Page 20 of Echoes in the Storm
“Call it a date.” I throw her a sly wink.
It sends her into fits of laughter as she scans and bags my goods with a speed that belies her sixty-four years. She could have retired a while ago, but I think she secretly enjoys the chance to get paid for catching up with her “children”. She’s a mother figure to those of us who’ve stayed local after school finished, always there to lend an ear, or in my case, offer support when it was needed most.
“Saw you with that toy of hers.” Ava tips her head toward where my bag sits on the far side of the scanner.
Yeah—she also calls me out on my bullshit.
“I saw it in there when I was putting my keys away,” I reason. “I didn’t search it out on purpose.”
“Maybe not, but why have you still got it in your bag, honey?”
I hold her soft and soothing gaze. “You know why.”
She clucks her tongue and rearranges the vegetables so my celery stalks won’t tip out of the bag. “A busy woman like you needs more iron in her diet, you know.”
“What?” I protest with a chuckle. “I’ve got lots of vegetables and yoghurt.”
“And one tray of meat.” She perks an eyebrow. “More iron, miss. If you don’t buy it, I’ll show up on your damn doorstep after my shift and bring it to you.”
“Okay, okay.” I hold my hands up. “I’ll buy more … next time.”
“Good.” She totals the order and leans back on her seat while I do the payment. “You showing up for the school fundraiser this week?”
“You know I wouldn’t miss it.”
Doesn’t matter that I have no children at the kindergarten anymore. I owe it to them for the effort they’d put in when I needed the help, to repay the favour.
“Apparently I’m in charge of face painting this year,” I tell Ava. “One of the guys on our crew has a son who goes there. He gave me the box of paints the other night and wished me luck.”
She chuckles, tearing off my receipt and handing it over. “Girl, if that work of art on your face is anything to go by, you’ll be fine.”
“It’s only a bit of eye shadow and liner, Ava.” I tuck the paper into my shopping, purposefully avoiding my bag.
“When you’re as old and wrinkly as me, love, you don’t bother putting anything on your face anymore, so it’s nice to see someone who takes the time to do it right.”
“Say hi to Ed for me, and tell him I said he needs to take you on a date.” I leave her with a smile and head out to the car to load up with the groceries.
Archie’s tow truck cruises past as I place the last bag into the boot of the BMW, heading away from his shop. I close the car, and watch as he takes a corner and disappears from view.Guess that meeting didn’t take long.If Duke tried pulling the same attitude he did with me, then I can guarantee Archie would have shut it down just as fast.
My stomach grumbles as I open the car door, making it known Donna’s muffin wasn’t enough to fill the gap. I mentally catalogue what I bought, planning what I’m going to devour first as I pull out of the car park and head for home.
I make it as far as the edge of town before my food-fantasy is brought to an abrupt halt. I should have taken the long way home for a change, avoided passing the motels on my out. Except I didn’t, and yet again, the Good Samaritan inside of me reaches for the handbrake as I come to a stop on the side of the road.
I really need to learn how to mind my business.
Duke
“Cody, you need to help me with this.”
“I can’t. I told you, I’ve got nothing left after buying the damn thing.”
I rest my head in my free hand, hunched over on the side of the highway using my bag as a seat. “Exactly. Which is why I can’t trust you to pay me back, either.”
He sighs down the line, clicking his fingers in the background—a nervous habit he has when he’s thinking hard about something. “I could ask Mum?”
“Like fuck you will. She gave up bailing you out of the shit when you got a job, bro.”
The phone call’s turning out as to be expected, given the day I’m having. First, I pissed Cammie off, and then, the only place in town that sold the right charger for my phone was fresh out of stock. The one good thing to happen so far was finding out Archie used the same phone, and that he was gracious enough to let me use the charger so I could run the repairs past Cody. A week to get the part couriered in, and then two days to get the job done—and all at the relevant expense for such a big job. Which is a lot.