by Reina Torres
Henrietta stayed beside him, holding onto her end of the basket as he pulled the clothes from the dryer.
“I don’t think so. He’d always come back from the store across the street, so we saw him coming every time.”
Jesse saw her smile change a little, tilting up at one corner into a smirk that did nothing to mar her appeal. “You missed your calling.”
“Really now?” Her eyes narrowed at him but the glimmer in her gaze didn’t change and he felt an odd ache in his chest.
“Yeah,” he busied himself with the clothes in the dryer, pulling them out and dropping them into the basket as he fought to ignore the strange pull he felt toward her, “you look like a princess, but I think you’re more of a rebel than you’d think.”
Betty’s chair scraped back on the floor as she got up. “And he would know. He’s named after a rebel.”
Jesse waited for her reaction and still managed to be surprised when her brow furrowed.
“I don’t understand,” she shrugged, “sorry.”
He had a handful of denim when he turned back to the dryer. “My folks named their boys Frank and Jesse… like the James brothers.”
“Oh.”
Jesse laughed. “Still no clue, huh?”
“No, sorry.”
He waved off her apology. “I doubt you’ve seen much about Westerns or American Outlaws.”
“My father can’t stand Westerns.”
Dropping his denims into the basket, he slapped a hand over his heart. “Ouch.”
She laughed. “What can I say? He’s just an all-around great guy.”
He heard the tinge of sarcasm in her tone. “We can’t all have perfect dads.”
Henrietta turned a curious look at him. “Your dad names you and your brother after outlaws and you think that’s perfect?”
Closing the dryer door, he leaned a little closer to her and enjoyed the way her eyes widened in reaction.
“He named us after legends.”
Her lips pressed together and a moment later a laugh rang in his ears. “Modest much?” Shaking her head, she took hold of the edge of the basket and pushed it toward the folding table. “I bet you had all the girls growing up.”
Jesse narrowed his eyes at her as he sidled up to the folding table and picked up a pair of his jeans. “Why would you say that?”
She copied his movements and picked up a pair as well. “I dunno. You’ve got that handsome cowboy thing going on. The denim, the button-down shirt. I bet you have a cowboy hat in your car… No, wait. In your truck.” She looked at him and he knew she saw the flush along the side of his neck. “See? Even girls who don’t know about rebels and outlaws like a good cowboy.”
“Good cowboy?”
Jesse heard the laughter in Betty’s voice.
“Oh, he’s a cowboy, but Jesse’s a rascal!”
He looked over his shoulder at her. “You trying to get me in trouble, Betty?”
She shrugged and sat back down, picking up her sewing again. “You forget how long I’ve known you, Jesse Sutton.”
Okay, so he couldn’t really say much to that, muttering under his breath. “Small towns.”
“I don’t know,” Henrietta spoke, but kept her eyes on the way he was folding his jeans. “I’ve lived in a small town all of my life and I know maybe a handful of people and even then, it’s mostly about my father’s business. You’re lucky to have folks know you like that.”
Her words hit him in an odd way.
It reminded him of the hole in his heart where his brother had always been. Frank may have tussled with him from time to time and ratted him out for sneaking a handful of their mom’s cookies, but they’d been brothers through and through.
Looking at Henrietta, he realized that even if she’d had her father all to herself, she hadn’t really ‘had’ a father. Not in the way he had family.
Setting the folded jeans down on the table, he grabbed up another pair, watching Henrietta match his movements even though she kept her eyes from his.
“Well, now you have folks that see the rebel in you, and we like it. Right, Betty?”
“If you’re going to get the girl in trouble, you best be there to bail her out.”
That’s when he saw Henrietta’s gaze lift to his. There was a moment of shock in her expression, but after she looked at him, she shook it off with a laugh. “If I was an outlaw,” she scoffed, “I’d be laughed at by the police for my name. There’s nothing dangerous or catchy about Henrietta.”
“That’s easy enough to fix, Etta.” He set another pair of folded jeans on the table. And picked up an undershirt from the basket. He had it folded and set on the table before he realized that she’d fallen silent and still beside him. He turned and leaned against the table while he sized up her reaction. “Etta?”
Hearing the name must have startled her, turning her head toward him in a moment, her eyes wide with something he didn’t recognize.
“Etta,” she paused, her lips rubbing against each other as if she might have been getting a feel for the name, “it’s kind of cute.”
He stopped himself from adding a few words of his own. The name, the woman, standing before him may have once been cute, but Henrietta… ‘Etta’ was a beautiful woman.
“It fits you,” were all the words he could manage at that moment.
Etta turned around and looked back at Betty. “You think it’s silly, don’t you?”
“Silly?” Betty shook her head. “If you’re making a new start in life, why not a new name. My parents gave all of us new names before he left Manzanar. Names that would be seen as American names. A name should be something special so you call yourself what you want.”
Jesse turned his attention to the older woman with her ever present smiles and gentle manner. He’d known her more than ten years and spent a number of late nights right there in the laundromat, numerous hours talking over tea and cookies. He’d never known that she’d been in an internment camp. “I’m sorry, Betty. I didn’t know.”
She lowered her head and focused on the item she was stitching in her hands. “Long time ago.”
She went silent and it felt like a curtain had fallen, separating the room.
He felt something touch his arm and looked down. Etta’s hand was on his forearm, grasping him gently. It was probably some kind of fantasy or wishful thinking, but there he was feeling her warmth and the supple silk of her skin, and he felt a measure of sadness added to his own. It couldn’t be real, could it? Feeling her emotions through her touch? Lifting his gaze to her face, he saw the subtle part of her lips and the glittering tears on her lower lashes.
If it was wishful thinking then he was okay with that. This beautiful woman beside him, her eyes shining with sympathy for a woman she’d just met, enough to draw tears from her eyes.
What a big heart she must have hidden away behind that fairytale dress.
ETTA
The world had turned upside down and now it spun on a whole new axis. She was off kilter and exhausted by the time they’d finished folding her laundry.
The best part of it was that Betty felt well enough to tease Jesse again.
And as much as she wanted to see him blush again, Etta had saved him any embarrassment that she could by quickly picking out all of her under garments and setting them aside while they worked and their conversation had turned to other topics, like where Etta was planning to stay.
“I thought I saw someone through the window, but it looked like he was sleeping.”
Betty’s laugh was a soft snort. “I bet he hasn’t hired someone for the night shift yet.”
Jesse moved toward the door before Etta could tell what he was doing. “Wait! Where are you going?”
Pointing his thumb over his shoulder, Jesse gave her a smile that made the worry in her middle compete with butterflies. “I’m going to go check you in.”
Before he got more than a few feet away, she caught up to him. “How are you going to do that?”
> Laughing, he reached out and touched her shoulders, the heat of his hand felt wonderful against her skin. “The ranch works with the motel all the time. So, they let us go in the office and check folks in if they’re not in the office.”
The idea would have driven her father mad.
“But,” she worried her lower lip with her teeth, “what if I can’t afford it?”
He looked over her shoulder and she knew he and Betty were sharing a look.
“I can stay up for awhile and keep Betty company, and then when I get really tired, I can sleep in my car.”
“Aiya…” Betty’s concern crashed right into Jesse’s scoff and the shake of his head.
“Even if you could have said that without yawning,” he smiled at her and she felt like she did back when she was almost a teen and tried to stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve, “I would still tell you no. Stay here,” his expression softened a little, “don’t worry about tonight, I’ve got it covered, okay?”
He was out the door before her mind wrapped itself around the idea. Turning around to look at Betty, she saw the smile on the other woman’s face and realized that it would be no good to argue.
Betty, as if she’d read Etta’s mind, shrugged and set down her sewing. “He’s a good man, Etta.” They both managed a little laugh over the name. “No use arguing with him once his mind is set.”
Blowing out a breath, Etta walked back to the counter. “I feel like I’m sleepwalking. I make this spur of the moment decision to leave and end up finding the two of you. I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here and I’d just sat there in my car.”
A moment past and more words burst free.
“I know exactly what I would have done. I would have broken down and cried until I fell asleep. Not exactly a great way to start a new life, huh?”
Etta wasn’t sure exactly what she expected Betty to say, but even though she’d only known the other women for the space of a few hours, she not only felt like she knew the older woman, Etta wanted her approval.
“I have an offer for you.”
“An offer?” Again, Etta was sure she must be asleep and dreaming, somehow. “What about?”
“Before you came, I was going to ask Jesse if he knew of anyone who might want a job for a few days… maybe a week.”
Etta didn’t know what to say so she remained silent.
“My niece gave birth, earlier than expected. I had already planned to go and help her for a few days, but that was set for her due date in two weeks. I have two employees who already work the rest of the day, but Missus Kawamoto can’t work this week. She already has plans and I don’t have time to train someone who hasn’t worked in a dry cleaner before.”
There were so many negatives that popped up into her head and it wasn’t surprising that the voice echoing in her ears sounded just like her father.
You’ve never had a real job!
What do you know about running anything?
How can you seriously think that you’re smart enough to do this?
Sure, she wasn’t Einstein or Edison, but she could handle herself. She’s done it before. Okay, for a couple of hours at a time, but-
“I don’t know how to operate a dry-cleaning machine.”
Betty nodded. “Neither does Helen Kawamoto. I was going to have another store pick up the garments for the week. We’ve done the same for them in the past.”
“I barely know how to operate the other machines.”
Betty raised an eyebrow at her.
“Nearly all the people that come in here already know what they’re doing. They just need access to a machine.”
“I’m just the helpless woman who stumbled in off the street.”
“Helpless? Hardly. And you seem to walk just fine.”
Etta knew that she was just making things more difficult, but she didn’t want to fail. Not at that moment. That precious moment.
“What if something breaks down and I need to get it fixed?”
Betty took a few steps to the side and pointed to the cork board on the wall. There was a line of three business cards along the bottom edge. She pointed to them in turn.
“Plumber. Electrician. And then who repairs all of our machines.”
There was something that fluttered in her chest. Something that felt strangely like hope.
“When would you want to leave?”
She saw Betty hesitate and wondered if she was regretting the offer.
“Given that I was sure until a few minutes ago that I wasn’t going to leave at all,” her voice was softer, but it carried a rush of energy with it, “I’m not in too much of a rush. That said, I think you’d feel better if I was here with you for a night.”
Etta let out a rush of breath. “Oh, thank goodness!”
The two laughed and Etta saw Betty reach her hand out across the counter. Taking the other woman’s hand in hers, Etta felt the cooler temperature of Betty’s skin against her own.
“When Jesse gets back, he’ll get you settled in your room and you leave your car here in the light outside the window. Safer that way. The parking lot has more than its share of shadows on some nights.
Etta wondered if Betty’s words had more of a meaning than the word normally did, but the bell above the door jangled and Etta turned to see Jesse crossing the room with a keychain in his hand.
“Room One Twelve.” He lifted the keys and she saw the diamond shaped keychain with white letters spelling out the motel’s name on both sides. “It’s the one second from this end of the building. Closest I could get you. I should have asked you what you wanted before I went over, but Betty said march, and march I did.”
He stopped at her side and looked over at Betty first before he looked down at her.
Jesse was still smiling, but his eyes told her he was confused. “All right, what did I miss?”
“Nothing really,” Betty’s sweet voice didn’t match the snap of humor in her eyes and Etta couldn’t help giggling.
“So, there was something!”
Unsure of what pushed her to say anything at that moment, Etta spoke up.
“Betty was telling me about the time you spilled that,” she made a random gesture in the air around the belly of his shirt, “all over and ended up… you know… with the towel-”
“You told her?” Jesse turned his attention to Betty, but there was only laughter and a healthy dose of self-depreciating humor. “You promised!”
Betty was shaking with laughter and Etta hoped she wouldn’t tell Jesse the truth…
At least not yet.
“I’m going to take Etta to her room,” the words were directed at Betty, but Etta didn’t think anything of it. “And then I’ll come back for my clothes. Thank goodness I did my laundry already,” he leaned closer to Etta, “that way Betty can’t air out my dirty laundry in public.”
Straightening, Jesse crossed to the folding table and hefted one of the wrapped stacks of Etta’s laundry.
Etta had force down her own laughter to grab the other bundle and catch up to Jesse on the way to the door.
Not that she had to worry, he stood there in the open doorway and turned back to Betty. “Hey, you mind if we leave Etta’s car out here by your window? It’ll be safer for her with all the lights.”
Betty turned and walked into the back room, laughing enough that it sounded a little like hiccups.
Etta nudged him with her shoulder. “If she could stop laughing, she’d tell you she just said the same thing to me before you came back.”
“Ahh, okay.”
He stepped out into the night after her and she slowed her steps to make sure he caught up.
“You two certainly looked like you had fun while I was gone.”
It took Etta a few steps to gather up the confidence to tell him her surprise.
“Betty asked me if I’d take the night shift for a few days so she could see her niece.”
Jesse grinned down at her and there was enough ligh
t for her to see that he looked even more handsome when he was really happy.
“She had the baby! Betty’s been looking forward to this.”
“Yeah,” Etta relaxed a bit since it seemed like Jesse didn’t mind her sticking around for a few days. “She wants me to work tomorrow night with her so I get a feel for it.”
“You’ll be fine.” His voice was filled with warmth and she leaned toward him as they walked trying to share in the feeling. “I was going to ask you if you wanted to come out to the ranch tomorrow if you needed a job.”
“Really?” She stopped short in the parking lot and he had to turn around and come back to stand beside her. “I don’t know what I’d be able to do on a ranch.”
“Well, we’ve got another movie starting up in a couple of weeks. My mom hires a lot of folks from the area to work. You wouldn’t have to do any of the movie making stuff. They bring up their crews for that, but I’m sure she could find you something if you wanted to stay around for awhile.”
It felt like one of those butterflies in her belly had just sucker punched her.
“What would your mother think of you bringing home a stray?”
She meant the question earnestly, but the instant Jesse threw back his head in a laugh, she laughed too.
“My mom and Betty are a lot alike. You wouldn’t have to worry about her liking you. And, if you really are looking to stay around here, the job would be good for at least six months. It would give you time to look for something long term.”
It seemed like the world continued to whirl around her head.
“This is all so sudden.”
“Yeah.” Jesse’s chin lowered toward his chest. “I know I’m throwing all of this at you, but I just want to make sure you know that you have options.”
They continued to walk and Etta felt like every step was another foot of earth settling firmly under her feet. “I feel like I’ve stumbled into a movie myself,” she explained. “I just wish someone let me read the script so I’d know what to do along the way.”
Jesse’s warm laughter eased some of the tension from her shoulders. “I don’t know if you’d want that.”
She looked at him as they walked up to the door for room One Twelve.