Few Are Angels (13 page)

Can’t wait. I miss our midnight chats and afternoon naps,
I responded.

I missed you too. If you need to talk when I get there, you know I’m here for you.

Thanks, that means a lot to me.
It did, but I wasn’t going to take him up on that offer. I just wanted to forget my troubles for a while and enjoy my time with him.

Anything for ya. GGT class time.

I needed to leave for Knope’s by ten thirty because Mr. Knope had called last night and asked me to come in an hour early. It was time to go, so I shoved the phone into the khakis that I’d ordered from Old Navy and went downstairs. I dressed in my snow gear on, and headed out the door. I glanced at the old shed and thought of finding Kale defeated and nearly frozen. My heart fluttered at the thought of his lips against mine, his hands on the small of my back pulling me closer, his breath on my face. Then I thought of the night he had admitted he drank blood to survive. I hadn’t said the V word, not even that night when he had finished the sentence for me. I shook my head to clear the memories away. I’d only taken the pill thirty minutes ago, so I wasn’t sure if it had started to work yet. They normally relaxed me enough that I could get through the day without thinking too much. I’d be sleepy, but would still function properly. I headed to the main street toward Town Center. The small snow storm that’d blown through last week had dropped another two inches of snow, but as long as I stayed on the main road where they’d plowed it, I’d be fine. The sun was bright and it reflected off the snow. I decided to stop at one of the little consignment stores on the way home and pick up some sunglasses. The Town Center consisted of three buildings connected by a building to the south with its back to Elmwood. I’d been coming to Cedar Grove for the past ten years, but I had only visited Town Center five times with my parents. Most of the time I wanted to hang out with Alex and his friends. The center had narrow alleyways, and little cobblestones lined the ground. It looked so quaint and homey compared to the replicated New York-style Town Center in Virginia Beach, but it wasn’t my home—at least, it didn’t feel that way yet. Knope’s Grocery was on Third Street with its back facing the woods. Mr. Knope had said that most of the time the delivery truck could make it down the little alleyway behind the store so that he could accept deliveries, but when I arrived and peaked back there, it looked as if I would have to walk to the end of the street and back to unload and carry boxes. But I needed the exercise. The size six khakis I had ordered were a bit snug, but normally they fit perfectly. It was a brisk fifteen-minute walk past the dead woods that lined the streets. No houses were in sight. If I walked for fifteen minutes in Virginia Beach, I would have passed forty houses, the mall, two grocery stores, and a school. The serene surroundings were probably what I needed, but I couldn’t help missing my hometown.

When I entered Knope’s Grocery, there was no one inside except for a blonde cashier with her hair pulled back into a drastically tight ponytail that made her eyebrows look unnaturally high. Her large grey-blue eyes were rimmed in dark charcoal. Her tight polo shirt barely covered her stomach and showed off the tip of a diamond belly button ring. Her smile was nowhere close to friendly, and I wondered if she was going to be a problem. I prayed she wouldn’t. I wandered over to her with a smile on my face, hoping that would alleviate some of the tension I felt building between us. Her face fell with each step I took toward her, and I mustered up some enthusiasm before I greeted her.

“Hi,” I said, raising my hand to shake hers, but she just stared at my hand as if it might burn her.

“You’re supposed to be wearing a polo shirt,” the girl behind the counter stated. I would have never guessed someone that looked like one of the
Mean Girls
would have such a soft, sweet voice.

“I know. Mr. Knope said he would have one for me when I came in today. Is he here?” Mr. Knope had said I would trained by a girl named Mia, and I assumed that blondie was the girl he’d spoken about.

“Yea, so you’re the new girl.” She came from behind the counter to size me up.

Her khakis were as tight as mine, but I was sure it wasn’t for the same reason. Hers hugged every curve in her lower body while mine created a muffin top at my waist and bunched up uncomfortably in places that they shouldn’t. She started to walk to the back of the store, then turned and motioned for me to follow. I ambled behind her, passing rows of canned veggies, rice, and sugar. It seemed odd that sugar and canned veggies were in the same aisle. The store was a nice size. Not so big that my stocking responsibilities would keep me here too late, but not too small that I’d finish too soon. She led me through the stockroom and to Mr. Knope’s office, where he sat behind an old desk with the phone pressed to his ear. Mia swished into the room and started to rifle through a box of polo shirts with Knope’s Grocery appliquéd on the front in red letters.

“What are you, a small or a medium?” Mia looked up at me appraisingly through her charcoal-rimmed eyes. I could tell she was really pretty even through all of that makeup. Her blue eyes gleamed in the florescent light, which was odd, because normally that kind of light dulled everything. I wondered why she felt the need to cake on so much makeup.

“A small should fit fine,” I said, though as the khakis squeezed the life out of me. I wondered if I should’ve said a medium. But it didn’t matter because there was only one size left.

“Large,” she said, handing me the big wad of clothing. There was no way the shirt would fit properly, but I would have to make do. Mr. Knope finished his conversation and frowned as Mia handed me the tent.

“Girls, if you’re both back here, then there is no one out on the floor helping the customers.” He waved us out of the office and back to the floor. I wandered out behind Mia, looking for a bathroom to change in. Mia pointed toward the doors on the far right side of the store, and I headed in that direction.

“Hey!” Mia called to me before I was in the bathroom. I turned around to see her perched back behind the counter like a pretty fluffy cat perched on her little pink bed. “The next shipment comes at noon. Mr. Knope will man the register while I show you how we stock and do inventory checks at the same time,” she said and greeted the first customer I’d seen since I’d gotten there. I went into the bathroom and locked the door. The shirt was way too big, but it fell all the way down my waist and covered the khakis that hugged my hips uncomfortably. I decided to leave on the white, long-sleeved shirt that I’d worn this morning so if I was leaning over, I didn’t give anyone a peep show. I left the bathroom and noticed several move customers had entered the store and Mia was in action at the one of the two cash registers. Unsure of what to do, I stood there awkwardly awaiting direction.

“Charlie wants to see you in the back,” Mia said as she rang up a brunette’s milk and diapers. I looked at her a little confused, until I realized she was talking about Mr. Knope.

“Oh, okay.” I returned to the back of the store through the double doors and into the office, where I found Mr. Knope sitting at his desk reading some papers.

He looked up and smiled at me brightly. He placed his papers down. “The walk wasn’t too bad, I hope.”

“No, it was fine. Sarah said that Sam plows after each snow storm, so it was easy to get here.”

“That’s good. Today we have a small shipment coming in. It’s just some of our refrigerated stuff: milk, eggs, and such.” Mr. Knope looked at the clock. “It should be here in about fifteen minutes. I will be on the floor and have you and Mia retrieve the shipment. After you are properly trained on how that works, I will have Mia train you how to use the register.” Mr. Knope pulled out a sheet of paper with what looked like scribbling all over it. “Your schedule will be Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. I kept my word that you would have the weekends off.” He smiled and handed me the paper.

I didn’t have anything to do on the weekends, but I was happy that I wouldn’t have to work them. Mr. Knope explained the rules and anything else he thought I would need to know until the delivery truck pulled around back. He led me to the back door and showed me how to open it. It was locked from the inside, and there was a key hidden above the door. I waited for Mia while he sent her back and took over the floor.

When Mia finally arrived, the delivery guy had already started unloading the truck and I had started to open the boxes when Mia stopped me.

“Wait, first we log the boxes on this sheet.” She reached for a clipboard that hung on the wall beside me. She moved closer to show me the sheet of paper that looked almost full. Mia’s perfume was a strong floral scent that made my eyes water the closer she got. The perfume smelled like roses and honeysuckle—it seemed like an odd choice for the season.

“You put the date here,” she explained, pointing at the line that said date. “Then you write the delivery guy’s name here, and then you check the boxes off to make sure the shipment is complete.” She started to check off boxes quickly as Mike the delivery guy took them off the truck. “You want to get this done as fast as you can, so the delivery guy can leave right after he is done. They get angry if you make them wait,” she said jokingly, throwing Mike a coy glance which he returned with a chuckle.

“What do I do if something is wrong or missing?” I glanced at Mike, hoping I didn’t offend him by worrying about his ability to do his job correctly.

She walked over to a drawer and pulled out a yellow piece of paper. “If they screw our order up, then you fill out this paper and give him a copy and save one for Mr. Knope. It’s easy. Just write what’s missing and the order number and you’re done. It doesn’t happen often, but the guys at the warehouse have been known to screw up before.” She continued to check items off the list.

Mike was finished long before Mia. I said, “Sorry it’s my first day,” as if he didn’t already know by my inability to do anything without being told how.

Mike smiled at me, and I had to admit that, for an older guy, his smile would be enough to thaw even the coldest heart. His smile stood out against his average looks and quiet demeanor. He looked like the type of man that could surprise you if he actually took time to care about what he looked like. But what interested me the most was the way he and Mia interacted. She looked to be around my age, and Mike was probably in his early forties, but they acted as if they had a secret they wanted to tell, but couldn't. I pretended not to notice their glances at each other as they worked and the not so casual way they brushed past each other. It was none of my business, and I planned to keep it that way.

When Mia was done, she and Mike went outside to shut the truck. Mike didn't look as if he needed any help with the truck door, but I brushed it off and sat on a milk box and waited for Mia to return. Mia came back inside ten minutes later and headed straight for the boxes to start unloading them. After she opened three or four, she noticed I was still just sitting there and she finally gave me some directions. We fell into a rhythm of opening and unloading boxes together until my stomach protested at being ignored.

Since I was working four hours, I only got one fifteen minute break. It was just long enough for me to grab a bottle of water and apple, pay for them, and eat in the back as Mia continued to work. I watched her as she wielded the box cutter like an expert, pulling things out and placing them on the racks that lead to the fridge in the front of the store. I had hoped to eat in silence, but Mia had other plans.

“So, you’re only working here part time and you don’t have to work weekends?” Mia asked while she opened more boxes. I was afraid that the sweet Mia had disappeared now that Mike was gone.

“Yeah.” I hoped that would be the extent of our conversation.

“Hmm… You must be really special to get those hours and weekends off,” she said with a sly edge to her voice. Maybe she thought I was nasty like her, and that Mr. Knope and I had something going like she did with Mike.
Ugh
. I didn’t want her to know that I’d had a nervous breakdown and that everyone thought it was best that I took things “easy” for a while. I tried to think of a quick lie, something boring enough that she wouldn’t want me to elaborate, but also something believable.

“School, I’m in school, and I need to work as few hours as I can.” I could handle working on the weekends, but if I didn’t have to, I wouldn’t.

Mia mentally weighed my answer. “School, huh? I thought you were going to be replacing Anna, but I guess not, cause she worked full-time and always on the weekend. That chick was always broke. I guess Brett and I are going to have to rotate weekends again.”

I could tell that annoyed her, but it was only every other weekend. She’d survive it.

Mia pointed at the clock and looked at me. “Your break is over.”

Chapter 15

Fear: [feer] (noun) A distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.

Mia and I continued to work in silence until her cell phone vibrated. We were almost done, and my work day was over in an hour. Mia whispered fiercely into the phone, and I couldn't help but wonder who she was talking to.

“What? Oh my God!” Mia shrieked, scaring the crap out of me.

The look on her face was of utter and complete shock. I was about to ask what was wrong when she ran out of the backroom calling for Mr. Knope. I finished stocking the last of the shipment and started to clean up the boxes to take them to the recycle bin when Mr. Knope walked back into the room with Mia. Her eyes were red, and her cheeks were stained black from her eyeliner. My expression must have given away my confusion because Mia said through tears and sniffles to Mr. Knope that she hadn’t told me anything. Mr. Knope patted Mia’s back and told her she should get her coat and get ready to leave. I went back to cleaning because I had no clue what had happened.

“That’s okay, Ella. Don’t worry about it. We are closing early today,” he said with a frown.