Monday afternoons at Molly’s were pretty quiet, it turned out, even in the summer. Probably because so many people got ice cream on the weekends and Mondays were all business for them, but it made for a slow afternoon.

Sierra and I were both working, but there really wasn’t enough for us to do. The topping jars and bins were all full, the counters and floor sparkling, the bathroom shining, and the ice cream freezer bursting with fresh bins of cool ice cream flavors. Even the few customers seemed a little uninspired on a Monday. One lady ordered a vanilla shake. A plain vanilla shake! Tamiko never would have stood for an order like that if she were there. She would have encouraged the woman to think outside the box and order something great, or convinced her to let Tamiko surprise her with a creation. But without Tamiko there, Sierra and I just smiled and made the shake and rang up the lady’s order. Ho hum.

In between helping customers, Sierra sang some new songs she’d written, to test them out on me and get my reaction.

“I’m just a lonely girl. Are you lonely too? Maybe I’m the girl for you,” Sierra sang out. “And then I’ll point to the audience. What do you think?”

“It’s okay,” I said slowly.

“Just okay?” Sierra looked at me seriously. “Come on. You’re holding back. I can tell. What don’t you like about it?”

“No, no, no, I don’t mean I don’t like it,” I said. “It’s just… a little…” I searched for the right word, thinking of Ms. Gallo and her focus on word choice. “Ordinary?”

Sierra looked confused. “I don’t understand.”

I sighed. “ ‘Lonely too. I’m the girl for you.’ What’s the next verse? ‘Without you I’ll go boo-hoo’?”

Thankfully, Sierra didn’t get insulted; she just laughed.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s just that some of the other songs you sing have such meaningful words. I know pop music is supposed to be light, but I just think you can do a little more with this one.”

Sierra nodded in agreement. “Maybe it’s because there’s not a special person in my life to think about while I sing it,” Sierra said. “You know, the way Tamiko has Ewan, and you”—Sierra paused for dramatic effect, and her eyes sparkled—“have Colllllllin.” She sang his name out.

I blushed. “I don’t ‘have’ Colin,” I said. “He’s just a friend. A friend I… maybe kinda sorta like. A little bit.” Why did I always get flustered talking about Colin?