Candles

04 | J E T T

BITING THE END OF MY black pen, I unconsciously watched Harry do his job for the past hour and a half. I watched him deal with almost every customer that had walked into the shop. He even smiled at some of them as he listened to what they needed help with. I had no idea he was even capable of smiling, honestly. He was staring at each customer so intently that it looked like he was really listening to them and really wanted to help them out.

And I would be, too, by next week. I would listen to the customers just like Harry was doing right now. Clare helped the customers purchase their items and that seemed to be the only thing she did around here. She occasionally went to go see what Harry was up to but other than that, she stayed sitting behind the desk with me sitting right beside her on a very uncomfortable chair. I had not really moved from my spot. I only stood up once and that was to go use the restroom in the back of the shop. I stayed back there for a while because I dreaded coming back and just sitting for the next couple of hours while Clare and Harry had all of the fun.

Lunch was in less than an hour and my stomach growled with every passing minute. It was practically eating me alive. If Clare had heard it growling, she kept her mouth shut and I appreciated it. My breakfast did not seem to fill me up and I knew I would have to bring a snack with me or something tomorrow. The door to the shop opened and the little bell above the door jingled. Harry stopped what he was doing to go greet the woman and she smiled when she saw him. They wrapped arms around each other and I was suddenly confused. What...was happening?

"Who's that?" I asked Clare.

"Who's who, darling?" she looked up from the paper she was scribbling on.

"Her," I did not want be rude and point and I sat on my hands to keep myself from doing so. "The woman with Harry."

"Oh, Jillian? She's close friends with Harry. She usually stops by a couple of times during the week to check up on him. She is just a sweetheart, I tell you. Even though she doesn't work here, she helps out around the shop. She doesn't even ask for anything in return. Isn't that the nicest thing you've ever heard?"

"And you allow that?" I was curious.

"She knows what she's doing. She does a damn good job at it, too."

"Hmm," I hummed.

Why did she hire me, then, instead of her?

This left an unsettling feeling in my stomach. I felt out of place here before but now...now I felt as if I stuck out even more. Everyone here knew what they were doing except for me. I had just been sitting here on this uncomfortable chair. I wanted to be out there doing what Harry and Jillian were doing. They were just putting bottles of herbs on the shelves. How hard could that possibly be? Clare was sitting beside me with a smile on her face. I adored her, but she could be teaching me some stuff so I could go ahead and get started.

"Do you have a close friend, Sydney?" It was her turn to ask me a question. "Anyone special I should know about?"

I shook my head, "No, not anymore."

"Ah, well, I'm sorry to hear that," she patted my back gently. "You're a very beautiful young lady."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you have a special friend?"

The older woman chuckled and showed me the ring on her finger, "I'm married, sweetheart. He's more than just a special friend."

I laughed along with her and looked back at Harry and Jillian. She was helping him put items on the shelves still and she seemed to know exactly what she was doing. I wondered how long she had been helping out around here. I looked down at my lap and sighed. What if Clare thought Jillian was better for the job and replaced me with her in the future? I really needed this job and I didn't want to get fired because someone knew how to do the job better. Hell, I did not even know how to do my job, yet. Would I be any good at it once I learned?