Free Rhymes With Cupid by Anna Humphrey Page B

I’d bother. But he said everyone deserved a chance at the grand prize, so he bought a ticket and put my name on it. Can you believe it? People spent hundreds of dollars in tickets, and I just had the one. I told Valter he must be a lucky charm.”
    Well, at least he had that much going for him. You’d need all the luck you could get in life with a name like that. I knew enough not to say any of that out loud, though.
    “Mom, that’s incredible,” I said instead.
    “I know,” my mom went on. “Valter’s just the nicest man. I tried to get him to take the vacation, since he’d paid for the ticket, but he flat-out refused. He said I should take my beautiful daughter.”
    “You have a beautiful daughter?” I said, looking over my shoulder, as if she might be standing behind me.
    My mom didn’t laugh. Self-deprecating humor was on her list of stuff she didn’t find funny, right after making fun of people’s names, apparently. “I have the most beautiful daughter,” she answered seriously, then went straight back into her flustered mode. “The most beautiful daughter who needs a new bathing suit. And do your sandals from last summer still fit? Oh my God, we’ll have to make sure your passport is up-to-date, too. You’ll have to call Mr. Goodman and ask for the time off. And I’ll let your school know. We’ll have to reschedule your driving test, too, I suppose. I hope Patrick won’t mind if you take a break from lessons for a while.” She handed me the cordless phone along with the envelope my last paycheck had come in. She pointed to the store number. “Why don’t you start with Mr. Goodman?”
    And that was when our luck—or mine, at least—took a turn for the worse. Honestly, I should have been expecting it all along. Ten-day trips to Mexico didn’t just fall from the sky into my life. “Elyse, you know I’d love to give you the time off,” Mr. Goodman said after I’d explained the situation, “but with Valentine’s Day coming up, I can’t be training new staff right now. As it is, I barely have enough people to cover the shifts.” At the same time, my mother walked back into the kitchen examining my passport—a devastated look on her face. Even from across the room, I could tell from a glimpse at the photo that I was about five years old in it, which meant it was way, way expired. I wasn’t sure how long it took to apply for a new one, but I had a feeling it was more than a day.
    “That’s okay, Mr. Goodman,” I said. “I completely understand.” Sure, my heart was sinking a little—but just a little. I liked beaches and sun as much as anyone, and it would be great to get away—especially if it meant avoiding the whole Valentine’s Day thing at home—but maybe it was for the best. I always got sunburns. I had a chemistry test on Friday that I’d already started studying for, and a social studies project due the following Tuesday. And, even though I was dreading it, it was better to get my driving test out of the way than to spend more time obsessing over it. Plus, Dina might never forgive me if she didn’t get her cheesecake. . . .
    “Maybe they’ll make an exception about your passport at customs,” my mom tried, “if we explain that I won the trip on short notice? And you could always quit at Goodman’s and find a new job when we get back.”
    I sat down across from her. “Mom,” I said reasonably. “I don’t think so. If I quit Goodman’s, it could take ages for me to find something else. Nobody at the mall is hiring right now. And isn’t customs usually pretty strict about things like passports?”
    “Well, then.” She took a deep breath and reached for the phone. “I’ll call Valter and tell him that’s that. We can’t go. He’ll have to take the tickets instead.”
    “No, Mom. Wait.” I slapped a hand on top of hers to stop her from dialing. “I’m seventeen. I can look after myself. You go.” She gave me a doubtful look. “Take Carolynn.” My