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Vivian felt her face grow red. She had never, ever spoken about sex with anyone before. Not really. Sure, some of the women in her social circle chatted about it sometimes, but she mostly just listened and laughed along with them. It wasn’t something she’d ever felt comfortable sharing personally.
“Oh, you poor thing,” the woman cooed, taking her silence and obvious discomfort as answer enough. “I tell you what,” she said, rushing behind the counter and stooping down.
Vivian watched curiously from her place across the room as she listened to her rummage around for something. When she popped back up, her brown eyes danced with excitement, and she hurried around to Vivian, thrusting her hand out.
“The next time you find yourself in a position to use it, try this.”
Vivian opened her hand out of reflex and just plain good manners, and the woman dropped a travel-sized bottle into her palm. Vivian frowned. “Is this…lubricant?”
“The best kind! It reacts with your body temperature and provides a cooling and warming effect, heightening sensations and sensitivity for both partners, and I don’t have to tell you what that means. Orgasms!” she said giddily. Grabbing both of Vivian’s hands in hers, she squeezed. “I can’t tell you how many fantastic romps I’ve had with this stuff,” she confessed, her voice a conspiratorial whisper.
Vivian was beyond embarrassed, her face flaming hot. She was just thankful that they were the only two in the store. “Um, that’s…great?”
“You’re skeptical. That’s okay. Once you try it, you’ll be saying, ‘Jenna, give me more of that jelly!’ Just you wait ‘n see.” She winked knowingly and headed back to the display she’d been working on, turning a porcelain cat a scant inch to the left.
Vivian’s head was whirling. This woman was something else! She’d never met anyone so confident in their sexuality. No wonder people were talking. She had no doubt ruffled their feathers—in a good way.
Putting the bottle of lube into her purse, she wandered around the space, checking out its wares. “You have a lot of nice stuff,” she told her, taking a closer look at a quill paired with an embossed silver inkwell. “Have you been in business long?”
“It’s a family business, actually. My grandfather opened it back in the thirties, and my mom and dad took over after his stroke in the seventies. When they retired, it was passed down to me. It survived the Depression, wars, economic downturns. No matter the age, people always love a deal.”
“That’s impressive. So business is good?”
Jenna gave her a what-do-you-think look. “Especially in the summer when the county participates in the state-wide garage sale and flea market thing. People from all over the country pass through here buying up as many antiques and collectibles as they can find.”
Vivian’s eyebrows arched. “That must be a sight.”
“I tell ya, you think the people in this town are strange? There are some interesting characters out there.”
Vivian hadn’t and wouldn’t say that much, but she understood her meaning. “I’m from Chicago. You haven’t seen strange until you’ve gone out after midnight in the city.”
“I don’t know much about Chicago, but I’ve always wanted to visit New York.” Jenna surprised her. “I hear the Big Apple is amazing. Expensive, but not to be missed. It’s on my bucket list.”
Vivian picked up a set of wooden spoons, one engraved with ‘Shit stirrer’ in the dip used to scoop up food, and carried it to the counter. “You want to travel?”
“Are you kidding? I want to see the world,” Jenna effused. “Isn’t that what brought you all the way out here?”
“Not exactly,” Vivian shared, knowing it was a topic that would invite questions. “Sometimes life doesn’t go your way, so I decided to explore my options, see what else was out there waiting for me.”
Jenna’s smile was positively bursting. She took the spoons and typed their price into the old-fashioned cash register. “Adventurous. We need more people like you around here. These small towns can get oppressively stale. Two dollars.”
Vivian pulled the money from her wallet and accepted the plastic bag stamped with the shop’s name in exchange. “The pace is a little harder to get used to, but I’m enjoying it so far.”
“You’re staying with Gretta, right?” Jenna asked as Vivian slowly made her way toward the exit.
“Yeah, she gave me a room for as long as I want it.”
“Good. She could use someone to keep her company. We don’t say it much, but we all worry about her being all alone up there in that big old house ever since Pete passed and she had the heart attack.”
Mystery solved. Vivian nodded as if she fully understood. “I’m glad I can help,” she offered, not really sure she was much help at all.
“Well, you take care, and make sure to tell Gretta hello for me.”
“I sure will,” Vivian promised. “Thanks for the spoons.”
“Anytime. Don’t be a stranger.”
Waving, Vivian let herself out and made her way back to the wagon, where she saw Gretta already waiting in the passenger seat.
