one came in the whole day, okay, one person came in, but Mason took care of him, because I was in the bathroom. "So is this how the day normally is?" I asked, leaning against the counter.

"Sometimes," He shrugged, "But sometimes it's packed."

"Never in between?" I pressed.

"Nah," He laughed.

The silence that followed wasn't awkward but peaceful. I grabbed a rag, and helped Mason wipe down the counters. He smiled at me, and then continued to clean. "So," I said, "I never really got to say thanks."

"For what?" He asked, looking up at me.

"For helping me get to my sister, and stopping me from running into the fire," I clarified.

"Oh," He whispered, "Well you did say thanks, remember? And it wasn't that big of a job."

"Yeah, but then you let me cry all over you." I continued, "Which I feel really stupid about now, and you were there for me at the hospital."

"Don't feel stupid," He told me with a small shrug.

"Well I still really want to thank you," I muttered, and the stopped cleaning to stare at him, "So thank you."

He looked at me and smiled at me. "Are you and your sister close?" He asked, changing the subject a little.

"We've always been close," I told him, "I used to dress her up all of the time when she was little, and she would let me." Mason laughed, and shook his head.

"She's a spirited little kid," He agreed, "I like that about her."

"Yeah, she says what's on her mind," I said. "The moment she thinks it, the words trail out of her mouth before she can even think about it. How about you? Do you have any siblings?"

Mason stiffened a little, but then brushed it off quickly. "A brother," He whispered.

When he didn't say anything else, I didn't want to press it, but I wanted to know more about him. "Older? Younger? Does he even have a name?" I asked, and he laughed, shaking his head.