Safe Harbor (Scoops Series Book 1), page 4
He placed the glass in the sink. “Uh, sure, just need to shower.”
“Great!” Mom said a little too brightly as Duncan moved toward the stairs, taking them two at a time. The three of them listened in silence as he closed the bathroom door and turned on the water.
Melanie watched as her parents glanced at each other, both looking a bit too happy at how well that conversation went. She rolled her eyes, knowing they were likely feeling hopeful that their new Grand Plan to get Duncan’s life on track seemed to be working. She ignored them and finished up her toast, bringing her plate to the sink. “I’m going to go get changed.”
Dad reached for her hand as she walked toward the stairs. “Mel, we have to tell you something.”
Melanie looked at her father’s face, aware of what he was likely about to say. “He told me,” she said softly.
“Ah,” Dad said, squeezing her hand. “And how do you feel about it?”
She watched as her mom busied herself again, taking the empty dishes in front of them and charging for the sink.
“I don’t know,” Melanie admitted, practically in a whisper. Because she didn’t. She couldn’t wrap her head around it yet. It seemed weird, Duncan not graduating with her. They reached every milestone together, every little life moment, like learning how to ride a bike or going to their first school dance. The thought of not having her twin brother by her side as she finished high school had knots forming in her stomach. The entire situation felt so out of place, it almost didn’t seem real.
Dishes were now clanking in the sink as Mom vigorously scrubbed at their plates.
“If you want to talk about it, you know where to find us,” Dad replied calmly.
Melanie nodded, slipping her hand out of her father’s palm and heading up the stairs. She knew she could turn to them if she wanted to, she knew her father would be careful with his words and her mother would try to pretend not to be upset that this was all happening to them. But she also didn’t want to put them through any more pain. The last thing Melanie wanted to give them was more things to worry about.
As she changed into a pair of faded jean shorts and an old T-shirt, she decided she would make some flyers that night to see if anyone needed a babysitter.
The market was a lot busier than Melanie remembered. Cars snaked out of the side parking lot onto the field next to the playground as people streamed into Haverport Elementary. But despite the crowds, Melanie noticed how familiar and friendly each person was with each other—like they were all part of one big family. Melanie soon realized that this—the first farmer’s market of the year—was for the locals. For the people of Haverport to support their friends before the frenzied summer season ahead.
The line for bagel sandwiches was long, but the four of them waited patiently for Duncan to get a sandwich that he finished in five bites. Now they were wandering through the market, admiring the produce stands with mounds of lettuce and containers of fresh berries, bakers with pastries and fresh loaves of sourdough, and artists with local paintings and crafts.
“Oooh, isn’t this pretty!” Mom said, reaching her hand over to squeeze a throw pillow, billowing waves at a beach stitched in the center.
Melanie walked around the inside of the small tent, admiring the other set of pillows and framed art; a mixture of pencil drawings and watercolor prints of local spots in town. After a beat, she turned toward Duncan who was also admiring something inside the tent—but not exactly at the art. His eyes kept glancing at the girl behind the counter with silky blonde hair and bright hazel eyes.
Mom looped an arm around Melanie. “Come on, let’s find the Fletchers before all the jam is gone.”
As they stepped out of the tent, Melanie looked back to find Duncan slowly trailing behind them, his gaze still fixed on the pretty girl in the tent. But soon he followed with his head down, hands deep into the pockets of his athletic shorts.
The four of them finally found the tie-dye tent, the colors even more vibrant than Melanie could remember. Such a stark contrast compared to the white and burlap-colored tents at the market, just like the vibrant people who sold jam. When they finally turned the corner toward the tent, they came to a line that was so long, it was almost comical.
“Wow,” Dad breathed. “They weren’t kidding.”
Mom’s face was bright with pride for her friends. “Come on! Let’s get on the line.”
“Don’t we still have a basket full of jam at home?” Melanie asked.
“It’s not really about getting jam sweetie,” Mom said, pulling Melanie into the line next to her. “It’s about supporting our friends’ dreams.”
So they waited patiently as the line slowly crept forward. At one point they reached another craft tent that had Mom squealing with glee.
Melanie felt a soft tap on her shoulder. She turned to find Duncan looking right at her. “Mel Mel, do me a favor.”
She swallowed, fearful of what he was about to ask of her, yet elated that he was talking to her again. Looking at her.
She nodded at him.
“Think you could cover for me for a few minutes? I want to go back and check out those, uh”—Duncan looked back toward the craft tent with the hazel-eyed beauty—“uh, those throw pillows.”
Melanie smiled. “Sure sure, throw pillows.”
Duncan chuckled, starting to back up in that direction. “Tell them I went to the bathroom?”
A funny feeling sat in the pit of her stomach as she watched him go, wondering to herself if this was yet another situation she was getting all wrong.
“Where did Duncan go?” Mom asked as she came back.
“Uh, bathroom.” The three of them just about reached the entrance of the tent when Melanie’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She grabbed it and looked at the screen at an unknown number.
“Who’s calling you?” Mom asked.
She shrugged as she swiped open the screen to answer the call. “Um, hello?”
“Melanie Albertson!?” someone said on the other end in a panic.
“Yes, that’s me,” she said, her heart hammering in her chest. A job, she thought buoyantly. Maybe someone does need another worker.
“Oh, thank god,” said the frantic man. “Daria just had to get into that fancy music camp in Hartford this summer and won’t be around to work now, which makes me desperate.”
She couldn’t help the smile that now burst from her face. Her parents watched her expectantly, letting the people behind them move around them through the line.
“It’s a commitment, a lot of work,” he said. “Probably five or so days a week. But you’ll make good money.”
“A job?” Mom mouthed in front of her.
Melanie nodded and watched her silently whoop with glee. Dad reached over and patted Melanie’s back with pride.
“So, do you want it?” the man on the phone asked impatiently.
“Wait,” Melanie said. “Sorry, but who is this? My phone didn’t show the caller ID.”
“Oh, got ahead of myself, classic,” he said. “I’m Ron, from Scoops By The Sea.”
Her stomach dropped. No.
That would mean five days a week…with him. Calvin. The one who abrasively told her she would never possibly work there. How would he treat her five days a week?
But…it was five whole days a week out of the house. Even if Duncan was starting to slowly talk to her again, she couldn’t handle the way things were. She needed the distraction, and if it meant scooping ice cream and dealing with a guy who, for whatever weird reason, seemed to love making fun of her headbands, she would do it.
“I need someone, like, immediately,” Ron said. “Your application was at the top of my stack so if you can’t do it, I’m just going to start calling through the list.”
“No no, I can do it,” Melanie hastily replied.
“Good, how soon can you get here?”
Melanie’s eyes went wide. “Oh, you meant, like, immediately immediately?”
“That is what the word means,” he said. “Yes, I need you now. I’m one short for this shift. Can you get here in fifteen minutes? Thirty at most?”
Melanie eyed the road that went up to Main Street. She could see the corner of the Scoops sign behind a bushy oak tree.
“Fifteen,” she said. She looked down at her clothes. “But I’m not sure if I’m exactly dressed for it.”
“It’s fine, we have what you’ll need here,” Ron said in a rush. “See you in fifteen.”
He hung up. Melanie looked at her phone screen in a daze before glancing up at her parents, who now looked beyond confused.
“I got a job at the ice cream shop.”
“That’s amazing sweetie!” Mom said, pulling her into a tight hug. “When do you start?”
“Um, right now.”
Mom pushed back slightly. “Wait, seriously?”
She nodded. “Says he’s one short for the shift and he’s desperate.”
“Well, we better get going then,” Dad said, pulling his car keys out of his pocket.
She glanced over at the line of cars slowly creeping in and out of the school’s playground, the line moving at a snail’s pace.
“No, stay here, I’ll walk,” she said. “It’s just up the hill.”
“Okay, call us when you’re done and we can pick you up. Do you know what time?”
Melanie shook her head. She had no idea how long she would be there. She didn’t even know how much money she was going to be making. All questions she probably should have asked Ron before blindly accepting a job.
But it was a job.
Melanie said goodbye to her parents and left the market, following the sidewalk up toward Main. Despite whatever faced her this summer, she was ready for it. That small bead of hope in her chest made her smile as she neared the bubblegum pink sign.
Chapter Four
The lines at Scoops were already massively long, trailing back from the shop and pooling out onto the sidewalk. Melanie inched toward one of the windows where a girl slightly shorter than her was working, a ponytail with thick brown hair tucked into a ball cap that said Scoops on her head. She opened the window and handed a perfectly scooped chocolate ice cream cone to a small boy at the counter who looked like he just won the lottery.
“Now don’t drop this one, Jonny, or your mom is going to kill me,” the girl said.
A wide grin spread on little Jonny’s face. “Promise!” He ran off with his cone, the girl now shaking her head like she knew he definitely wouldn’t be keeping that promise.
“Hey, Ron called. Where should I—?”
“Back door,” she said without even glancing up, then moving on to the next customer.
Melanie walked around the small brick building. She knocked on the metal door and waited for a beat, but no one answered. She reached for the doorknob, nervous energy coursing her entire body as she twisted it open.
“CAKE!”
Melanie jumped as she saw someone charging toward her, holding up an ice cream cake box so massive, it almost looked bigger than the tiny young woman holding it. Melanie quickly stepped aside, stumbling on a small set of stairs behind her as the woman brushed past, handing a cake to a customer that appeared outside the back door. Melanie pushed herself from the stairs and took a peek through the plastic at the top of the box. The cake had gorgeous trimmings of navy blue and white, with a curly script that said Happy Graduation, Sam! The edges of the cake were decorated in glittering blue sprinkles.
“Wow,” Melanie said in awe as the tiny woman closed the door. “That was beautiful.”
The woman, with wispy blonde bangs and round glasses that took up half her face, nodded slightly, looking pleased with the compliment before her face hardened and she went back to work. She opened up a massive industrial fridge next to them full of blank round and rectangular ice cream cakes ready for decorating. She took out a medium-sized round one and closed the fridge door with her foot before walking further into the shop.
Melanie trailed behind her until they ended up at a tragically messy desk, order slips and receipts sprinkled everywhere. But there was only one sheet of paper that seemed to have a stocky middle-aged man unraveling in his seat. He looked down at the paper like it was the hardest test he’d ever had to take, his hands buried in the few hairs left on his scalp. She figured this must be Ron.
Melanie took a small breath. “Um, hi.”
The man looked up from the paper, which she glanced at quickly. It was the shift schedule for the week, penciled arrows pointing haphazardly in different directions with names under specific days and times.
“Oh, thank god,” Ron said, standing up from his desk. “It’s chaos. Pure chaos. I don’t know what to do.”
She nodded, not sure how exactly to respond to that. But Ron didn’t seem to notice as he brushed past her, beckoning her to follow him to the back of the shop where a small bathroom was located. He pointed to a set of shelves at the side. “You can place your stuff in a cubby there and be sure to wash up before starting your shift,” he said, gesturing to a sink and a small mirror with a sticker obnoxiously placed in the center that said Scoopers must always wash their hands!
“What shirt size are you?” Ron asked.
“Medium,” she answered, watching as Ron stepped around her to charge up that small set of stairs, coming down a beat later with a few teal-colored T-shirts and a matching hat.
He handed it to her. “Uniform is a T-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts or pants, but your shorts are fine for this one shift,” he said. “Ball caps must be worn at all times, state law.”
Melanie nodded.
“CAKE!”
Ron took a step to the side as the woman charged past them again, this time with a cake that said Happy Birthday, Georgie!
Ron waited a moment as she handed off the cake before continuing. “That’s Jess, she’s our cake designer,” he said, walking back toward his desk. Melanie dutifully followed, still awkwardly holding her stack of T-shirts. “I usually would have her train you but she’s swamped because of graduation season.”
Almost immediately, a guy with perfectly bronzed skin slinked through the doorway that led to the ice cream shop out front, holding a metal cup in one hand. His smirk was devious as he leaned against the doorway and winked at Melanie. “Don’t worry, Ronny, I can train her.”
Ron rolled his eyes. “Fat chance, Jay.”
Jay reached out his free hand. “Pleasure to meet you, Melanie Albertson. It seems you’re our hero of the day.”
Melanie shyly reached out her hand and placed it in Jay’s, but he didn’t shake it, instead he just slowly rubbed his thumb against her hand.
“Wow, such soft skin,” he said. “You sure you want to ruin those gorgeous hands at this hell hole?”
The girl with the thick brown ponytail came bursting through the doorway, shoving Jay slightly with her shoulder as she brushed past them.
“Ow, Rory, what was that for?!”
“Quit flirting and get back to work,” said a familiar voice. Melanie watched as Calvin came into view, holding out a bright teal paper cup toward Jay. “Line two also wants a double scoop of Caramel Pecan.”
His body straightened, holding his hand to his forehead in salute like a soldier. “Sir, yes, sir!”
He shoved the cup at Jay’s chest, who took it as his cue to escape to the front.
“Anyway, Calvin will train you,” Ron said.
Melanie let her eyes travel over to Calvin. Gone was the small smirk and the twinkling eyes from before. His face was all straight lines and resolute, like this truly was the military and she was about to enter basic training.
She could feel the small bead of hope squash in her chest. What have I gotten myself into, she thought. Clearly, he was displeased that she was here, looking like the thought of training her was the absolute last thing in the world he wanted to be doing.
Calvin crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Hat.”
Melanie’s brows furrowed. “Huh?”
“Hat, put it on.”
“Oh,” she said, feeling her face flush. She placed her stack of T-shirts down and put the hat on, taking note that he was the only one who didn’t have a hat covering his head. Though there wasn’t much to cover anyway, with how short his buzzcut was.
A small hand reached in front of her, holding a black hair tie. Melanie looked over and noticed Jess holding it out to her as she continued piping red frosting around the edges of a cake with the other.
“Thanks.”
“CAKE!” she screamed again.
Melanie winced, pausing as she fastened her hair up. “Why—”
“Cake disaster last year, the frosting stained the rugs for weeks,” Ron answered, like he didn’t have any more time to explain. He turned to Calvin. “Have her stock and clean today, she can learn to scoop on a day when it’s not so busy. I’m going to try to figure out this schedule.”
Calvin placed a hand on Ron’s shoulder. “I can handle it. It’s Saturday, you shouldn’t even be here.”
Ron sighed, relaxing a little as he turned back toward Melanie. “This guy,” he said, pointing a thumb toward Calvin. “He’s the best.”
Melanie nodded as she glanced up at Calvin. His intense eyes were on her, the rest of his face practically expressionless. She wondered where that guy went, the one she met her first day here, the one who’d teased her with a smirk. Instead, this guy was all rigid and serious, his arms now crossed tightly across his chest as he stared down at her, almost like he was evaluating if she was worthy enough to even be here.
“So, Melanie, no aspirations to become a famous musician and flee to a camp in Hartford?” Ron inquired. “No summer internships? No boyfriends trying to steal away your time?”
Melanie swallowed uncomfortably, aware of Calvin’s eyes beating down on her. “Nope, none of that.”
“Good, then welcome to Scoops.”
Calvin came back from the upstairs storage space with another box, smacking it down in front of her at the desk. Unfortunately, she already knew what was inside of it. She unfolded the top of the box to reveal hundreds of plastic cotton candy-colored spoons.
