Page 124 of Pride High 2: Orange

The man nodded. “I guess you could think of me as Archie’s dad.”

“More like you’re my personal hero!” Omar cried. “Oh my god, dude! This is so exciting! I have amillionquestions. Starting with the most important one. Who are you?”

“Oh! My name is Roger Dandy.”

“Mr. Dandy,” Omar said when extending a hand, “please let me work here. I’ll do it for free, if I have to. You have no idea how much I love this place. I even had my first date here.”

“Really?” Mr. Dandy’s eyes lit up. “How wonderful! This is where I met my wife.”

“It’s a magical place for sure,” Omar said with a grin.

There was a knock on the door, which was already open. A younger guy was standing there while shifting from foot to foot. “The lady who booked the private room is mad that she was charged for a pitcher of beer. She said that all the food and drinks were supposed to be included in the price.”

“Except for alcohol,” Mr. Dandy said with a sigh. “I’ll take care of it.” He headed for the door before seeming to remember that Omar was there. “Oh! Why don’t you fill this out while I’m gone?” He circled around his desk, opened a drawer, and took out a printed form. “Have a seat.”

“At your desk?” Omar asked in disbelief. “Inyourchair?”

Mr. Dandy chuckled. “Yes. Go right ahead. I’ll be back soon.”

Omar sat with careful reverence. Then he glanced around the office and recognized that he was surrounded by someone else's dream. People had probably treated Mr. Dandy like he was crazy when he’d first started out. Who thought it was a good idea to combine an arcade with a pizza place and have a math-obsessed panda as the mascot? It was all so random. And yet, Archie’s had become a great success. Omar wasn’t the only kid who grew up loving it. And the restaurant never would have existed if Mr. Dandy’s parents had made him work for the family business instead.

Omar could already imagine himself, years from now, sitting in an office just like this one. Except the photos on the wall would be posters of all the movies he had directed. He could make that happen. Starting here, because he already had a few ideas, such as offering videos of birthday parties that parents could take home. Even if he ended up doing nothing more than slinging pizza, he would find it inspiring to be around someone like Mr. Dandy. With that in mind, he grabbed a pen and turned his attention to the application, more determined than ever to make his dreams come true.

CHAPTER 27

January 2nd, 1993

“Some kid wants to see you.”

Diego slid out from under the car he was working on. Sharon was standing nearby, but not too close, since she rarely left the confines of the front desk. She was a clean freak and always seemed uncomfortable when forced to walk into the shop’s garage. Even now her arms were wrapped tightly around her thin frame, her expression strained.

“Which car?” Diego stood and wiped fresh oil on the gray coveralls he wore, just to see her cringe. Which she did.

“Huh?” she asked, her eyes still on the smear.

“Which car belongs to the kid?”

“Oh. I don’t think he’s old enough to drive.”

“Then what’s he want?”

Sharon shrugged. “How should I know?”

Helpful as always. Diego would like nothing more than to fire everyone and start from scratch. Except for Jasper. He pivoted until he found the old man, who was replacing a starter on a Volvo.

“I’ll be right back,” he said.

Jasper nodded and kept working. Diego followed Sharon to the front office. She quickly retreated to the safety of her desk. A young guy stood up from a plastic chair against the wall and smiled. He was wearing a red windbreaker and a bashful smile.

“Hi,” Ricky said.

Diego almost smiled back until he remembered that they were being watched. “Hey,” he said without much warmth. “Come on. I need some fresh air.”

He didn’t wait for Ricky or hold open the door for him. Which probably made him seem like a dick, but he knew from experience how edgy his mother got whenever girls came around. Marti wasn’t afraid to make a scene if she thought one of them was getting too close. God forbid she lose her favorite source of slave labor. Of course she probably wouldn’t perceive Ricky as a threat, since he was a boy. And it’s not like they had that kind of relationship anyway.

Once he reached a corner of the building where Sharon couldn’t see them anymore, he turned around. Ricky was right behind him with shining eyes. Which was flattering. And misguided.

“What are you doing here?” Diego grumped.