Sudden Independents (14 page)

Scout shrugged. “I just wanted to do something nice for her since she’s helped Vanessa with little David. You don’t have to worry about me if you got something going on with her.”

Samuel laughed. “Can you keep a secret?”

“What kind?”

“The kind that gets my butt kicked if it goes any further than you and me.”

“Oh yeah, I’m good at keeping those kind.”

Samuel squinted hard at Scout, and then he lowered his voice. “Jimmy has this huge crush on Ginger, but he’s too shy to do anything about it. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get the two together for a while now.”

Scout grinned. “Let me handle it. I’m a natural matchmaker. How do you think Vanessa and Mark finally hooked up?”

“I thought Mark asked her out,” Samuel said, hoisting a better grip on the material.

“Please. He was scared to death, and Vanessa was no better. She kept telling me how cute he was and how much she was in love with him ’til I thought I would puke my guts out.”

“What did you do?”

Scout knocked loudly on the door and quickly regained his grip on the pile. He winked at Samuel as Ginger opened the door to her yellow house, washing them in a floral fragrance of warm air.

“Hey, Ginger,” Scout said. “I found you a bunch of sewing stuff. And you’re never going to guess who has the biggest crush on you.”

Samuel’s pile slipped from his hands and hit the porch. He stumbled off backwards and fell on the ground where he silently fumed in Scout’s direction.

“Oh my goodness! Are you okay?” Ginger asked.

Samuel jumped up and brushed off his butt. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Look at all this stuff,” Ginger said, bending down to help Samuel gather his pile. “Why didn’t you take it over to the shop?”

“You guys have enough over there already. This way, you can sew whatever you want without Molly being up in your business.”

Scout walked in and laid his pile on a large table. Potted flowers in various states of bloom lined shelves that usually received direct sunlight from the high southern windows, except on cloudy days like today. The invigorating smell permeated the house, causing Scout to feel like a little kid again. His mom loved flowers, too, and Ginger’s house always cheered him up. Flames crackled sparks over the wood in the fireplace, making the place warm and cozy.

Samuel staggered into the house and laid his pile on the table with Ginger’s help. He smiled at her nervously.

“Help me bring in the rest, Samuel,” Scout said.

“Sure.” He looked back at Ginger. “Is Catherine around?”

“She’s still in bed. She likes to stay up late. Why?”

“Jimmy asked me to check. I’ll explain when I’m done helping Scout.” Samuel caught Scout’s attention with a deep frown and motioned his head towards the door. They walked outside, leaving Ginger with her new material.

“What the hell did you just do to me?” Samuel whispered harshly.

Scout shrugged. “I solved your problem.”

“It was a secret.”

“Not anymore.” Scout laughed at Samuel’s concern for his soon to be kicked butt.

They carted the rest of the sewing supplies inside, and Ginger’s eyes grew big and shiny when they carried in the sewing machine. Scout’s grin stretched a giant curl.

“Oh, Scout, I love it. Where did you find it?”

“Mark and I raided a farmhouse up north for baby furniture. All this stuff was there, too. Everything in the house was probably kept in great condition before…well, you know.”

Ginger nodded, her eyes softened, and her lips held a sad little line. “Thank you. I promise to take good care of it.”

Scout and Samuel gently set the sewing machine down. It was a combination table, machine and foot-pedal design built when people weren’t so reliant on electricity. The black metal machine and the dark-stained wood looked classic and elegant. Scout made another round trip to the porch for the matching bench. He lifted the red upholstered seat that concealed a collection of needles, thread and bobbins.

Ginger clapped her hands and gave Scout a big hug. “This is the nicest present ever!”

“Mark, Vanessa and I wanted to do something for you. Those clothes you made for little David were really special. So thank you.”

“You’re very welcome. I loved doing it.” Ginger wiped away a tear. She sat on the bench and caressed the surfaces of the machine, spinning the wheel and clicking switches as her foot pumped the wide pedal that propelled the needle up and down.

Smiling with a huge sense of accomplishment and pleasure, Scout sought Samuel’s approval, but was greeted by a frown. “What?”

“We have visitors in town,” Samuel said.

“Visitors?”

Samuel ignored Scout and inspected a roll of bright green material, unfolding its length on the table and rubbing his hand over to smooth it out. “Ginger, can you use this to make me a coat? Like a suit coat?”

“Man, if you want, she’ll fashion you some buckle-shoes so you can dress up like a Leprechaun. What’s this about visitors? How many are there?”

Samuel turned his attention to some royal blue fabric and placed it over the green. “Maybe you could line the inside with this and make it reversible. That would be awesome.”

Scout laid his hands on top of the fabric. “Yeah, you can go from shamrock to laughing-stock anytime you want. What’s up with these visitors?”

“What’s with all the noise?” Catherine shuffled around the corner, carrying a Teddy bear by its furry arm. She wore a pink nightshirt and the top of her head was a ruffled, blonde mass as she rubbed the last particles of sleep from her eyes. The flowers on the shelves seemed to follow her every move.

She walked over and squeezed Samuel around the waist and then offered another hug for Scout. Both boys patted her gently on the back when she made her rounds. Finally, she took Ginger’s hand and led the older kids to the two couches in the living room. Everyone took a seat.

“We have some visitors from a town in Iowa,” Samuel said. “Two guys and a girl; they drove in about an hour ago.”

“Are we sure there are just the three of them?” Scout asked. “They might have other people waiting outside of town.”

“You’re more paranoid than Jimmy.” Samuel folded his arms and his face scrunched in thought. “They seem honest enough, but who knows.”

“Where are they now?” Scout asked.

“Last I saw them they were at Brittany’s with Mark. Jimmy was headed there and told me to come here.”

“Why did he want you to come here?” Ginger asked.

“He was probably worried about you,” Catherine said to Ginger. “Remember what I told you?”

Ginger shook her head at the little girl, but Catherine pressed on. “I told Ginger that Jimmy likes her, but she doesn’t believe me.”

“Why do you think that?” Samuel blurted.

“Duh, it’s so obvious,” Catherine answered. “Every time he gets near her, his heartbeat speeds up. Between the two of them it’s like a cattle stampede. They both blush and sweat, and neither one of them can talk straight when they’re near the other. Ginger doesn’t believe me, but I think she’s just being silly. If you love someone, you have to tell them, right?”

“Catherine, that’s enough! Please,” Ginger said. Her face turned bright pink, matching the little girl’s nightshirt.

Scout winked at Samuel, who was at a loss for words. Scout then steered back to the visitors. “I’d better go get Hunter. We’ll search the area to make sure their story checks out.”

“All right, I’ve got to stay here until Jimmy shows up,” Samuel said.

Catherine giggled.

“What’s so funny?” Scout asked her.

“Ginger’s heartbeat just sped up,” Catherine said.

Ginger pinched up her face and squinted at her housemate. Scout figured anger probably wasn’t something she kept stocked in her emotional arsenal because she didn’t hold the expression for very long. Her features gelled back to normal as she switched her gaze to Scout.

“I almost forgot. You said someone has a crush on me. Who were you talking about?”

Scout jumped up to leave and pointed at Samuel. “Ask him. I’m sworn to secrecy.”

N
othing beats a hot bath, especially on a cold morning. At least Molly thought it was still morning. The absence of sunshine, hidden somewhere behind dark, gray clouds since she woke up and enjoyed her playtime with Hunter, made her judgment in time unreliable. She knew it was Saturday and her store was closed. Nothing else mattered.

Molly felt slippery and alive surrounded by bubbles. She was using soap from the town’s stockpile, but those supplies were dwindling and last week the town council talked about producing their own. Molly thought she would lose her lunch when they mentioned boiling animal fat. You would never catch her doing
that
job.

Hunter had found her some real bubble bath soap on one of his searches, but Jimmy stopped him from going out so far now that winter approached. Jimmy always messed with things. Molly didn’t understand what she ever saw in him. He was pathetic.

Steam covered the bathroom windows, which were rapidly icing over due to the temperature difference outside. The sink and the toilet sat in their spots as nothing more than decoration. Water no longer ran to the house so it took some effort to bring hot water to the tub. Luckily Molly now lived with someone who provided the effort.

Molly noticed the water turning chilly as the heat diminished. “Hunter, I need more hot water.”

The bed creaked and Hunter’s heavy feet pounded on the stairs. Her boyfriend was fulfilling her wishes. She laid back and closed her eyes. This was about as close to luxury as one could get in Independents.

Hunter was a willing servant, and why not? Molly had all the right tools for getting her way. He was very useful. Splashing her hands upon the soapy surface, she caught herself smiling at just how useful.

The door to the bathroom swung open with a hard bang against the towel rack. Hunter walked in with an orange bucket, sloshing water all over the floor.

“Watch your feet,” he said.

The hot water dumped into the end of the tub and Molly quickly paddled the mixture into perfection. “Ah, this is heaven. Are you sure you don’t want to join me?”

Hunter stood there, the bucket dangling from his hand. His eyes were droopy above his cute little frown. Molly didn’t know why he was so tired all the time. All he ever did was ride around on his motorcycle, like that could be strenuous. He never had to spend a day trying to keep Ginger busy.

“I’m positive.” He turned to leave.

“Shut the door, please.”

Hunter grabbed the doorknob and slammed the door shut. Molly blew off her boyfriend’s agitation as a little phase he’d been going through, probably relating to the cold weather. She swirled her hand through the heated water as the bed creaked again.

“Hunter, I’ll need one more refill in a few minutes, pretty please. Last time, I promise.”

She heard someone yell, but couldn’t make out the words. The voice sounded faraway and muffled. “Did you say something, Hunter?”

“No!”

The yelling was probably one of the brats playing outside. Molly sank her ears below the waterline, listening to the muted sounds of the house swish around her. She closed her eyes and floated in relaxation. After all of her years of suffering, life was finally improving.

Time passed and the temperature of the water dropped below her comfort level. “Hunter, I’m ready for another refill.”

Molly waited for the familiar sounds, but there was no creak from the bed or the tread of heavy feet on the stairs. “Hunter?”

She frowned at the silence behind the door. “Hunter! Where are you? I’m getting cold.”

She shivered as the bubbles evaporated with tiny pops. Her limbs actually shook. Now she was furious because her boyfriend was not showing up and her bath was being ruined.

“
Hun
-
Ter
!”

Molly rose from the tub with goose bumps sprouting over her body. She left the cold, dirty water in the tub for Hunter to empty and quickly dried off. She tugged her pink terrycloth robe down from its peg and wrapped her cold, dripping-wet hair in a dry towel before exiting the bathroom that was connected to their bedroom. Hunter was not in the bed and the door to the hallway was closed. He better not have taken off somewhere without telling her first.