Chapters (34)
- Copyright Notice
- Dedication
- Epigraphs
- Prologue
- CHAPTER ONE
- CHAPTER TWO
- CHAPTER THREE
- CHAPTER FOUR
- CHAPTER FIVE
- CHAPTER SIX
- CHAPTER SEVEN
- CHAPTER EIGHT
- CHAPTER NINE
- CHAPTER TEN
- CHAPTER ELEVEN
- CHAPTER TWELVE
- CHAPTER THIRTEEN
- CHAPTER FOURTEEN
- CHAPTER FIFTEEN
- CHAPTER SIXTEEN
- CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
- CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
- CHAPTER NINETEEN
- CHAPTER TWENTY
- CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
- CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
- Acknowledgments
- Discussion Questions
- Also by Christina Clancy
- Praise for Shoulder Season
- About the Author
- Newsletter Sign-up
“Let him think what he wants. So what?”
“So what? He says he’ll cut me out of his will unless I quit. He means it, he really does.”
“So let him cut you out!” The speed made everything seem simple. Sherri didn’t have patience for problems. Much as she loved Tina, she was having a hard time sitting still and listening to what she had to say.
“You don’t understand. He’s loaded, Sherri. Ever heard of Schnitz Sausage?”
“The bratwurst? Who hasn’t?” Everyone in the state ate Schnitz. They’d partnered with Schlitz beer and made a commercial about soaking the brats in lager. The ad campaign included a tongue twister that got harder to say the more people drank: A Schnitz soaked in Schlitz is a scrumptious Schlitz Schnitz. Nobody could eat a Schnitz without trying to say that ten times fast.
Tina’s hands were shaking. “My brother would be happy to have it all: the house in Racine, a cottage on Green Lake, the condo in Sarasota.” Tina gazed out beyond the massive glass windows that overlooked the golf course. The golf balls were flying, and Nick, one of the caddies, stood with a pair of golf bags over his shoulders chatting amicably with an old guy in a yellow shirt and Bermuda shorts. “I figure I’ll have to leave sooner or later. I’m already twenty-three. That’s like fifty in Bunny years.” Tina grabbed a handful of forks and efficiently set them down next to the plates. “Look for water spots. Always wipe the silverware down. When I gave my two weeks, I insisted that you were the best Bunny to take over. I’ve always liked you. You work hard, and you’ve got such an amazing memory, everyone talks about how you could work as a spy. You’ll need a good memory to work here. You don’t have much time to get all the drinks before the show begins. You need to order them with the bartenders in just the right order, bam bam bam. It’s really hard, Sher. The money is good, and the shows are great, but you have to hustle.”
“But what’ll you do once you leave?” Sherri asked.
Tina shrugged. “I’ve always figured I should either break up with my boyfriend back home or get married, so I guess we’ll get married.”
Sherri couldn’t stand to see someone as gorgeous and bright as Tina settling on her future, especially after hearing about Rhonda. Weren’t they all too young to become mothers and wives? Sherri was getting her first terrifying inkling that her youth might not last forever.