Read Way to Go for Free Online

wouldn’t hurt him, and I rooted around in his supplies, being careful to put things back exactly as I’d found them. Some of it was familiar to me—bags of rice and boxes of pasta, large cans of tomatoes from Italy, jars of black olives.
    A lot of things, though, I’d never heard of. Inside a battered old tin box, I found several bags stuffed with dried peppers of different sizes and colors. There were thick tubes of yellow paste called polenta, and little bottles of coriander, saffron, tarragon and garam masala. I examined jars full of marinated artichoke hearts and pickled capers. I unscrewed a tiny bottle of white truffle oil and sniffed; it was like nothing I’d ever smelled, pungent and sweet. I wondered what you used it for and why the bottle was so small.
    The coffee stopped dripping. As I poured myself a cup, I heard a vehicle pull into the parking lot on the other side of the building. I walked back through the dining room to look out the window and saw that an old beater of a hatchback had pulled up near the front door. Someone was bent over, rummaging around in the backseat.
    A girl stood up, holding a huge quilted cloth bag, and slammed the car door shut. She was almost my height, with a long wavy mass of reddish-brown hair that was held back with an elastic. As she swayed up to the front door, I ducked back from the window, trying to act casual as she walked into the restaurant.
    She was beautiful. Tall and willowy with pale, lightly freckled skin. She was wearing cut-off jeans and sandals with leather straps that were tied up past her ankles. A lacy shirt, embroidered with flowers, was knotted over a green tank top. I saw the edge of a tattoo—it looked like a green rose—peeking up from behind the back collar of her shirt. Dozens of bangles jingled on her wrist, and her fingers flashed with big gaudy rings. She looked to be around my age, but nothing about her was familiar. She was clearly unlike any of the girls I knew from Deep Cove. She took a quick look around and then turned to me, her shimmering pale-green eyes staring right into mine.
    â€œThis is the place, huh?” she asked.
    â€œYeah, I guess so.”
    â€œWho are you?”
    â€œI’m Danny. I work here, with Denise. For Denise.”
    â€œWhat a coincidence. So do I.”
    She walked over to the counter and dropped her bag, then wandered into the kitchen. I followed her and watched as she poured herself a coffee.
    â€œDenise told me that this place was kind of grubby,” she said, looking around. “No shit. So what are we supposed to be doing today anyway?”
    I didn’t understand; Denise hadn’t mentioned anything about some strange girl showing up to work. “I’m supposed to paint the trim in the dining room,” I told her.
    â€œPainting. Okay, I can help with that.”
    I must have looked confused, because she laughed and said, “You’re wondering who the hell I am, and why I’m here.”
    I nodded.
    â€œFair enough. I’m in town for the summer to stay with my aunt, who is friends with Denise. Denise asked me if I was interested in waiting tables for the summer, and since I don’t know anybody around here, I figured, what the hell. I’ve waited tables in much fancier places than this, so it’s no big deal.”
    She tipped her coffee into the sink and then did the same with what was in the pot. “You make really shitty coffee,” she said as she set about brewing some more. “I was called out of town because there was a bit of an… issue…with my mom. It’s, well, it’s basically the same reason I’m here for the summer in the first place.” She shook her head, as if to dislodge a thought. “Long story. Anyway, I ended up coming back earlier than expected, and I figured I’d stop by to give Denise a hand.”
    â€œWhere’s home?”
    â€œHome? Home is where the heart is,