Читать книгу Slow Talkin' Texan - Mary Baxter Lynn - Страница 10

Four

What was that noise?

Ellen paused just inside the back door of the shop and listened, certain she heard something, something that sounded very much like smothered giggles. Of course, that couldn’t be. It was only a smidgen past eight-thirty in the morning. Her part-time helper, who was a college student, wasn’t due in until around ten, opening time.

Yet Ellen heard the sound again. She frowned at the same time that her heart upped its beat. Could the noise be rats? God forbid. That thought panicked her more than an intruder.

Easing down her carryall and purse, she tiptoed toward the front of the shop, only to pull up short and stare, her mouth gaping.

Janis Waller, her employee, was going at it hot and heavy with some young man. She had no idea who he was. His back was to her. Nonetheless, she could hear the sucking and moaning sounds resulting from their kissing and fondling. From where she stood, she could even see him squeezing one of Janis’s breasts.

When she finally found her voice, Ellen snapped, “The party’s over, kids.”

If she had screamed fire, they couldn’t have been more stunned. They broke apart instantly. Janis’s hand flew to her mouth, while her eyes, wide and round, landed on Ellen.

“Uh, Ms. Saxton, I didn’t expect—” she stammered.

“That’s obvious.”

Red stained the petite redhead’s cheeks as she faced the young man. Though his back was still to Ellen, she sensed he was as shaken as his girlfriend. His shoulders were as rigid as a block of wood, a block of wood that seemed suddenly familiar.

“Maybe you should introduce me to your friend,” Ellen said with a coolness she was far from feeling.

The red stain in Janis’s cheeks flared even more as the boy inched around. For a moment Ellen simply stared into his ashen face, trying not to show her shock and anger.

“Hello, Kyle.”

“Hi, Aunt Ellen.”

Another silence lasted for several heartbeats. Ellen broke it on a harsh sigh. “First off, why aren’t you in class?”

Kyle, Meg’s only child, was a senior in high school. By all accounts, he should have been in first period—unless he planned to cut classes altogether. From the looks of things, that was exactly what he planned.

If she hadn’t come in when she had, would they have been on the floor making love? Kids!

“Are you going to tell Mother?”

“No, you are.”

Though big and strong like his daddy, he seemed to wilt like an unwatered flower in the hot sun.

“I...can’t.”

“Oh, yes, you can.”

His features turned a sickly green. “She’ll kill me.”

“I doubt that, but she might want to.”

Kyle’s mouth turned down, giving it a sullen twist. “She’s been on my case about everything lately.”

“You should’ve thought of that before you pulled this little stunt.” Ellen focused her attention on Janis. “What’s your excuse?”

“I didn’t think you’d catch us,” the girl said with unexpected honesty. “I figured Kyle would be gone before you got here.”

Ellen shifted her gaze back to her nephew. “So you weren’t planning on playing hooky?”

“Nah.”

Ellen didn’t believe him for a minute, but she wasn’t about to argue. She felt sorry for her sister. This wasn’t the first trouble Kyle had been in, and it wouldn’t be the last. Still, Meg was going to have a conniption fit. With her husband ill and on the road, this stunt would worsen an already volatile situation.

Ellen held out her hand. “The key, Janis.”

What a mess, Ellen thought, as she took the key from the girl and slipped it into the pocket of her slacks. Janis Waller’s parents were both wealthy and well-respected. She had met them at a party shortly after she’d arrived in Nacogdoches. The party had been in their home, and they had asked her to give their daughter a job. Janis needed something to keep her busy when she wasn’t in class, they had told her.

Ellen could understand why now. But she had trusted Janis enough to give her a key in the event that she herself couldn’t get there to open on time. Until now, the young woman had never given her a moment’s hint that she was anything other than trustworthy and reliable.

“When did you two become an item?” Ellen asked into the growing silence.

The kids looked at each other, then both shrugged. “Several months ago,” Janis finally said.

“I see.”

Janis fiddled with the collar of her blouse. “Are you going to fire me?”

“Don’t you think I should?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Janis said, lowering her head.

“Only I wish you’d give me another chance.” Her head popped up, and her eyes were pleading. “My parents’ ll kill me, too.”

Ellen didn’t bother to hide her disgust. “Cut the dramatics, both of you. While I’m certainly offended by your actions, I’m more upset that Kyle wasn’t in school.”

“I hate school,” Kyle muttered.

“So did I,” Ellen said coldly, “but I still went.”

“You don’t understand.”

Janis looked at him, then reached for his hand. “Please, just go. Okay?”

“Yeah, I’m outta here.”

He leaned over and kissed Janis full on the lips, as if to show Ellen that she didn’t scare him. Ellen swallowed a sigh along with the urge to grab him, turn him over her knee and wallop the living daylights out of him. He was too old and too big for such antics.

Besides, he wasn’t her kid. Meg and Ralph were responsible for her nephew’s behavior, not she, thank goodness. However, she was worried. Kyle’s armor of belligerence was a legitimate concern.

Once he was gone, Janis stared at the floor again before looking back up at Ellen. “I’m sorry. Really I am.”

“I believe you.”

“You do?”

Ellen smiled. “Yes.”

“What about Kyle?”

“What about him?”

Janis hesitated, a frown marring her forehead. “He’s been acting kind of squirrelly lately. I’m not sure what’s going on.”

“Me, either. But right now, you and I have work to do. There are six boxes to unpack. That’s your job.”

“Then I’m not fired?”

“No. I believe in second chances, but not third ones.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Ellen ran a hand through her hair, and her palm came away moist. Damn, but it was hot, she thought even though the air conditioner was on as far as she dared turn it. The shop was still in the red, and she had to be careful.

What a day, and it wasn’t over yet. The morning’s escapade with Janis and Kyle had started her off on the wrong foot. Things had gone from bad to worse. When Janis started unboxing the freight, half of the items shipped turned out to be either wrong or damaged.

She’d been furious and still was. But there wasn’t anything she could do about the problem except reorder, which took time.

Ellen glanced at her watch, noticing that closing time was only thirty minutes away. She had expected to hear from Meg sometime during the day; so far she hadn’t. Apparently Kyle hadn’t told her yet or she would have called demanding Ellen’s side of the story.

Just how serious were Kyle and Janis? But how serious did kids nowadays have to be to make love? God, she hoped Janis wouldn’t turn up pregnant. That thought sent a chill darting through her. At this moment, she didn’t envy her sister having a teenager.

The Lord seemed to have known what he was doing when he hadn’t given her a child.

The buzzer on the door sounded, drawing her attention away from her maudlin thoughts. She smiled at the customer, only to have that smile disappear. Mrs. Cavanaugh. What had she done to deserve this? Ellen asked herself. Especially at the end of a hellish day?

“I’m glad I caught you,” Ruth Cavanaugh said in her haughtiest tone.

“Me, too,” Ellen lied, plastering a fixed smile on her lips.

This tall, horse-faced woman had been her cross to bear from the first day she’d opened the shop. She was one of the richest, but most miserable, women Ellen had ever met.

“This tea set I bought yesterday doesn’t work.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s the wrong color.”

Ellen sighed and held on to her temper by a thread. “Would you like to get another one?”

“No. The other colors aren’t right, either. Besides, for what it is, it’s too expensive.”

Bitch. Ellen’s fixed smile broadened. “I’ll be happy to credit your account.”

“I want my money back.”

“That’s not my policy.”

Mrs. Cavanaugh’s watery-blue eyes—a perfect match for her watery-blue hair, Ellen thought cattily—hardened. “Then change your policy.”

“Fine.” Ellen opened the cash drawer and withdrew a hundred dollars in twenties. “Here’s your money.”

“Thank you.” With that, Ruth Cavanaugh turned and marched out the door.

“Damn!” Ellen muttered, feeling her stomach churn.

Coffee, Anyone? couldn’t afford many financial hits like that one and survive. But maybe she’d saved her reputation by returning the money to the cantankerous old biddy.

Deciding her troubles just had to be over for the day, Ellen went into the back room, remembering a gift she hadn’t wrapped. She had just climbed to the top rung of the ladder to get the right box when she heard the buzzer.

Wouldn’t you know it!

If whoever had come in spent money, she wouldn’t mind climbing down. But if the customer only wanted a cup of coffee, she would not be happy. Immediately Ellen chastised herself for that attitude. A two-dollar coffee customer today could return tomorrow and buy a fifty-dollar gift.

That thought sent Ellen scrambling down the steps and into the front room. She’d barely cleared the door when she froze.

“Hi.”

The last person she’d expected to see was Porter Wyman. Nevertheless, all six feet plus of him was leaning against the door, a smile strengthening the grin lines around his mouth and eyes.

Ellen cleared her throat and tried to collect herself. She didn’t remember his being so big or so good-looking. Although he was dressed in worn jeans, a casual shirt and scuffed boots, attire she normally frowned on, she couldn’t find fault with those clothes on him, a fact that didn’t set well with her.

“Hi, yourself,” she finally said, knowing she sounded out of breath. His presence had not only caught her off guard but flustered her, as well. Maybe it was the way he was looking at her with those unusual eyes, deep and mysterious.

“What can I do for you?” She couldn’t imagine what he wanted in a shop like hers.

Porter grinned and pushed himself away from the door. “Nice place you’ve got here.”

“You sound surprised,” she responded, stiffening.

He shrugged. “Tell the truth, I didn’t know what to expect. This isn’t my thing, you know.”

No kidding, she wanted to blurt out, but didn’t. Not only would that be rude, but ugly to boot But then, she was in an ugly mood, and his arrival had exacerbated it. Even so, she was curious.

“So how’s business?” he asked in an unhurried drawl, as if time was of no consequence.

“Fine.” The stiffness in her body and voice was more noticeable than ever.

She knew he was aware of her discomfort; his mischievous smile said as much. “I hope I’m not keeping you from closing up.”

“You’re not,” she said meaningfully, with a look at her watch.

“Good. That means you can finish and leave.”

She blinked in confusion.

“I came to take you to dinner.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said, taken aback.

“Why not?”

Ellen’s heart was suddenly pounding much too fast. “I just don’t.”

His eyes traveled the length of her body, just as they had the Sunday she met him, which brought another flush to her face. She sensed she was in for a verbal fight. He didn’t seem to be the type who took no for an answer, despite his laid-back demeanor.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, it’s okay if you don’t want to go to dinner .”

Ellen opened her mouth, then snapped it shut.

“Later.” He tipped his Stetson and walked out.