At twenty-four, college graduate Carly Rogers finds herself still living with her cold and distant mother and her half-sister Cynthia. As Carly moves from one minimum wage job to another, she reads books alone in her room, reconnects with her best friend Landon, and takes care of her great-aunt Dorothy on the weekends. Her life is quiet and nonthreatening until she meets Ashley at her new job.
Ashley is a fun, energetic, and intelligent woman who has been forced to leave her old life behind due to a medical condition. Through work, and the start of a book club, Ashley and Carly share their pasts and hopes for the future.
When change comes, Carly is forced to make a decision. Does she stay where she thought she always belonged, or strive for something better? Is it possible for her and Ashley to build a new life without feeling like the fragile creatures everyone thinks they are?
Carly had almost forgotten how much she liked to talk about books with someone who had a better grasp of them and their nuance than her sister, or even Landon, who tended to stick with how-tos or novel adaptations of World of Warcraft.
“I’m Carly,” she said, her heart beating too-fast.
“Very nice to meet you Carly.” The woman stuck her hand out, waiting for a shake. “I’m Ashley.”
Carly shook her hand. She noticed how warm and dry from Ashely’s fingers were from the dust and the unpacking the workers had been doing.
“Nice to meet you, too,” Carly echoed. Before Ashely could respond, the man next to Carly got up from his seat and gathered up his lunch.
“Hey, sir,” Ashley called. “Do you mind if I steal your seat?”
He waved his arm in the air. “Knock yourself out. I’m going out for a smoke, and maybe, just maybe, the truck will come.”
“Good luck,” Ashley said. “But a watched truck will never come.”
The man didn’t seem to notice the remark. Carly could not help but smile in spite of herself.
“The joke wasn’t that bad, was it?” Ashley asked, squinting her eyes as she sat down.
“I’ve heard worse.”
“Well, then, at least I’m not the worst.” Ashley smiled before she nudged the book cover. “So tell me more about this book. Why is the woman edible?”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure yet. Atwood’s stuff always takes a while to develop. So far, this woman just has a hard time eating when she starts to feel used by those around her. She feels exploited by her boyfriend and then suddenly she can’t eat meat. I’m at the part where her friend is talking about pregnancy and now she can’t eat eggs.”
“Sounds heavy.”
“Yeah,” Carly agreed. Relief flooded her system that Ashely didn’t make a joke about the title referencing eating a woman out. Or maybe I want that kind of joke? Carly brushed by the thought. “I picked it up from a pile of discards at the library. I paid like a quarter for it, nothing much.”
“That sounds like a great deal. What library?” Ashley asked, with genuine interest. She pulled out her phone and began to scan through an app that pulled up a map of their city.
“The city library by Rolland Street. It’s just by my house, actually.”
“Oh. You have to be careful about who you give your address out to.”
’“I can’t be too careful. You already know where I work.”
“Hah. That I do.” Ashley scrolled through the map on her phone, locating the library and marking it with a star on her interface. “I’m actually envious you live so close to the Marshalls. I have to wait through buses to get here -- or beg rides.”
Carly was struck by this for a second. She thought, judging from Ashley’s tall physique and her energy, that she was older than Carly. Surely old enough to know how to drive, even if she didn’t have a car. Then again, Carly didn’t want to push asking for anyone’s age, considering the mishap that had happened with Amber earlier.
“So tell me more about books,” Ashley requested. “What else do you like?”
“Um,” Carly said. “I just honestly read whatever I find around the house.”
“Not true. If you read whatever you found, I would spot some Harlequins.”
Carly smiled wider. “Oh, when I was a kid. Didn’t we all?”
Ashley raised her eyebrows and winked. “Until we found the good stuff.”
The supervisor came in, holding up her hand as she announced they only had ten minutes of their lunch left. “And then the second crew has to come in, guys. So let’s leave this place as somewhat clean for them. Remember to punch your cards when you go back on the clock, too.”
The lunch room murmured. Some people left, freeing up more seats as they went to clean out their Tupperware containers. Carly was relieved when Ashley still remained seated next to her. She leaned in closely, sipping her Coke, but otherwise paying attention. Carly curled her fingers around the edge of her book. She looked for her bookmark, and then settled for dog-earing the page. She watched as Ashley hissed with disapproval.
“What?”
“The book. You should be nicer to it. Even if you only paid a quarter.”
“I don’t have a bookmark.”
Ashley held up her hand and then went to dig through her pockets. She pulled out a few receipts and then found an old stamp card for a coffee place. “Here,” she said, passing it forward.
“But there are four out of five cups stamped. Don’t you want this?”
“Nah, you keep it. Coffee makes me jittery. Besides,” Ashley said. “I know where you work.”
“And sort of where I live.”
