Lovestruck Summer by Melissa Walker (best management books of all time txt) 📕

that too. Rick looks around at the pile of packages around him. “Well, Mondays are pretty hectic,”he says, scratching his chin stubble. “Jade here can probably use a hand unpacking and organiz- ing. And there’s a big festival we’re working on for the beginning of August, so around then we might need more hands. Right, Jade?”I look down at Jade and smile. She shrugs. “Whatever,”she says. “Sweet,”says Rick, standing up to shake my hand. “Welcome to Amalgam, Quinn the late-night caller.”

36 “Thanks!”I say, allowing myself a huge beaming smile. “Just Mondays, now,”he says. “There’s only one intern desk, and Jade here’s been working on it for a while.”“No problem, sir,”I say. Oooh, sir? That word sounds so stupid out loud. He laughs and shakes his head as he walks by us to the back part of the offi ce. I notice Jade’s also shaking her head. But not laughing. She looks up at me with those gorgeously messy eyes. “Well, sit down and start unpacking!”she snaps. I join her on the fl oor and grab a pair of scis- sors to open up my fi rst box. I don’t care if she’s mad. I am offi cially offi cial. Well, on Mondays. Yes! Jade warms up to me slowly as I help her get everything in order. She tells me that she grew up in west Texas, and that her older brother’s band used to be on Amalgam, before they split up. She’d always wanted to check out Austin, so her brother helped her set up this internship and she’s staying in his apartment while he’s on

37 a solo tour for the summer. “I’ve already been here for a month,”she says. She explains to me that on Mondays, there are usually a bunch of packages—demos from wannabe Amalgam bands, inventory shipments that need to be cataloged for the music closet, and general inquiries from fans and managers. “It’s like the big mail day,”she says. “And I guess Rick’s right—I can use the help. On Mondays.”It’s very clear to me that I’m going to have to fi nd something else to occupy my time Tuesday through Friday this summer. We alphabetize Amalgam CDs, fi le fan let- ters in “To Read”folders on top of the desk, and make a stack of new artist demos. When we get to an advance copy of the Walters’new album, I jump up. “The Walters are my favorite band,”I say. “Uh, that’s cool,”says Jade, grabbing the CD from my hand. “This is top secret though, so . . .”“Oh, sure,”I say. “I mean, I wasn’t going to take it or anything.”Jade silently goes back to opening boxes.

38 “But do you think we could maybe listen to it?”I ask. I can’t help myself. “Calm down, fan-girl,”says Jade. “Maybe later we can ask Rick, okay?”“Okay,”I say. “I love opening all this stuff, by the way.”I really mean it. There are new bands to discover in every package, amazingly decorated fan letters, and mailings about every show in town. “It gets old,”she says. “You’re jaded,”I say. “No, I’m Jade,”she replies, making a seri- ous face. We both burst out laughing then, and the slight tension that’s remained between us seems cleared. “I’m from North Carolina,”I say, realizing that Jade hasn’t asked me a single question since we’ve been sitting here, but I’m ready to talk to her more now that the ice is broken. “Cool,”she says, not paying much attention. “Yeah, so I’m down here staying with my cousin Penny in her condo,”I say. “But I have to sleep on the couch because her cross-dressing dog has the second bedroom.”

39 “What?”asks Jade, suddenly interested. “Seriously!”I say. “Penny’s this huge soror- ity girl at UT with metallic Tri-Pi letters and a rush book and the requisite little white dog even!”Jade laughs. “Penny sounds like a total character,”she says. “I don’t know how I’m going to make it this summer,”I say, feeling slightly guilty about diss- ing Penny with the fi rst stranger I meet, but also relieved to have someone to talk to who might understand my objections. “You can hang out with me if you want,”says Jade nonchalantly. “I mean, I’m not from Austin, but I know the scene here. Amalgam people have to go to a lot of shows and stuff.”“Yeah, cool,”I say. Inside, I’m ecstatic. I think I just made my fi rst real friend here. “So do you have a boyfriend?”asks Jade as we walk outside to a taco stand at the edge of the parking lot to grab some lunch. “Nope,”I say, choosing a fi sh taco and a Coke while Jade gets a bean burrito. We sit down on the parking lot curb to eat,

40 and I decide to trust Jade a little more. “I actually really want to meet a guy here,”I say. “Ooh, yeah,”says Jade. “Summer fl ing.”I laugh. “I guess,”I say. “I just never really found my type of guy back in North Carolina, and I thought maybe Austin would be the per- fect place, since there’s such a great music scene and lots of smart band guys.”“There are also lots of frat boys,”says Jade. She takes a big bite of her burrito. “I’ve already met one of those,”I say, think- ing of Russ and his irksome personality. “They’re not all bad,”she says. “Just mostly.”I put my taco down as sauce drips on my arm. I grab a napkin and wipe it up, then I gaze across the parking lot. “I can picture him,”I say, probably sound- ing too wistful for my own good. “Your dream guy?”Jade asks, smirking. “Yeah,”I say. “I guess that sounds dumb.”I pick up my taco. “No, it doesn’t,”she says. “Do tell.”“Okay,”I say, carefully fi nishing my chew

41 before I lapse into the vision I have. “Dark hair and perfectly hip glasses—meaning either black frame classics or those larger, slightly tinted ones that Alpha girls think are nerdy but that I know are truly stylish.”Jade laughs encouragingly. “Go on,”she says. “He loves the Walters, of course, but