Well, I think I’m going to dive a bit more into a suspense novel, again. The drama only angle wasn’t doing anything for me. And I even heard from someone that they stopped reading because it wasn’t as interesting. I’m a firm believer that if you, as the writer, don’t enjoy the story, neither will your readers. So, I’m making some changes. With that, let’s continue with Chapter 7 of What Would You Do.
Chapter 7
Davis came down for breakfast, the sound of his aunt yelling at someone greeting him as he entered the dining room. He was relieved to see that she was on the phone and not yelling at Maria or Leanna. The two women got enough grief from his parents. His mother smiled at him as he sat down, leaning across the table to speak quietly with him as her older sister continued to berate the poor person on the other end of the phone.
“I didn’t see you much yesterday. How did exploring go?” Thankfully, Valerie left the room, continuing her phone call and not acknowledging her nephew. He sighed, thanking Maria as she set a plate of eggs benedict in front of him.
“It was great. I even met some other people my age. They helped me with Aunt Valerie’s shopping list.”
“Are they from the area?” William sat down, taking a sip of coffee before turning his attention to his son. Davis speared a cubed hashbrown.
“Not this neighbourhood, exactly, but they are local to LA. We spent most of the time helping the girls shop and then caught a movie. Before you ask, I didn’t ask about their families.” Amanda leaned back as Leanna placed a cup of tea on the table for her.
“Davis, I know you don’t like that we want you to have friends that are rich. However, we don’t want anyone taking advantage of you and our family’s wealth. I hope you understand.”
What Would You Do
Valerie finally joined the family while Davis was finishing the last of his breakfast. She collapsed into her chair, as if exhausted from the phone call. Maria placed a cup of tea in front of her and disappeared into the kitchen to get the short tempered woman’s breakfast. Amanda looked over at her sister.
“Did you get everything sorted out?” Valerie blew on her tea, taking a sip before answering.
“Yes. Why must I always be surrounded by incompetent employees. You never seem to have this problem. What’s your secret?” The younger designer smiled.
“I only pay for results. If my employees want to get paid, they better show me that they’re doing their job.” As Valerie contemplated this, Maria came out of the kitchen with her breakfast – avocado toast with smoked salmon. Checking that everything else was still full, she scooped up Davis’ empty plate on her way out of the dining room. The teen stood up, getting everyone’s attention.
“And where are you off to, nephew? I just started my breakfast. It’s rude to leave while someone is still eating.” Davis halted, looking to his parents for guidance, seeing his mom motion for him to sit back down. Resisting the urge to sigh with annoyance, Davis sat back down.
“Sorry auntie.” She smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Well, I suppose I’ll let it slide this time. I’ve put everything back in the bag with the receipt. You can return the items after breakfast and get your money back. Though I think you should give me that money seeing as you were completely incompetent with the list I had your mother send you.” Davis decided to select a peach and bite into it, rather than answer. He didn’t feel like picking a fight.
Chapter 7
After breakfast, as promised, Valerie gave the bags to her nephew before walking off to go sit by the pool. John, who was standing near the door, took pity on the teen and picked up the bags, heading to put them in the car. William smiled at his son’s confusion.
“I’m heading near that mall you talked about for a meeting. John and I will drop off the bags and collect the money. Was any of it yours, or all your mother’s?” Davis did some calculations in his head.
“It was from mom. I sent the remainder of the funds to her already.” His father nodded, then seemed to be trying to figure out how to bring up the next topic. Davis shook his head.
“You don’t need to ask about a job. It was on the agenda for today to go job hunting.” Amanda joined them, dressed in white dress pants, a pink satin top, and black heels.
“Excellent. Please make sure you look for the jobs that are going to pay you what you’re worth.” Davis slipped into his sneakers.
“Mom, I can’t get a high paying job and go to school in the fall. I’ll see what’s out there.” Kissing her on the cheek, he slipped past his father, out the door, and took off on his bike before they could say anything.
What Would You Do
Davis’ new friends waved at him from their table at the food court. He had sent them a message saying that he was thinking of job hunting and they asked him to meet them at the mall. Matt, one of the guys, pulled a chair from another table and Davis sank into it.
“So, Davis. What kind of job are you looking for?” He shrugged, noticing how Ariel scooted her chair closer to him. She smiled.
“Do you want something high end? I know there’s a lawyer looking for a high school assistant.” Davis made a face.
“No, nothing like that. My parents would love it if I took that job, but I just want to be a regular teen with a regular teen job, you know?” They all nodded. Kyle popped the last of his bagel into his mouth, speaking around it, unsuccessfully. Davis laughed. “What?” Kyle swallowed, a grin on his face.
“Sorry. I asked if you wanted to join me where I work. We just had a guy quit after his friend was fired. It’s not a glamorous job, but the pay is decent.” Ariel threw a napkin at him.
“I don’t think Davis wants to clean up movie theatres in between showings. He needs a better job than that. And you are always complaining about the pay being crap.” He laughed.
“True. But if he’s desperate for a job, it’s an option.” Davis chuckled.
“My parents would lock me in the house rather than let me do that job. Sorry Kyle. Any other suggestions?” Olivia sipped her latte.
“What kind of job would you like? Restaurant, clothing, something else?” Davis frowned. He had no idea what he wanted to do.
Chapter 7
The teens wandered the mall, Davis handing in a few resumes. It was now lunch and the teens left the mall, heading to a diner down the street. They waited patiently till a girl their age came over. She looked at the group of seven teens before looking around and locating a booth.
“Follow me. Looks like we have a booth for you.” The group followed their young waitress to a corner booth, all sliding in as she disappeared, returning with some menus. “My name is Tess and I’ll be your waitress today. Can I start anyone off with something to drink?” They quickly looked down at the menus. Davis’ eyes lit up.
“I’ll have a strawberry shake please.” She jotted it down, the other teens ordering an assortment of milkshakes and sodas. Davis heard the bell on the diner door and looked up, feeling his heart skip a beat. It was the stranger from the mall!
Could be Trouble
Oh no. How does this guy keep finding Davis? What does he want? Who is he? Maybe we’ll find out next week. I hope you all enjoyed chapter 7. I know it was a bit slower, but I’m trying to figure out what I want to do with this book, now that I’m changing it up a bit. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and sorry for the late posting.
