Damsel in the Dust

11

I freeze in the doorway, watching Christian walk down the street across from us. Jake and Maive have both stopped and are staring at me, but I can't peel my eyes away from Chris.

What is he doing here? I search for a reason, any reason, other than the one that chills my heart: he's looking for me.

"Leah?" Jake asks. I can hear the alarm in his voice.

Chris crosses the road, heading straight for us, but I can't get my legs to move. My mind is screaming at my body to dodge behind a display, to go anywhere but the doorway, but my limbs aren't responding. He comes closer, heading straight for the door, and I still can't move. I'm imagining all the ways I can beg him not to tell Shawn when he opens the door and steps inside.

"Hey there!" The attendant chirps, "If you need help findin' anything, just let me know."

He brushes by us, and I try not to turn into a puddle on the floor. Up close, I can see that this man is shorter, with darker hair than Chris. It wasn't him. What had I been thinking? Paranoia like that is what's really going to get us in trouble.

"Leah? Are you ready?"

I focus on Jake's voice, on the mission I've created for myself to help these two. I try to remember that by helping them, I'm helping myself, and we'll all be better for it.

"Yep! The Yellow Rose is right around the corner, let's see who's there that might be able to help you out." I hope I sound normal. My heart is still fluttering like a trapped bird, and the look Jake casts in my direction makes me think he knows it.

We walk outside, heading down the block to the Yellow Rose. The café is part old school diner, part coffee shop, with cozy nooks and crannies or a long bar to choose from. It's also the best bite in town - my mouth waters just thinking about their apple turnovers.

It's still early for lunch, so the only people inside are Stephanie - Stephie, to everyone that's known her since second grade - and a couple of retirees indulging in a slice of pie and reminiscence of the good old days. I head for the counter and pull out a barstool, Jake and Maive flanking me on either side.

"Hey, Leah! What brings you into town?" Stephanie calls over her shoulder as she pours coffee for the gentlemen at the other side of the counter.

I wait for her to turn, sending a silent prayer into the universe that she won't draw too much attention to my tagalongs. It's a wasted wish.

"What the hell... where did you find this tall drink of water?" She squeals, turning her attention to Jake.

I can almost feel Maive rolling her eyes beside me as I rush to get ahead of Stephie's assumptions. "Stephie, this is Jake and his sister Maive. They're friends of my cousin, Cody. You remember Cody, don't you?"

"How could I forget?" I know she's remembering the endless amount of crap I gave her for kissing my cousin in the sixth grade. "Is Cody in town too?"

"Are you looking for a reunion?" I tease.

"Not when I've got something sweeter on the table," she says, eyes roving over Jake.

"Jake's here looking for work," I snap, softening my tone to ask, "Do you know of anyone looking for extra hands?"

"Depends," she says, settling into the counter across from Jake, "what kind of hands you got?"

"Um, can I order?" Maive interjects. Stephie pulls her gaze away from Jake as if it takes every ounce of energy she has.

"Sure sugar. What can I get you?"

Maive orders a milkshake and fries, sending Stephie back to the kitchen and giving us a reprieve.

"Sorry about that," I tell them, "I should have warned you that she can be a bit much."

"It's okay," Maive replies, "I bet Jake didn't even notice. But one more pass and I was going to hurl all over this place."

"I am a man, Maive. I notice... things," he protests, glancing at me. My stomach flips.

Stephanie returns with a chocolate milkshake and a plate of fries, sliding them in front of Maive with a wink. Then she calls down to the other end of the counter.

"Jerry, honey, do you know of anyone looking for a pair of strong arms around town?"

One of the retirees swivels on his stool to face us. "Strong arms! Who needs strong arms?"

"I was hoping you could tell me, Jerry," I call, waiting for him to recognize me.

"I'll be damned. Is that Leah? Leah Pilcher gracing us with her presence? What's the occasion?" Jerry asks, standing to cross the room and swallow me in a hug that smells like aging old spice and reminds me of autumn afternoons spent plucking ruby red apples. Jerry's orchard was my favorite place as a child. I loved climbing as high as I could to find the sweetest apples, so high up I the things on the ground didn't matter anymore. Sometimes I still wish I could disappear into a tree and forget about the troubles on the ground.

"Hey Jerry," I say, hugging him back. "I'm looking for a job for my friend. Know of anyone that needs help around here?"

"I can think of plenty of people that need help around here, but maybe not the kind you're qualified to offer," he chuckles. "What about Johan? I heard the missus is pushing him to retire. No kids though, and no one to take over, so that stubborn ass is still going at it."

"Stubborn as hell, Abernathy," says the other retiree, waddling his way over to us. "Heya Leah. Who's the man on your arm today?"

Marion is small, prone to gossip, most of which stems not from nosey women but from Bob Richfield. Bob ran the local paper for forty years and still sniffs out a good story once in a while in his retirement. I refuse to let this conversation end up in the daily gossip column.

"Just a friend, Bob. This is Jake. You think Abernathy would be willing to talk to us?" Mrs. Abernathy was always sweet, the quintessential grandma type that seemed to never run out of cookies or patience or butter. Johan, on the other hand, could be unpredictable, especially when it came to his business.

"Can't hurt to ask, right?" Jerry says.

"I don't know anyone else that could use at hand right now," Bob adds.

"I could use two," Stephie chimes in.

Maive rounds on Stephanie and gives a sweet smile, "When can I start?"

Surprise flits across Stephanie's face before she settles into a broad grin. "Oh, I like your spark honey. If you're serious, I could use a hand on the weekends. Actually, I could use you tomorrow. Got a band coming in for some live music, should be quite the crowd."

"I'm serious. Do I keep all my tips?" Maive asks, polishing off her shake.

Stephanie laughs at this. "Yes sugar, you can keep your tips. Need you here at four, okay? Leah, seriously, where'd you find these two? They're great."

Too many questions. It was time to go.

"Told you, they're friends with Cody. We'll see you around Stephie, Jerry, Bob."

Jake and Maive give courteous "nice to meet yous" before heading out the front door. I toss a few bills on the counter for Maive's meal and start to follow, but Stephanie calls after me.

"You go hoarding all these hunks and you'll get yourself in trouble, Leah," she calls. I should have known she'd still be sore at me over what happened with Shawn. If she only knew what she'd really lost when he picked me instead... But of course, I can't tell her that.

"Leave the girl alone, Stephie. If a man isn't interested, he's not interested," Jerry says. I cast him a grateful smile as he leads me to the door.

"But when a man is interested, anyone can see it," he adds, just for me to hear.

I'm not sure if the feeling in my heart is hope or horror. I should know better than to hope, though.