Chapter 38: What Are You Thinking?

• A store manager came around the corner as Nathan was standing up. He looked at Nathan, then at Crystal, and finally at the mess on the floor. She smiled nervously and said, “Excuse me, sir, but are you responsible for this mess?”
• Nathan stood up and turned to look at the girl, and when she saw his face for the first time, she gasped, and her jaw nearly hit the floor. The girl wore the blue and red uniform that was a requirement of all supermarket employees. She had a symmetrical face and a pretty smile, and when she saw Nathan, her face flushed. She immediately lowered her head, held out a book with both hands, and said, “I don’t need to ask you to pay for anything. I know you didn’t break it on purpose. I just want you to leave us your phone number. That way, if there is an investigation, we can contact you.”
• Nathan stared at the book and didn’t take it. After a moment, Crystal grabbed the book and said, “I’m sorry, but my boyfriend doesn’t have a phone. If you need any information, you can call me. I saw everything, so I can answer your questions just as well as he can.” Crystal scribbled a few numbers in the book. Then she took two hundred-dollar bills from her pocket and put them in the book. “Here you are. I would like to take responsibility for the broken goods and the inconvenience it will cause your staff to clean this mess up. Anyway, I know that this was all a charade. I can understand why you would want my boyfriend’s number, but it is unfortunate that your Mother didn’t teach you how to attract a man’s attention without behaving like such a hussy!”