"Seriously?"
"Well, at least, in Chapel Hill."
Tolliver crossed his arms. "Explain. Because right now all I'm seeing is the cashier trying not to fall asleep next to the lotto tickets."
He was right, I realized. The guy behind the counter, who looked about our age, was leaning on one hand, his head bobbing as he tried to keep his eyes open.
"This"—I held out my arms—"is the Gas-n-Go on Everwood. It's my sanctuary, Stone."
Tolliver's lips twitched.
"The best, brightest, most brilliant convenience store around."
"Well, your best and brightest's bathroom seems to be out of order. So, clearly not the cleanest."
I followed his gaze to the sign, declaring the restrooms out of commission, but I was undeterred. Gesturing for him to follow me, I walked to the third aisle, stopped about halfway down, spotted my target and snagged two round containers. Walking to the back, I opened the correct door and reached up to get us drinks. I got one, but the second didn't slide to the front like it was supposed to. It was stuck, and I couldn't quite reach.
"Ramen and something in a can?" Tolliver tsked. "Come on, Kent. We can do better than this."
"Shhh," I said, hushing him. I looked around but didn't see what I needed.
"What's up?"
"Someone moved my step stool."
Tolliver tilted his head toward the front. "My money's on Sleepy."
It wasn't lost on me that Sleepy had gone from leaning on one hand to full out laying his head on the countertop. Even from here, I could see a small bit of drool trickling out of the side of his half-open mouth. I winced.
"Must be tired," I said. "We don't need to bother him."
"Yeah, from giving all that excellent customer service," Tolliver said.
I squinted at him. "Trying to decide if I like sarcastic Tolliver."
A grin.
"He's definitely an improvement over smiles-all-the-time Tolliver."
That got a full-on laugh, and I turned back to frown up at the drink. Even if I jumped, I didn't think I'd be able to get it. I tried anyway and huffed when my feet were back on the ground.
"Freya?" he said. "You need something?"
"A little help," I said begrudgingly, "would be nice."
"You got it."
As he reached past me, his other hand landed on my waist.
"How many do you want?"
I swallowed. "Just one."
"You sure?"
As his thumb caressed my hip, I shivered. "Yeah."
Tolliver nodded, brought the drink down, and held it out to me.
