Tuesday, September 2, 2014

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West

"Money can't buy a good first impression."

Seventeen year old Caymen Meyers and her single parent mother live in the tiny apartment above her mother's store, Dolls and More. Her father split as soon as her mother found out she was pregnant and his wealthy parents paid her mother off to keep her from seeking support. They reside in a small beach town where only two types of people live; the rich and people who sell things to the rich. Caymen is working for her mother when a rich boy about her age comes in. He is looking to buy a doll for his grandmother's birthday. She helps him pick something out and tries to keep her sarcastic attitude towards the wealthy in check. She barely succeeds. Wrapping up his purchase, Caymen notices that his name is Xander Spence from his credit card. He begins to catch on to her humor and tries to get her name. He is unsuccessful and leaves. Xander has made an impression on Caymen, whether she likes it or not.

Mrs. Dalton is a frequent customer in the shop. She comes into the shop one day to check on a doll that she ordered for her granddaughter's birthday. Caymen lets her know that it will be delivered the next day. Mrs. Dalton is unable to come back in and tells Caymen know that she will be sending her grandson Alex instead. She asks how Caymen's mother is and she answers ok. Mrs. Dalton leaves before her mother, Susan, comes in from the grocery store. She asks Caymen to leave the shop unattended (an unusual request) and finish carrying the bags up to their apartment. She finds her mother sitting on the couch and lets her know that she will finish unpacking later. At the end of the business day, she finds it odd that her mother never came back down to help in the shop like she normally does. Caymen finds her mother cooking dinner, which is unusual. She offers to clean up while her mother lies down to read a book. Caymen sees that her mother didn't eat much and on her way to her room, she sees that she has fallen asleep.

The next day Caymen is surprised to see Xander come back into the shop. It runs out that Xander is called Alex by his grandmother, Mrs. Dalton. This time, Xander is determined to learn her name. He calls his grandmother to let her know that he has the doll and that the owner says hello. When he says that it isn't Susan, Xander finally learns Caymen's name. He smiles and Caymen doesn't want to admit to herself how that makes her feel. On Saturday, Caymen goes into the shop early because she couldn't sleep. She is startled when the phone rings and it is Xander. He has been to the bakery and has muffins to share. She opens the shop door to let him in. He is surprised to learn that she lives above the shop. They start a game of asking each other questions but neither really learns much about the other before Xander leaves. When her mother asks her who called, her the first time in her life, Caymen lies. She doesn't want her mother to know about Xander.

Soon, Xander and Caymen find themselves spending time together and have more in common than they could have imagined. It seems both are expected to take over their family's respective businesses. Caymen knows that Xander oozes money but when she discovers that he is the heir to a hotel chain, she discovers just how rich he is. With her mother’s experience with her father, Caymen is leery to become involved with a rich boy, no matter how cute he is or how much he understands her. Rich boys seem to have short attention spans when it comes to girls. She knows her mother will never approve of Xander.

Can Caymen overcome the differences between her and Xander to see that maybe they belong together? Is Xander serious about Caymen or is she just a passing interest? Why is her mother acting strange? Will Caymen ever reconnect with the father who abandoned her? What will Caymen's mother say when she finds out about Xander?

No comments:

Post a Comment