Tomorrow, Cappuccinos, Bikinis, #love

By Agnes Ruiz

“A surprising novel, one with many unexpected twists.”

Cassie and her best friend fly to the Balearic Islands, only the bare necessities in their bags... Bikinis, suntan lotion, and sunglasses. They’re going to have a great time together on vacation. But what if the real reason for their trip had nothing to do with sightseeing and relaxing?

Agnes Ruiz is the author of several best-sellers. She had a huge success with her first novel “Ma vie assassinée”. She writes for both adults and children. Her short stories featuring the investigations of Detective Rachel Toury have also been highly successful in Europe as well as North America. Several translations are available. She is originally from Normandy (France) and lived in Canada for almost 20 years.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BadPress
• Release date: Oct 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781071566329

Book preview

For

For Julie

Chapter 1

Palma de Mallorca, here I commmme!

Me, Cassie Gauthier, 28 years old, single, #stillwaitingforlove, I’m ready for my vacation in Spain, in the Balearic Islands.

Tomorrow, the beach, bikinis, cocktails, and cappuccinos will all be homing in on me. I’ll be attracting them like a magnet.

I just finished my last purchase. A pair of sunglasses. The latest trend too! Little strips slide on each side of the glasses.  Coordinated colors to match my fantastic new bikinis. Pink, blue, mauve, yellow, and black! Really class! #loveattitude

Though I must admit that they did cost more than your regular old pair of sunglasses. 

I quickly squelched this foul thought. #loveyolo Who wants to wear traditional? Not me, that’s for sure!

Plus, vacations are made for having fun, having a blast. Forgetting your troubles.

So I took my credit card out and gave it to the magpie-cashier. (Well, I called her a magpie as she never shut up.) Not that she was talking to me. She was jabbering on to her colleague/friend right behind her, the one who was describing her new boyfriend in a sickening and screechy high voice. 

Though my heart did skip a beat when the cashier turned to look at me. Eyes of a trout-cashier out of the water! She gave a loooooong sigh. She wanted to be anyplace else but here where she was totally bored to death.

I almost felt like telling her just change jobs lady.  I luckily didn’t though.

Your credit card’s mute.

What do you mean, ‘mute?’

It happens sometimes, she answered lackadaisically.

She’s answering as if she had landed on some inhospitable shore. Her colleague even stopped filling the shelves to peer at me. All of a sudden she can’t take her eyes off this potentially broke customer. #shame

"Keep on smiling Cassie girl, you’ve got nice teeth, now’s the moment to show them off."

The cashier took my card and rubbed it on her t-shirt. #seenthisbefore

There you go, try again.

She didn’t even crack a smile when she handed me my card back. The card, that’s it. Maybe I can still change my mind? It’s not like I already paid, is it?

Plus, and I have to admit this, I already have three pairs of sunglasses. All purchased in the last two weeks. For my vacation.

My vacation tomorrow, I’m singing in my head. Already anticipating the pleasure.

So no, certainly not! I’m not going to abandon them. I feel them calling to me from the counter.

Nonetheless, I’m not too sure of myself here. Everyone is looking at me. Not just the cashier and her colleague. All the other customers too. I want to disappear into a mousehole. #evenmoreshame

I feel like I can hear them talking about me. It’s frankly humiliating! They must be saying to themselves that I don’t have enough money to buy the glasses. Or that I’m in the red, etc., etc.

Which is not exactly false, either. Like everyone, my bank account doesn’t stretch!

Except when I’m not in the red. I must have about a hundred euros in my account. And I’m going to be paid in what, three days at the very most.

For the past couple of months, I’ve been employed as a secretary and reception desk agent. A hostess, in other words. That’s the new and trendy job title. I do fixed term contracts in fields where I’ve got the skill sets they need. I go where they send me and do the work they ask me to do.

All that just to say that I know about human nature. When I’m in the office, I put my troubles away in my desk to give my company a good image. That’s what this cashier should have been doing. 

Chapter 2

I persisted in wanting to buy these shades. Like I actually needed them.

Anyway, no way was I going to lose face in front of those two employees. And even less so for all the other customers gawking at me in the shop.

It still won’t go through. Do you have any cash or a check?

Now I am bright red. #maximumshame

At that point, several outcomes were rushing through my brain.

Option 1 - run away, and fast.

No, as the saying goes, being ridiculous never killed anyone. I don’t want to see if this is actually true.

Option 2 - tell them I changed my mind?

I’ve already vetoed this terrible idea. These sunglasses are to die for.

Option 3 - gracefully assume this situation and wait for... a miracle!

The neurons in my brain are nearly overheating now.

What was happening to me was not normal. Their machine must be defective. That’s the only conclusion I could come up with!

I don’t understand, I replied quickly. I just used it to pay for my lunch and a cappuccino.

That may have been one too many purchases, someone mumbled.

I turned around and saw a tall brown-haired guy wearing a blue polo. His eyes were hidden behind sunglasses.

What an idiot! We’re in a store, I couldn’t help but thinking.

Plus it’s plain bad luck for me! With those glasses, I couldn’t distinguish his features. Was he joking, irritated, just in a bad mood?

I decided to stand up for myself. I wasn’t going to let this jerk trample me down. He could just mind his own darn business.

I’d like you to know that one cappuccino is never one too many!

In the meantime though, you can’t pay for your glasses, he continued. You’re making us all lose time here.

He’s got a smirk on his face that I’d love to shove down his throat. I’m in ninja warrior mode.

I don’t think I asked for your opinion!

And with that, I stuck out my chin, showing him how outraged I am. And turned away from this vulgar character.

My catastrophic situation had not budged though. I had to concentrate. "Think of your vacation, Cassie. Tomorrow, cappuccinos, bikinis #love, yum yum! What could be better?"

At least that worked.

Except that I just remembered