The Secret of Isobel Key (excerpt)

Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

“I quit!” Lou’s words echoed around the checkout line, and customers craned their necks to see what was happening.  Red faced, Lou looked down at her register in embarrassment.  Her manager patted her shoulder.

“Let’s go back in the office to talk about this.”  He turned, expecting her to follow. 

“No!” Louder than she’d intended, Lou stood her ground.  “You heard me.  I’ve had enough of this store.” As she spoke, she tossed her nametag on the counter, feeling a sense of triumph.  She hadn’t rushed through her degree to spend her life selling books to cranky customers.  An errant brown curl flipped over her eye, and she pushed it away.  Under the shocked gaze of her manager and the curious stares of a snake-like line of holiday shoppers, Lou escaped.  Embarrassment set in as soon as she was outside, and her icy blue eyes filled with tears, but she refused to cry.  Not yet.

She headed for the nearest T stop, tucking her chin against the bitter December wind.   She’d walked this easy route between the bookstore and the T ever since she started college four years ago, and her body took over while her mind churned.  She’d landed the job at the suburban bookstore shortly after she arrived in the city, and at the time, it had been perfect; she got a discount on books, and she was able to work with people she really enjoyed.  Besides, it wasn’t like she was going to work retail forever.  Sighing, she paid her fare and took her seat on the train bound for the city center.

Lou had raced through her studies, finishing her BA in only three years, but then she’d hit a road block.  She didn’t really know what to do with her liberal arts degree when she’d finished her classes that summer, and so when her manager suggested she shift to full-time at the bookstore, Lou had agreed.  It was better than nothing, right?

Suddenly, the weight of what she’d done hit her, and she buried her face in her hands.  What was she thinking, quitting her job like that?  Lou replayed the afternoon in her mind.  Nothing had happened today that hadn’t happened a thousand other times.  Maybe it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back: four years of answering bizarre questions and dealing with customers who thought they were always right had finally taken their toll on her psyche.

But now what would she do?  She was unemployed the week before Christmas.  Lou slumped in her seat.  Unless she figured something out, and fast, she might have to move back in with her family.  Her mother had been hinting at that, anyway, ever since the summer.  It wasn’t that Lou had anything against her family, not really; her parents had adopted her shortly after her birth, and they’d never made her feel like anything but their cherished only child.  But she’d just turned 21, and Lou had never planned on moving home.  Lou snorted disparagingly; that was funny. It almost sounded like she’d ever had a plan.

Shaking her head, Lou glanced up as the train rolled to a stop.  Standing unsteadily, she tried to ignore the raging pity party in her mind. As the doors whooshed open, the cold winter air assaulted her again.  For the first time she realized that she’d left her coat behind in the employee lounge.  Hesitating for a moment, Lou considered taking the train back and getting her things. 

“There’s no going back,” she whispered.  Even the excuse of her coat might be enough to put her in her manager’s office, begging for her job.  Lou hated the fact that she’d made a scene, but she realized she’d hate herself even more if she begged to be allowed to keep working long hours at minimum wage.  Shivering, Lou hurried up the stairs and out of the tunnel.  The old black light posts were swathed in candy cane stripes, and every window she passed displayed some holiday decorations.  What a time to be unemployed, Lou thought sourly as entered her apartment building.