I raised my hands. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”
She blinked in my direction before a scurrying sound made its way out of the dumpster she stood near.
“It’s still there,” she hissed. “I think it’s watching me.”
“Did no one warn you about the raccoons?”
“No, they didn’t! And why would they need to warn meanyway? Do they attack?” She backed away as her voice only went higher. “Do theybite?I don’t want rabies!”
“Okay, hang on a second. The raccoons are friendly. Most of them anyway. Jackie keeps them as pets, I think.”
Piper slowly turned to me, jaw agape. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No. It’s all over the Facebook group.”
“What? This has to be a prank. Are you messing with me right now?”
“Just give me a second.” I said it slowly as I walked to the dumpster. I flipped the lid open only to see multiple sets of eyes staring back at me. “Oh, it’s a family.”
“Yeah. What am I supposed to do with those beady little eyes watching me?”
“Hang on. I’ve got this.” I went through the back door of the shop to where I kept cat food. I laid some out on the ground in a trail toward Jackie’s shop. “Now we back up.”
“What?How do—” She paused and then shook her head. “You know what? Fine. I’ll play along.”
Piper and I both moved to the side.
Two raccoons and a baby came out and slowly moved in the direction of the food.
“What the fuck?” Piper whispered.
I hushed her. Just her whisper freaked out the raccoons. We fell into a tense silence as we watched the group of them scurry away.
“It’s handled,” I said.
“Thank you.” Her voice was back to normal. “I probably overreacted there.”
This is where I should’ve walked away. I’d done so well today.
And yet I couldn’t.
“You didn’t. I acted the same way the first time I saw them too.”
“So, everyone is just fine with them hanging around?”
“Kind of. We tolerate it for Jackie.”
“And who is Jackie?” Piper asked.
“A hairstylist. She owns the salon a few doors down and lives above it. She came in as you were leaving and always gets a pumpkin spice latte.”
“Got it,” Piper replied with a nod. “I bet I’ll have a use for that coffee order someday.”
At her slow smile, I looked away and rubbed the back of my neck.
“Probably not. It’s just what I choose to remember about people.” I’d learned far too much about them when doing handyman work, but I couldn’t complain. Even when they didn’t have to, everyone here paid well. The STM grant had given me a stipend to buy the most expensive of the equipment, but the townsfolk were the reason I could afford the rest of the opening costs.
“It’s a good thing to remember,” Piper replied as she adjusted her handle on the trash.
