Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 70488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“My change. You owe me four cents.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “Ma’am, that was my fifty cents. I don’t owe you anything.”
The woman blinked. “But…”
“Myrtle, get your crazy ass out of here,” Vera ordered. “You damn well know that was my fifty cents. You don’t get any change.”
Myrtle rolled her eyes and left. “I don’t know why I even come here.”
Vera waited until she was out the door to announce, “I’m headed out.”
“You’re leaving?” I asked.
I’d never worked the store before on my own. Nor had I closed.
Which I was assuming that was what she wanted me to do, seeing as she’d told me she was leaving.
“Yes,” she said. “It’s snowing more heavily. If I don’t leave now, I’ll never get home. Remember, I arranged for my Huxley to drive you home. There’s no reason you can’t stay until closing at six.”
I didn’t point out that she didn’t have the same worry about her employees.
I opened my mouth to ask if we could just close completely when she dismissed me.
She walked out of the door and never came back.
Instead of dwelling on the fact that she’d just practically left me once again in a new situation, I decided to make the best of it.
I picked up the novel that was underneath the desk for when Vera wasn’t around to reprimand me, and I sat down on the stool behind the counter and started to read.
By the time I’d finished an hour and a half later, there hadn’t been a single customer who came into the store.
“Finishing a book is wild. I mean, I’m just supposed to close it and act like nothing ever happened?” I asked no one in particular. “And carry on with my life?”
The empty store didn’t reply.
It was predicted to snow a good twelve inches by the end of the day, and I imagined crazy Mrs. Myrtle was the last customer of the day.
Finding the quiet of the store a little bit suffocating, I eventually walked over to the book section and picked up the romance novel with the silhouette of a man leaning against a shower stall. The long line of his body, from where he had his forearm planted on the tile, to the long expanse of his calf, was on full display.
I was honestly quite surprised that they’d even published it seeing as the model was practically nude.
I mean, you couldn’t see anything with the way the man’s leg was cocked forward, blocking out his package.
But you could see the side of his ass.
You could see his Adonis belt until it disappeared behind his strong, muscular thigh.
Thinking that I’d just try it out for a bit and maybe get some other things in the store done before my ride arrived, I took the table that overlooked the street.
Another hour passed as I became engrossed in a book about a motorcycle club member and the woman who tames him.
I shifted on my butt, trying to restore feeling to my left leg. Once again, I wondered why I had to stay until closing.
There wasn’t anyone crazy enough to be out in this anymore.
I looked to the door that led out into the warehouse that connected The Mercantile to the butcher—Hux’s place—and thought…why not?
Maybe I could see if he was almost done.
If he was, then we could go home early.
I’d already read a book, eaten my lunch, started another book, and contemplated cleaning up for the day.
There was nothing else holding me here besides Vera’s annoying voice telling me that I couldn’t leave until Hux was ready to take me home. That I was “needed” at the store.
Plus, if she got mad, what was she going to do? Fire me? I already quit.
This was my last day.
I walked to the front door and looked out through the glass doors.
There wasn’t an inch of road left.
Everything was a winter wonderland.
All I could see out was Hux’s vehicle parked under the awning to my right, and not another vehicle in sight.
There was, however, a large moose making its way down the street toward me.
I pulled out my phone and videoed it, then sent it to Creed.
Me:
Is this legal to shoot?
Creed:
If you had a moose tag. Do you have a moose tag?
Me:
I’m at a store where I could get one…
The Mercantile was a jack-of-all-trades.
They did hunting and fishing as well as bait and tackle. They had a pharmacy. A deli. A small-ish grocery store for when you forgot something at the big brand stores. It also had a small library where you could check out and return books when you were done with them.
Overall, it was a very fun store, despite the person who ran it.
Creed:
Do you even have a gun?
Me:
Will a twenty-two take it down?
Creed:
Do you have a twenty-two?
Me:
No. I think there’s one under the counter, though. I heard Vera threaten a customer once.