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Samuel: Gotta go. The dead wait for no one.
Me: Was that a joke? Did you seriously just crack a funny? I’m so proud of you, Sam-I-Am! *insert happy wiping tear gif*
Samuel: Goodbye, sister. Get your receipt book out of the back of the drawer. It’s underneath the daily deposit sheets beside the inventory folder.
Me: Boy, you know how to have a good time, buddy.
He doesn’t respond. Slipping my phone into my back pocket, I stare at the offending electronic device one more time, secretly praying for it to magically fire to life. When nothing happens but that damn blinking cursor, I groan loudly and reach for my mocha, clipping the cup with my fingers and sending it flying. The plastic lid on the top pops off, spilling four dollars of premium Joe all over my new sample packets of lotions and perfumes.
“Son of a bitch!” I bellow into the empty store at the exact same time the bell chimes above the door, notifying me of a customer.
“Well, what did my mother ever do to you?” Mr. Douglas asks with a wide grin as he enters.
“Oh my gosh, Mr. Douglas, I’m so sorry you heard that. You know I wasn’t referring to you…or your mother,” I apologize profusely, reaching for a roll of paper towels and giving him a look of regret. The truth is, however, his mom really is a grumpy ol’ bitty. Annie Douglas is a snippy, snarky old woman who most of the town gives a wide berth to. They also helped spearhead the lynch mob that tried to delay my building permits and license approval. They didn’t feel a sex shop was the ideal business to have located beside their precious hardware store.
Little did they know, they are two very different things that can actually work hand in hand…
“Ehh, you’re fine, dear. Mother is rather bitchy most days. And how many times do I have to ask you to call me Bud?” he asks, hands in his pockets and a friendly smile on his face as he approaches my counter. “Oh, dear, what did you do?” Bud reaches for the paper towels and helps blot up the mess.
“I’m having an off morning. First my computer died, and now I spilled my coffee all over the new samples,” I tell him, dumping the small packets out of the basket.
I run in the back quickly and rinse out the container. While it’s drying, I head back up to begin the daunting task of hand cleaning all of the small samples. When I reach the front, Bud is there, wiping each one down and setting it aside in a new basket he found under the counter.
“You don’t have to do that,” I tell him, reaching for a stack and starting to clean.
“I don’t mind, dear. Plus, I might as well get used to having some free time. I’ve decided it’s time to retire.”
I stare wide-eyed at the man who runs the hardware store. He has definitely aged some over the last two years, but he seems to be doing fine health-wise. “Are you…okay?” I ask, choking up a little on the thought of Bud being sick. He seriously is the sweetest, kindest man I’ve ever known. In fact, I’ve sort of placed him in the position of father figure, considering my own dad is too busy traipsing around the world with his new wife. The one who’s my age.
“Oh, I’m fine. Great, actually,” he says, throwing his paper towel in the trash and leaning against the counter. “Kitty and I have been thinking about getting one of those RV things and doing some cruising.
I smile. “I can see you both doing that.”
“Well, now that she’s retired from the school, I think it’s time to take a step back from the hardware store. I have a great group of guys who work there, and they’ll be able to take the reins and keep it going strong.”
Again, I offer him a warm smile, which he returns. It’s amazing that a man as genuine and caring as Bud can come from a pair of grumps like Annie and Ernest. Not to mention he and Kitty birthed the spawn of Satan himself. Thinking about their son, Latham, gets my blood pumping in a whole different way. He’s a jerk, an ass, and the last time I saw him, I might have punched him in the gut and slammed my heel into his foot.
“Anyway, I just stopped over to tell you the news. I’m going to help through the end of August to train my replacement. Then, we’re off to see the countryside,” he adds, pushing his glasses up his nose and flashing me another grin.
“I’m happy for you.” I truly am. Kitty was the first official customer I had when I opened my doors, and Bud delivered fresh coffee cake to me that very afternoon. Something about the ivory and navy bra she chose and how it…complemented her skin tone nicely.
Right…
He heads toward the door, but stops before he can exit. “Oh, I’ll send my guy over shortly. He’s a wiz at computers.”
I stand there, stunned, and eternally grateful for the gesture. “Thank you, Mr. Douglas.”
“Bud,” he reminds me, as he waves and slips out the front door.
I straighten up the front counter, rearrange the new line of panties on the front display table, and dust the shelving that houses my bath and body products. I desperately need more space. I have so many amazing ideas and items I can offer Rockland Falls, but unless I want to hang it from the ceiling, I’m about out of options. I can’t even search space-saving display ideas on the Internet because my computer is down.
Sighing, I reach for my phone and send off a quick message to my sister. Marissa is probably having sex, lucky bitch. Not that I’m envious of her relationship with Rhenn, but more that she gets some regularly, and from a smokin’ hot man to boot.
Marissa met Rhenn two months ago when our family’s bed and breakfast caught fire. He was the electrician hired to rewire the house during the reconstruction phase, and the sparks definitely flew. I convinced her to have a little no-strings sex with the man, which ended up being the best thing that happened to either of them. They fell in love. Rhenn relocated, from his hometown about three hours away, to be closer to my sister, and they’ve been sneaking in amazing everywhere-sex as often as possible.
See? Lucky bitch.
The bell chimes once more and I quickly put my phone away. Two young women enter the shop, each holding the signature cup from the coffee house down the street, laughing, and carrying on. I’m instantly jealous of their caffeine-infused goodness, sad I had to go and spill mine. Maybe I can talk my bestie, Freedom, into making a quick coffee delivery.
