Freddie the Armadillo

(Kayla's interview for the coffee shop job and where they meet for the first time officially.)

Though she had no opinion of Fred-since she'd never really talked to him before-carrying on a conversation with him seemed traitorous. His friend just dumped her best friend four days ago. Wasn't Fred kind of guilty by association?
He sat in the chair next to her. He slouched a bit, his long legs spread out in front of him. "I'm Fred, but my friends call me Cupcake."
She snorted and glanced over at him. "They do not."
He groaned. "All right, so only four people call me Cupcake. But you can call me Freddie."
A smile crossed her face but she quickly squashed it. "I'll call you Freddie, IF i need to call you."
"I suppose you'll be calling me a lot when you fall head over heels in love with me. Yeah," He slouched more and slung his arm over the back of the chair, "the ladies really like me, so i hear. i can't blame them. What with my wit and stunning good looks."
Coming from anyone else, Kayla probably would have groaned and ignored the guy, but Fred's facial expression and sarcastic tone of voice said he was just trying to make her laugh. It worked.
He straightened in the chair. "See, i knew there was a smile in there somewhere. Though i think it's unfair that you're laughing AT me. You don't think i'm good-looking? Or witty?"
She smiled again. She just couldn't help herself. "Well, you're... ah..."
"Just say it," he teased. "I'm like the next Kevin Bacon. I know, I know." He held his hands up as if stopping her from fawning. "I get that a lot."
Kayla scrunched up her nose.
"No?" Fred asked. "Not Kevin Bacon?"
"More like...mmm... Richard Simmons."
"Yeah? Simmons?" He checked out his reflection in the office windows. "I never thought of that." He said, as if it was a compliment.
The door opened and the manager, Mrs. Halloway, hurried in, a coffee mug in one hand, a stack of books in the other. "Oh, sorry i'm late," She said, rushing past Kayla. She unloaded her things on her desk, grabbed a file folder, and came back out. "Fred," she said, "Don't you have somewhere to be? I gave you the job already, don't you remember?"
"Right. I forgot."
"Mmhmm." To Kayla she said, "Give me two more minutes, dear, and i'll get you started. I have to make a phone call." She headed out of the room.
"I guess that's my cue to go," Fred said.
Kayla stood. "You applied for this job, too? Why aren't you working right now? Won't you get in trouble for being in here with me?"
"Nah. I'm supposed to be starting the coffee before we open. Holly has the hots for me, no lie."
Kayla laughed since Holly was older than the both of them and smelled like meatballs.
"And," Fred continued, "she's as blind as an armadillo. She's probably talking to the closet door right now, thinking it's me."
Frowning, Kayla said, "Armadillo?"
"Yeah, they don't have very good eyesight. See, hang out with me a little more and you're bound to pick up on facts about important things."
"Such as animal sight?"
He smiled. "Right. Now, if you're ever running from an armadillo, you know to hide instead of run. He won't see you."
Kayla followed him from behind the desk to the shop. "I hate to think of how tragically my life could have ended if i hadn't talked to you just now."
"I can see the headline now, 'Death by Armadillo.' Tragic, yes."
"Fred," Holly Halloway said, "off to work."
"I'm going." He tipped his head toward Kayla. "Later."
"Bye."
He opened the door to the kitchen and went inside. Kayla moved to the narrow, rectangular window on the door and watched him walk up to Holly. She readjusted her apron as she peered at him, then smiled and nodded. It seemed he was off the hook. He left the toasting oven and walked out of Kayla's view. She was about to turn away when he reappeared in the window and put up a note to the glass.
HOLLY JUST ASKED ME TO MARRY HER. WHAT DO I SAY?
He had this panicked look on his face.
Kayla laughed. She mouthed, "Tell her you're taken."
He widened his eyes in mock exasperation. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," she said, face beaming as if she actually had been crucial to his fake dilemma.
When he disappeared again from the window, Kayla went back into Holly's office to wait for the interview. Every few minutes she'd look up at the kitchen door, hoping to see Fred in the window again.