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Many years later,Ember still recalled her father’s words when she had a difficult customer—like right now.
Take a breath,make a connection, she told herself.But her face flamed bright red with licks of purple. Take a breath,make a connec tion ...She tried again. Take a breath!MAKE A CONNECTION!
Too late.
KABLAM! She exploded,smashingthe shop’s glass countertop.
Ember waved the smoke away and cast an apologetic look at the shocked customer.
“Sorry,”Ember said with an embarrassed laugh.“Sorry about that.Sorry,sorry.”
Two Fire shop regulars,Flarry and Flarrietta sat nearby.“She almost went full purple!”said Flarrietta.“I’ve never seen anyone go full purple!”
“Sorry,everyone,”called Ember as her father hurried over.
“Oh!Please forgive my daughter,”Bernie added.“She burns bright,but sometimes too bright.”
He blew out a burning flower on the customer’s hat.“Nice hat,by the way,”he said.“Let me make you a new batch!On the house!”
The customer nodded.But she turned on her heel and walked away.
Bernie started making the kol nuts while Ember scooped up the broken glass.
“Sorry, Àshfá ,”she said.“I don’t know why that one got away from me.”She put the glass in her mouth and started chewing.
“Oh,you are tensebecause of the big Red Dot Sale tomorrow,”said her father.“It has us all at a broil.”
“I guess,”she admitted.Ember finished chewing and blew the glass into a long glowing tube.She flattened the glass into a pane.“It’s just...some of these customers get me all... grrr .”
“I know,I know.Just do what we practiced,”said her father.“You are so good at everything else.”
“You’re right,”said Ember.“I’ll get it.I just want you to rest.”With one last inhale, she put the final touches on the glass pane.
“Mm-hmm,”she said,feeling proud of her work.She slid the glass back into the countertop with a satisfied sigh.“Done.”
Bernie continued to make kol nuts,but then he started coughing.
“You okay?”asked Ember.
Bernie sniffed.“Just tired.”
“Let me help,”insisted Ember.
Bernie caught his breath while Ember finished making the nuts.
From across the shop Flarry called,“Bernie,that cough is terrible.”
“Almost as terrible as your cooking,”said Flarrietta.
Bernie laughed.“ Ê...shútsh ,”he said.“Sheesh.”
“When you gonna put Ember out of her misery and retire,huh?”asked Flarrietta.“Finally put her name on the sign out there?”
Ember listened.When would her father retire?
“She will take over when she’s ready,”Bernie simply replied.
Ember cracked a joke to hide her disappointment.“And speaking of‘ready,’we are more than ready for you to actually buy something,”she told Flarrietta,“if you’d ever get up off your lazy ash.”
Everyone in the shop burst into laughter.“Oh!”they called.“Burn!”
Bernie smiled.“But she is so close,”he admitted.“I mean,she’ll probably never do deliveries as quick as me...”
Everyone laughed again.
“...but actions speak louder than worms,”he continued.
“Words,”corrected Ember.
“Words!”Bernie echoed.
“You don’t think I can beat your record?”She picked up a timer,cranking the dial.“Because I’ve been taking it easy on you so I don’t hurt your feelings,Mr.Smokestack.But game on!”
As the timer ticked,Ember hurried to pack up the deliveries.Bernie watched,a proud smile flickering across his face.