Rose

Chapter Twelve: Vacation

He got to work around nine, an hour before he should have. Ruth was already there, restocking the cooler. She looked up, her eyes hidden by her pink wire-framed glasses, which she shoved up the bridge of her nose after Rose tied his apron around his waist.

"Now what are you doing here?" Ruth asked, taking a sip of her to-go coffee cup. "It's Saturday, we don't open 'till ten.

Rose nodded. "I know. I went on another hike to Sheffield's Peak this morning, got back earlier than I expected. Figured I could help set up."

"Well, fine, but I ain't payin' overtime."

Rose smiled wholesomely. "I know. I'd never asked for it."

Ruth gave a knowing smile, pointing to the cardboard boxes of newly purchased flowers near the door. "Grab those for me, sweetie." Rose happily complied. "Now, what were you doing up so early? I went hiking that trail with my daughter last summer, it took quite a while to get to the peak."

"Well, I couldn't really sleep last night, so I woke up super early. Maybe four-thirty-ish? So, I decided to pack some art supplies and do some painting, since I gave my original painting of Sheffield to Alec for his birthday last year."

"Why couldn't you sleep?"

"I'm going on my first vacation in memory, remember? Me and a friend of mine are going down to Topsail Island -in North Carolina- for the weekend. That's why I took the first half of Monday off."

"Oh, right! Right, right, I remember, I remember. Take pity on my old brain, now, I'm fifty-four years away from birth." Rose smiled a bit. "Now, who's this friend?"

"Oh, um..." Rose paused. Should I tell her? Would she figure it out? Would Alec be mad? Well, he's picking me up from work, so she'll probably guess anyway...but I don't want him mad at me...

"Alec and I. He found it outrageous that I've never been to the beach, so he's changing that the best he can." Rose blushed a little bit, a pink tint washing his features. "He's picking me up after work, we're staying with a friend of his."

"Really? Oh, that's great. His uncle, Archie, well he just loves working his crew to the bone. Alec really deserves a vacation, what with all the heavy lifting he's been doing."

Rose nodded. "Yeah. Plus he's been on the suspension a lot lately, he hates it."

"Oh, I know. That boy's been scared of heights since he knew he could fall."

"Petrified. I took him hiking with me and he nearly passed out."

Ruth laughed. "We always said that the mountains were the wrong place to live for a kid so afraid of tall things."

"That's what I said!"

The two smiled, making fun of one of the best people -they'd both admit- in their lives. Rose was excited. He didn't have a bathing suit, nor did he want one, but Alec said he'd pack one of his from middle school just in case. Rose gave him a bitter look for implying that he could where something belonging to a thirteen-year-old, but sure enough, when they tried it on, it fit perfectly. Rose crossed his arms and rolled his eyes as Alec threw his head back laughing, shoving the old pair of blue-and-black swimming trunks into his suitcase, a muscle shirt from ninth grade to match.

"It's not your fault you're tiny," Alec said the night before, zipping his black duffel bag shut. "But that doesn't mean you're not adorable."

"'Adorable?'" Rose repeated, offended. "I am one hundred and five pounds of pure fury and destruction, thank you."

Alec smiled a little bit. "Yeah, but we're trying to get you up to at least one-twenty, so..."

"Why?"