by Robin Janney
Angela laughed and then smiled at her perpetually angry sister. “Are you sure you don’t want to come over too? There’s plenty of room, Cassie, and you’re always welcome.”
Cassie shook her head vigorously, her blonde and purple tresses mesmerizing. “I have better things to do than hang with losers.”
“Yeah,” said Jared in a mock whisper. “She’s probably going out with John Wells that night and suck face.” The pre-teen boy made kissing noises.
“Oh, grow up!” Cassie threw in a curse and flipped them both off before storming away, her clunky heels making a racket.
Even the pastor was frowning in their direction now.
Jared groaned. “Great. She’s running off to Trina’s and it’ll be my fault somehow.”
“Or mine,” mused Angela. She wished she had the courage to stare back at the people still mingling in the sanctuary. “I’m sorry things are so hard for you Jared, especially since a lot of Cassie’s attitude is my fault.”
“Don’t say that!” Her younger brother shook a finger at her, oblivious to the surrounding scrutiny. “We’re each responsible for our own choices and behaviors. Jesus said to turn the other cheek, not an eye for an eye.”
“Oh, so now you’re going to be the little sage and not the annoying little brother!” She ruffled his dark auburn hair, laughing when he rushed to fix it. “Consider me firmly rebuked. You’d better get to your class before you get in trouble. I’ll see you Wednesday night.”
“Bye Ange.”
Angela gathered her purse and Bible, hoping to make it out the door before Pastor Mark could corner her. She’d been able to avoid the pastor last Sunday but knew it was hopeful to think she could do it two Sundays in a row. She was almost to the door when he met her, his hand reaching for hers.
She put on a smile and let him shake her hand.
“Angela,” the pastor chided. He smiled just enough to show the dimple in his chin. When it came to looks, he really wasn’t a bad looking man. “You have been avoiding me. No, don’t try to deny it. I don’t blame you and in fact, I’d like to apologize to you.”
“Oh?” Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I thought you’d be angry I was rude.”
“I was at first,” he admitted, still clinging to her hand. “But when I realized how insensitive I had been, your rudeness was easy to understand and forgive. I said things I shouldn’t have.” He squeezed her hand. “Please don’t hold it against me.”
“I won’t.” Although she wished he’d let go of her hand. His skin felt clammy to her.
“Good, I’m glad to hear that!” His smile seemed genuine, but she’d learned long ago not to trust this smile. “Are you having dinner with your parents today? If not, you’re welcome to join us at the parsonage. The Thompson’s are going to be joining me and Nora is bringing her macaroni and cheese.”
“I can’t,” she said, though she loved Nora’s macaroni and cheese. She pulled her hand, hoping he’d get the hint and release it. She was going to start panicking soon if he didn’t. “I have to be at work soon.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Mark, his expression darkening. “Some other time then.” He patted her hand before letting go.
Angela slipped away from him and out the door into the gray morning. She waited until she was across the street before she wiped her hand on her silky skirt. If he kept this up, she was going to have to change churches. There were a few other eligible women in the church who would be glad to have his attention. Alice was close to their pastor’s age, and Angela thought they’d make a cute couple if Pastor Mark would be willing to open his eyes to someone else.
If she didn’t hurry, she was going to be late. Hurriedly she changed from her church clothes into jeans and a sweatshirt. She didn’t have time now to change her hair, tying it back into a ponytail. A braid would ruin the curls she’d put in and it seemed a shame to ruin them that way. She made a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich, eating it as she jumped into her car. It was beginning to rain, otherwise she’d have walked as she had to church.
By the time she’d clocked in and stepped into the deli, the rain was coming down hard. The grayness and the chill only increased her melancholy. Becky was off this afternoon, so Angela was on her own after she took over for Emma. There were a few spurts of activity, but the afternoon dragged.
In a free moment, she stood in the deli doorway. She’d opened the inside door to try to release some heat from the ovens; everyone wanted pizza today. The cool air flowed over her, and she let the sound of the rain drum away her thoughts. She felt numb. Maybe Michelle was right, and she was just too tired.
A throat cleared behind her. She turned and the man who stood beyond the deli counter said, “Now here is a young lady who looks far too sad.”
Where had he come from? He was a handsome older man; his shockingly red hair was graying at the temples, but his green eyes were sharp. His three-piece suit looked out of place in the country store, but he wore it well. He was almost smiling.
Crossing the deli, Angela managed to return his small smile. “Not sad,” she said. “Just down in the dumps. Probably just the rain.”
“It’s all the same, my dear.” Wrinkles sprouted at the corners of his eyes as his smile widened. “And what would a beautiful young woman such as yourself be depressed about?”
The stranger’s probing was a little uncomfortable for her. Especially since she didn’t know how to answer this question. She shrugged. “Just the general state of things, I guess. Is there something I can get for you? The broccoli salad is fresh, I even put bacon bits in.”
He chuckled. “If you made it, I’ll have some. A small bowl will be fine. Also, two pounds each of Dutch Country ham and prosciutto, and two pounds of provolone.”
Angela set about filling his order. “Do you want the meat and cheese thin or thick?”
“As thin as possible, please.”
“I’ll do my best. Give me just a few minutes.” She hoped he’d take the hint and wander off.
“No problem,” he replied. “I don’t mind waiting. Do you mind if I ask you something?”
Why? she asked the heavens. Not slowing down, she shrugged. “I guess.”
“What about the general state of things has you depressed? Such a pretty face shouldn’t be so serious.”
What a sexist thing to say, she thought. Still, his concern seemed genuine. She’d never run into a more concerned stranger before. How to answer him? “I guess I’m just tired. I go to the vet college over in Jordan. My schedule’s a bit tight right now.”
He made a disapproving sound. “Sounds like quite a load, Angela. How do you manage?”
It wasn’t the first time she’d run into someone who knew her without her knowing them in return. This man did look familiar, but she couldn’t place him. “A kind boss, a bottle of painkillers and lots of prayer.”
The tall man surprised Angela by laughing. “And a sense of humor too from that reply!”
She made a noncommittal sound. “Not everyone thinks so, but thank you.”
“So, you consider Craig Moore to be a kind boss?
“Despite what my pastor thinks, yes. I believe him to be extremely kind.”
“Good.” He seemed pleased at her answer. “Not everyone can say that about their boss. Not everyone can say that about Craig Moore.”
“Then they don’t look close enough!” snapped Angela. She slapped the price sticker on the package she had just finished weighing. As she continued to speak, she pulled a small cardboard carryout box from under the counter and put his items in it. “Sometimes just because it looks like a duck and swims doesn’t make it a duck. The ‘ugly duckling’ was actually a swan.”
He was silent as he watched her. He cleared his throat. “There is wisdom in what you say.”
She glanced at him sharply before taking stock of the order before her. On a whim, she drew a smiley face on the lid of the Styrofoam bowl of salad she’d scooped him. “It’s not wisdom, i
t’s just logic.”
“Call it what you will, I stand corrected.” He was smiling again. “I’m impressed.”
Blushing under his praise, Angela slid the box across the small counter. “Thank you. Here’s your order. Will there be anything else?”
“No, I have everything I came for. Thank you, Angela.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know your name.”
“I apologize. I’ve seen you at the bank, but we’ve never spoken.” He offered his hand. “Everett Crane.”
She shook his hand, surprised at how warm he felt. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Crane.”
“Call me Everett. And thank you for the conversation.” He released her hand with perfect timing. He took his small box in hand.
“No problem. Have a good night, Everett.”
“You too, Angela. Don’t let the state of things get you down too often. You never know when things will change.”
He was already walking away, so she didn’t bother to reply. Especially since Flo was coming from the other direction. The older woman waved as she approached, and Angela had to wave back.
“Hello dear. Is the cake I ordered done?”
“Let me check,” she said. She stepped around to the refrigerator. She pulled out the small cake box on the top shelf and brought it to the waiting woman. “Here you go!”
“Thank you dear. Have a good night.”
“You too, Flo.” Angela waited for her to disappear from sight before sighing. She jumped in surprise when the screen door opened. Crap, she’d forgotten about closing the door. No wonder it was feeling cooler in here. She laughed at Craig poking his head in.
“Is she gone?” he whispered.
Angela looked again to make sure, still laughing. “Yes.”
“Good.” He came all the way in. “I heard you tell Everett you’d put bacon bits in the broccoli salad and wanted to try it.”
“Oh, okay.” She turned to get a bowl for him.
“I’ll get it, Angela.” He reached past her and grabbed a bowl before she could.
“Go for it,” she said. She felt like giggling, and then it hit her. “Wait…wait…oh my God…that was Everett Crane? The Everett Crane?”
“One and the same,” said Craig as he shut the deli case. He dug a spoon into the salad and sampled it. “I like this. Make it like this every time.”
“You should try it with real bacon then, it’s even better.”
“I’ll do that.” He started back towards the screen door. “Stop in to my office before you leave tonight. I want to talk to you.”
“Am I in trouble?” she teased.
He laughed. “No. I just want to talk to you without the chance of Flo walking around a corner.” He pointed over her shoulder. “She’s coming back, by the way.”
Angela turned as the door shut behind him. “Hi Flo!” she called. “Is everything okay?”
Flo sat the cake box on the counter. “This is the wrong cake, dear. I looked up at the front register. It says Connor. It’s supposed to be for Jimmy.”
“I am so sorry.” Angela took the cake back. “I’ll check the refrigerator again.” No matter how much she looked in the cool refrigerator, there was no other cake. “Hang on! I’ll have it fixed in a jiff.”
As Angela opened the box, Flo called out. “No, don’t bother dear. I’ve changed my mind. Sorry for the waste.”
“What? Wait, Flo!” Angela hurried back, but the other woman was already walking away. She called after her anyway. “I can fix it!”
Flo just waved her hand and kept walking.
Great. Going back to the cake, she lifted the box lid. It quite clearly said ‘Happy Birthday Jimmy’ on it. Grabbing the deli phone, she dialed Becky’s home number. “Hi Becky, I’m sorry to bother you…”
The other woman spoke knowingly. “Flo stiffed you on the cake, didn’t she?”
“She did. What’s up with that?”
“She’s been doing this for a month now. She’ll call an order in and then refuse it. I don’t know what her problem is, early dementia maybe. I’ll talk to Craig about it when I’m back on Tuesday. We’ll probably stop taking her orders.”
“Alright, but what should I do with the cake?”
“Buy it you want. If not, I’ll take care of it Tuesday.”
“You’re the boss.” After hanging up, Angela put the cake back in the refrigerator. Maybe she’d buy it for when Jared came over. She’d have to feed him something. She hadn’t used the employee discount yet, maybe it was time to start doing so.
The rest of the night preceded without further incident, giving her moments to ponder her interaction with the infamous Everett Crane. He was the biggest name around, owning everything from the casino in Lipton to the Sawyersville Auto Salvage where she had bought her car. There were rumors he had several less than legal business dealings.
But he had noticed her sadness. He had drawn her into a conversation and they’d chatted like he’d been a farmer from down the road. Sort of.
And then she let it go. Until she wandered back to Craig’s office after clocking out. She had a feeling he didn’t want to discuss anything about the store and was she ever right.
Craig gave her his office chair to sit in, something he’d been doing since the night they’d watched the videos of her former coworkers stealing from their cash trays. Not that she was back here often since then, just once or twice. She spun in a circle as her boss grabbed the wooden chair and straddled it, an amused expression already on his face.
“So, I happened to overhear your conversation with Everett.”
She stopped spinning and looked at him. “Oh yeah. That was interesting.”
“Why do you say it like that?” he asked.
“I’m trying to be polite. I don’t want anything I say to be misconstrued.”
Craig held back a laugh. “Even though I’m the only one here?”
“Especially since you’re the only one here!”
“I’m really not sure how to take that,” he said chuckling, running a hand through his hair.
“Now you know how I felt.” Angela shook her head. “I have no idea why he was talking to me like that. Talking in riddles gives me headaches.”
“I don’t know about that. Sounded straightforward to me. Not like some of our conversations. Some of ours leave me wondering for days.”
“Same here!” Angela laughed. “I don’t know if we’d know what to do if we were ever to have a straightforward conversation.”
“We seem to be handling this one so far.”
“So we are. Do you suppose this could be the start of a trend?”
“Maybe,” he said. “I’d like that.”
“Me too. How long were you listening to me talk with Everett?” she asked, recalling how the conversation had touched upon her boss.
“I heard it all. I was sitting out there when you opened the door.” He shrugged, smiling at the blush spreading across her face.
“Oh. I’ll be sure to check next time. Do you know Everett well?”
He let her divert the conversation. “Not really. He stops in occasionally for exactly what he got today. I think he was sore I outbid him on the store and stops in to see how things are going.” And then he turned it right back to where he wanted to go. “By the way, I like what you said about the duck and the swan.”
“Thanks,” she said, waiting. Her eyes were curious.
“I also liked the answer you gave him about coping.” Craig lowered his eyes to concentrate on the wood seams in the floor. “Did you mean it? I mean, I’m asking because I know it’s not just the school which makes you sad and tired.”
“And since I didn’t tell him everything, you think I’m fudging about the rest?”
“Something like that.”
“I’m not in the habit of spilling my guts to random strangers, but aside from mentioning an occasional meal from my mother…and an occasional sleeping pill, I was telling him the truth.” She wished he’d look back up at
her.
“Every word?” her boss asked for clarification.
She nodded, having seen his eyes glance her way. “Every word. I have this big bottle of ibuprofen at home and carry a few in my purse because you never know when one will come in handy. I pray whenever I can, for everything for a little more sanity to ‘please God make Flo go the other way.’ And I’m talking to my boss right now.”
Craig looked up at her, his brown eyes searching hers. “Your kind boss, remember?”
“I remember.”
“So even though your pastor tells you otherwise, you still think I’m kind?” He hadn’t liked the other man since the day after Susan and Cori’s robbery and the insensitive pastor had teased Angela over her mistake. At least now he knew it was a mutual dislike.
“Craig, I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it. The only reason some people think you’re unkind is that you hold yourself aloof and people interpret it as who you really are.”
Both his eyebrows raised. “Everett was right about you, but he failed to mention you’re observant too.” And then they fell because this time she said there were others. It wasn’t just her pastor’s opinion. At least it was only ‘some’ people. “Have you considered that the reason others might think I’m unkind and you don’t is that you’re the only one I’m kind to?”
“Really? I don’t buy that,” she said firmly. “I’ve seen your kindness to others.” Her fingers began to tick them off. “You let David have a full week of paid paternity leave. It wasn’t vacation, I asked. And I know I’m not the only one you’re flexible with hours and pay. You don’t dock Larry when he’s late from football practice. You’re lenient with him too. You fed Princess, a stray. Kindness to animals counts. And,” she annunciated the simple word for emphasis. “I happen to know for a fact how just last week you not only carried Mildred Langtree’s groceries to her car for her, you also followed her home and carried them into the house for her. She told me you even helped put some of the heaviest groceries away…because she reminds you of your deceased grandmother. And according to her, you do it for her all the time! Don’t try to deny it!” She was pointing at him now. “Millie goes to my church, and she pulled me aside to let me know how sweet you are. Besides, why would you single me out for kindness?” She surprised him by snorting in disbelief. “If you and others want to believe the worst in you, go right ahead. Some of us know better. Don’t ever try talking me out of believing the best about you.”