Push and Shove: The Ghost Bird Series: #6 (The Academy) by C. L. Stone

smirking. “I kind of don’t want to tell you.”
    “Why?”
    “I’d have to call them and then they’ll take you off somewhere.” He ducked his head close to mine, his lips traced over my cheek, close to my ear. “Maybe I should let you stay with me. At least then I can keep an eye on you. Want to play here?”
    I was supposed to take it easy and go to bed early, but it was only seven. How late was he planning to stay? “If I did stay, I could help out. And I’m really close to home. Whenever I get tired, I’ll go there.” I didn’t want to tell him that I didn’t want to go home right now. I’d spend hours wondering how Nathan was. I’d rather stay busy.
    “I guess it isn’t breaking the rules if we aren’t doing Academy work.” He took my hand, guiding me back to the fridge door.
    Uncle was bent over the large flat grill, scraping away bits of leftover food and cleaning the area. He sensed us and looked up. He did a double take at Luke. “Was my fridge that interesting?”
    “Sang loves it.”
    Uncle blinked and glanced at me. “It’s not a make out room.”
    Heat returned to my cheeks. Is that what they all thought we were doing?
    “I just needed to talk to her,” Luke said.
    “There’s an office.” Uncle turned to me. “Haven’t seen you around, little bird. Thought maybe Luke lost you. Where have you been?”
    “She had school stuff last week,” Luke said. “Midterms.”
    “Ah.” Uncle’s voice was croaky, like he’d been shouting all day. “I like that. School’s important.”
    “Do you want her to make another pie?” Luke asked. “Or clean out the freezer? She wants to help out.”
    “I want her in the front,” Uncle said. “I told you, she should be working tables.”
    “She can’t carry food,” Luke said. “She’s clumsy.”
    I eyeballed him. I was clumsy? I wanted to contradict him but at the same time, I wasn’t sure I could handle delivering food or being a waitress. I didn’t know how. I didn’t want to be in the back alone with other people if Luke was going to be up front. I wanted to be near one of them. Besides, no one else seemed to have noticed I wasn’t wearing shoes. I tried to remember what else there was to do in a diner. “I could wash dishes or use the register.”
    Luke flashed me a look, but I widened my eyes, as if saying I didn’t know what he wanted from me. Did he want me to go sit in the office?
    Uncle snapped his fingers, pointing at me. “See? She’s a go-getter. And she’s cute. Put her to work out there by the counter.”
    “What’s she doing here?” Gabriel asked, materializing with a bucket of dirty dishes. He planted them on the counter and wiped his brow. “What? You called her in to work, too? Is she finally going to take a shift?”
    “Ah,” Uncle said. “That reminds me. I need your info, sweetie. Next time you come by, bring me your Social Security card and an ID.”
    The guys glanced at each other over my head. “Uh,” Luke said, “Uncle, Sang doesn’t have ... I mean she...”
    I glanced at the guys. “What do you mean?” I asked. “I’ve got those somewhere in the house.”
    Luke shook his head at me, but addressed his Uncle. “She doesn’t really...”
    “What?” Uncle asked. He pointed the end of a wide metal spatula at him. “You want me to pay her under the table? What is she? A refugee? Illegal immigrant?”
    “No, it’s complicated.” Luke cut his hand through the air. “I’ll tell you later. But yeah, can you pay her in cash?”
    Uncle shrugged, shoving a finger across the white of his eyebrow. “All the more reason for her work the front.”
    Luke sighed. “Okay, okay.”
    “Someone dismiss Megan. Little bird, go stand behind the register. Let them show you what to do.
    Gabriel deposited his dirty dishes on the counter near another guy washing at the sink. He gave me a questioning look, silently asking why I was there. I tried to make hand signals but Luke tugged my elbow. Gabriel