by Gerri Hill
Annie shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t know,” she said.
It was the same question and answer they’d had between them several times during the last ten days. They were headed to Fat Larry’s now, walking slowly down the sidewalk. Annie always parked at the marina near the city park and walked to the store. It was her lone form of exercise these days.
“I still can’t believe Matt’s gone.”
“I know. How do you think I feel? I was the last one to see him alive.”
And of course she knew what Suzanne’s next statement would be.
“I still can’t believe you slept with him,” Suzanne nearly whispered. “And then he dies the same night.”
Annie sighed. “I know.”
“So did you, you know, like him?”
Annie rolled her eyes. They weren’t in high school any longer, yet sometimes Suzanne acted like they’d never left.
“I liked him fine. He was cute. He was fun.”
“But I mean, did you—”
“No, Suzanne. Not like that. In fact, it was pretty much a disaster,” she admitted. She stopped walking, turning to Suzanne. “I only slept with him…well, because I haven’t been with anyone since Derrick.” She impatiently tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear. “I was starting to think something was wrong with me.”
“Oh, my God! Are you serious? You’ve been divorced four years.” Suzanne grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. “What about that guy from Corpus?”
“Jason? I never slept with him,” she said.
Suzanne dropped her arm and they continued walking. “What do you mean, something was wrong with you?”
Annie shrugged again, not sure how to explain to Suzanne how she felt. While she and Suzanne were close, good friends in fact, she still didn’t confide too much in her. Suzanne was still married to Derrick’s best friend.
“I haven’t had any interest in sex,” she finally admitted. She didn’t add that that was one of the major issues between her and Derrick. She had no desire to sleep with him. “The night I was with Matt, I didn’t either. I was going through the motions, nothing more. And then I started crying afterward and he freaked out.” She paused. “I mean, he was my boss. We’re in his office on the sofa. And we’re naked and I’m crying and he’s apologizing and through it all, I’m thinking, ‘Great, now I’ve got to get a new job.’ The thought of facing him every day, well, I knew I couldn’t do it.”
“Oh, my God,” Suzanne said again. “And then he died. You must have felt awful.”
“Yeah, thanks for reminding me,” she said as she pulled out her keys. But she stopped short when she opened the front door to Fat Larry’s, shocked to see someone inside. The woman was behind the counter, snooping around. For a moment, Annie panicked. Were they getting robbed? Then the woman looked up, a smile on her face. She looked friendly—and familiar—so Annie relaxed. “Can I help you?” she asked.
The woman came around the counter, her hand extended. “I’m Jordan Sims.”
Annie stared at her blankly before the name registered. “You’re Matt’s sister.” Of course she was. She’d seen her at the funeral. Besides, the resemblance was uncanny. Dark hair, dark eyes. Tall and lean, much as Matt had been. Jordan was dressed in an expensive-looking business suit, and Annie felt a little out of place in her shorts. Nonetheless, she reached for her hand, shaking a quick greeting.
“Yes. Older sister.”
“I’ve…Matt’s mentioned you before,” she said vaguely, wondering why she was suddenly nervous. “I’m Annie Thomas.” She motioned beside her to where Suzanne had been standing by mutely. “This is my friend, Suzanne. She…she doesn’t work here. She came by with me to open up.” Annie looked around. “Or…is that what you’re going to do?”
“No, no. I was actually hoping you’d show up. My mother said you had been handling things since…well, since Matt’s accident.”
“Yes. And I’m so sorry,” she said automatically.
“Thank you.” Jordan turned away, heading back to the counter, before pausing. “Nice to meet you, Suzanne.”
Suzanne nodded. “You too.” She then leaned closer to Annie. “My cue to leave, I guess.”
“I’ll call you later,” she said quietly, her gaze on Jordan and not Suzanne. What was she doing here? she wondered. Was she taking over? Well, there was only one way to find out. She walked closer to the counter, glancing around to see if anything was out of order. It appeared to be as she’d left it yesterday evening.
“I didn’t mean to run your friend off,” Jordan said.
Annie waved away her apology. “Suzanne doesn’t work so she’s got a lot of free time.” Jordan raised her eyebrows expectantly and Annie went on to explain. “Her husband works on oil rigs—offshore. Ten days on, ten days off. And her daughter is in the third grade.”
“I see. Must be nice not to have to work,” Jordan said as she leaned casually against the counter.
Annie smiled slightly, not wanting to contradict her. But when she’d been married to Derrick, she’d been a housewife like Suzanne. And she had hated it. She often wondered if they’d had a child, would she still be married?
“So…are you going to take over the store?” she asked.
“For the time being, yes,” Jordan said. “I used to work in here some when I was in high school.” Jordan looked at her pointedly. “Did we know each other then?”
At that, Annie laughed. “I guess not, if you don’t remember me.”
Jordan nodded. “I don’t get back much. I never really kept in touch with anyone.”
“I was in Matt’s grade,” she explained as she walked around the counter and put her purse on the shelf. “I think you were a senior when we were just lowly freshmen.”
“I see. Well, by the time I was a senior—” But Jordan didn’t finish her sentence. Instead she paused, looking around the store. “So, the sign says we open at nine. Most of the other stores open at ten.” She looked at her watch. “Yet you’re here at eight.”
Annie nodded. “The first hour is spent getting ready. Refolding T-shirts, mainly, and getting things back in order,” she said, going to one of the displays against the wall and holding up a shirt. “Customers pick them up, look at them, then toss them on top.” She automatically folded the shirt without thinking. It was a chore she’d been doing for the last two years. Then she, too, looked at her watch. She wasn’t surprised that Jessica was late again. She was always late. But ever since…well, ever since Matt’s been gone, Jessica had been coming in later than usual.
“I’ll help you do that if you’ll first give me a quick rundown on the place,” Jordan said.
“Actually, Jessica is supposed to be here,” she said as she placed the shirt in the proper bin. She headed toward the door marked Private. “First thing, coffee.”
Jordan followed her and Annie watched as Jordan did a quick inspection, her gaze traveling across the room, landing on another door.
“That’s…his office,” Annie said quietly. She felt a lump in her throat as memories of that last night with Matt surfaced. She shook them away, instead going to the coffeepot and filling it with water.
“My mother says she thought Matt stayed here quite a bit.”
“There’s a sofa in there,” she said. “He spent a lot of nights here. During the summer, we are so busy, it was easier for him to be here.” She glanced at Jordan quickly. “There are still three weeks—four in some places—until the public schools let out, but things were already picking up. Birders,” she said.
“Birders?”
“Spring migration.”
Jordan nodded. “Oh. Bird watchers. Do you cater to them?”
“Yes. We have a whole shelf of environmental T-shirts and some funny birding shirts. Then the ironwood carvings of birds. Those are a big hit.” She added coffee grounds to the basket, then turned the coffeemaker on.
“I noticed a…a popcorn thing out there.”
Annie smiled. “Matt said th
e smell of freshly popped corn would bring people in off the street. And it did. We keep a bin of cold bottled water too. We make the first batch of popcorn about eleven,” she explained. “All free.”
They both turned when the door opened and a yawning Jessica came in with a mumbled “Good morning.”
“You’re late,” Annie said. “Again.”
Jessica shrugged. “Does it matter? Matt never cared if I was late.”
Annie looked at Jordan and smiled. Jordan raised her eyebrows.
“Do we have…like, timecards or something?”
“No. Matt believed in the honor system,” she said.
“Who’s she?” Jessica asked as she waited patiently beside the coffeepot as it dripped. “Did you hire someone?”
“Not exactly,” Annie said.
Jordan stepped forward and held out her hand. “I’m Jordan. Your new boss.”
Jessica at least had the good sense to look embarrassed. “New boss?”
“Yes. I’m Matt’s sister. And unlike him, I don’t believe in the honor system.” Jordan turned to Annie. “Who else is supposed to work today?”
Annie pointed to the whiteboard. “We keep the schedule up here. Staci comes in at noon, leaves at six. Jessica is here until one. This is Brandon’s long day. He comes at one and works until closing,” she said.
“So only two of you here at one time? Is that enough?”
“Well, Matt was always here too. And in the summer, he would hire a couple of high school kids to work.” The coffee had finished brewing and as soon as Jessica poured a cup, Annie did the same. “Would you like some?” she offered Jordan.
“No, thanks. I was up at five and drank a whole pot already.”
“Five? Who gets up at five?” Jessica asked as she took a sip.
“People who have work to do,” Jordan said pointedly.
Jessica nodded. “I should probably…you know, start on the T-shirts.”
Annie smiled quickly. “Good idea.”
As soon as she was out the door, Annie turned to Jordan. “She’s a liability.”
“But she’s cute,” Jordan said. “I’m sure that was why Matt hired her.”
Annie laughed. “You knew him well, I see.”
“Is that why you got hired?”
Annie felt a blush light her face. “No. I had to beg for the job,” she said honestly. “Matt likes to hire, well, younger people.”
“You’re what? Thirty?”
Annie shook her head. “Don’t rush me. I’m still clinging to twenty-nine,” she said. “Jessica, for instance, is nineteen. Brandon is twenty-three, but he’s worked here since he was in high school. Staci is twenty-one.”
Jordan stared at the schedule on the whiteboard. “So if Staci comes at noon but Jessica doesn’t leave until one, then you’ll have an hour free?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve got a ton of questions. I’d like to sit down with you and go over everything. Noon?” Jordan turned to her. “What is your schedule?”
“Well, this is the week before finals. Dead week, they call it. I’ve been able to be here every day. I’m the only one who knows how to close. But next week—”
“Finals?”
“College,” she said.
“Oh. I assumed—”
“I’m a late bloomer,” she explained. She didn’t add that it was her divorce that prompted her to go back to college.
“Okay. So today you’re here, but not next week?”
“And this weekend, if you need me.”
“Let’s go over all of that at lunch then,” Jordan said.
“That’s fine.” She pointed to the door. “I should go help Jessica. We’ll be opening soon.”
Jordan nodded. “Thanks, Annie. For taking care of things since…well, since the accident. My family…we appreciate that.”
Annie topped off her coffee cup. “It’s no problem. Matt was a friend,” she said.
She left Jordan Sims then, going out into the store where Jessica had the music already playing. Matt had insisted on oldies. Anything from the sixties or seventies. She had to admit, the music had grown on her as she hummed along with an old Beach Boys tune.
She went about the routine of straightening the items on the display shelves—mostly knickknacks depicting life on the beach. They had the customary bins of seashells, but Matt had also added rocks. Quartz and crystals, agates and geodes, and even fossils now had a prominent display along one wall. She looked around. It wasn’t your typical souvenir shop. It had a nice variety of items, not only T-shirts and coffee mugs. Matt always said he wanted to keep it diverse with a good vibe. To him, summer beach music and fresh popcorn took care of the vibe.
As if on cue, a Jimmy Buffett song came on. One of Matt’s favorites, she noted. She suddenly missed him very much.
Chapter Three
Jordan didn’t know Annie’s preference but thought she couldn’t go wrong with a turkey sandwich from Subway. She picked up two and headed back to the store. She’d spent the morning going through Matt’s bedroom at the beach house. She’d thought it would be a hard, emotional task, but there were very few personal things there. Not a single picture was to be found and the walls were bare, except for a poster showing a surfer riding a wave. Yesterday, she’d gone about the task of stacking dirty clothes in one pile and clean in another. Mostly shorts, jeans, T-shirts. She’d dropped the clean clothes off at the local Goodwill store this morning. The dirty clothes were in a bag near the washer. She’d stripped the sheets and had washed them yesterday. At two this afternoon, Maria was going to meet her out there to start cleaning. She hoped she could sleep there tonight instead of at her parents’ house.
Earlier at the store, she’d only peeked inside his office. It was in a state of disarray and she couldn’t believe he actually functioned that way. She was quite the opposite. She couldn’t stand clutter of any kind on her desk. But until she knew more about how the store operated, she would leave it as she found it.
She went in through the back door instead of the front and headed directly into the cluttered office. She placed the sandwiches and chips on the desk, then went back out to the small kitchen. The fridge was stocked with water bottles and beer—Matt’s favorite brew—nothing else. She shook her head as she pulled out two waters.
“Oh, you’re back.”
She turned, smiling as Annie stood in the doorway watching her. “Just got here. I brought lunch. I didn’t know what your normal routine is.”
“Popcorn,” she said, holding up a small bag.
“I got us Subway. Turkey sandwiches,” she said.
“Sounds better than popcorn,” Annie said as she tossed a few in her mouth. “But it is addicting.”
Jordan motioned to the office. “Eat in there?”
“Okay. I guess you’ll want to go over his setup.”
“The office is a mess. Is there a setup?”
Annie laughed. “Matt couldn’t work with a clean desk. He swore he knew where everything was.”
Jordan sat at his desk and shoved some papers out of the way. Annie took a visitor’s chair and she, too, moved papers to the side.
“What is all this?”
“Even though everything is on the computer, Matt still liked to print it out. Shipping receipts, inventory, orders,” she said with a wave of her hand.
“What did he use for his accounting system? QuickBooks?”
“Yes. That’s where we keep our timesheets too,” Annie said, motioning to the laptop.
“So that’s Matt’s honor system? You log in and post your time?” she asked as she took a bite of the sandwich.
“Not exactly. Matt logged in every morning. We only put our time in. Well, we’re supposed to. If someone forgets, he would use the whiteboard and put in the hours based on the schedule.”
Jordan’s eyes widened. “So everyone would have access to the whole accounting system?”
Annie nodded. “Yes.”
“Amazi
ng.” She shook her head. “Maybe I’ve worked at the corporate level too long.”
“Where do you live?”
“Chicago,” she said. “I work in the financial sector.”
Annie smiled as she bit into her sandwich. “And this whole setup is just wrong?” she teased.
“On so many levels,” Jordan stated. She wiped her mouth. “So he used QuickBooks for accounting and payroll. Did he outsource anything?”
“No. We did all of it in-house.”
“How familiar are you with his operation?”
“I’ve helped him with pretty much everything except ordering. Other than Matt, I’m the only one who knows how to close. I pay the bills and normally do payroll. He handled all of the ordering,” Annie said.
“So you’re authorized to sign checks?”
“No. He signs a bunch in advance. But most of the payables are done online.”
Jordan shook her head. “And the checkbook was kept locked in a safe somewhere?” she asked hopefully.
Annie laughed. “No. It’s in the top drawer of his desk. And we’ll need to do payroll today. Friday is payday, but I didn’t feel comfortable doing it without authorization. Every other Friday is payday. Besides, I assume you’ll need to make arrangements with the bank to sign checks now.”
“Yes, I’m heading to the bank as soon as I leave here.” Jordan studied her for a moment, then asked the one question that had been nagging at her all morning. “Why do you work here?”
“Excuse me?”
Jordan took a sip from her water. “You said you were in college. A late bloomer.”
“Yes, I did.”
“So?”
“So even though I’m not a traditional college student, I still need a job.”
Jordan glanced at her hands. “Not married?”
Annie met her gaze. “Is that relevant?”
“Of course not. I’m just curious. You’ve been running the store. I have to trust you. I wanted to know more about you.”
“Oh.” Annie set her sandwich down and reached for her water bottle too, perhaps stalling for time. “Well, yeah. I was married. Right out of high school. That’s why I didn’t go to college.”