Break Out The Bubbly by Rick Adams

Author:Rick Adams [Adams, Rick]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2018-05-27T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

WENT THE DAY WELL?

Amazingly enough, when we opened the store again, customers did actually start to return through the front door.

Marilyn took up residence on the front till.

And I had to give it to her, she was pretty damned amazing at the job.

Not only was she able to scan and process and pack everything with one hand, she was also able to hold a book open in the other whilst she worked.

I asked her how she managed to multi-task so.

‘It’s become second nature,’ she explained gently, ‘serving people is fine, but I do so have to have ‘me’ time into the bargain too. Good afternoon, sir.’

I moved aside whilst she served the gentleman in question, watching them both keenly.

She really invested the time with him, then as soon as he was gone she went straight back to the book.

‘What are you reading?’ I asked casually.

She held it away from her as though noticing it for the first time.

‘It’s a book about space,’ she said finally.

‘But I thought you were a romance novelist,’ I blurted. ‘Shouldn’t you be reading about relationships, and love, and, I don’t know, loss?’

She studied me in benevolent manner.

‘All those things are built into our souls,’ she said matter-of-factly, ‘but it is the source from which they spring that I am truly interested in exploring.’

I smiled sweetly.

She studied me again.

‘The chap in the boardroom,’ she whispered, ‘you like him.’

I went bright scarlet.

‘You had dinner with him at the lottery kiosk last night,’ she smiled. ‘You let slip so upstairs, earlier.’

‘I have a habit of doing that,’ I sighed, ‘I wish I could change it.’

‘You can,’ she said, leaning towards me. ‘Love yourself a little more.’

I looked strangely at her. ‘What on earth do you mean?’

‘The two ladies,’ she continued breezily, ‘Matthew’s mother and that other one, they’re right, self-assurance and sanity begin at home. The moment you put your welfare in the hands of another person, or expect them to save you, you end up stealing from your own store and stashing your goods in boxes up in Hadrian’s attic. Then you shout at people to try to regain control over matters.’

‘Why do you call him that?’

‘He’s a barrier,’ she said, ‘he puts walls up between people. That’s why he’s planning to bridge the shops, to nullify that defect.’

‘I don’t understand.’

She smiled. ‘I have customers to serve, Emily.’

I looked round.

A great queue was snaking away behind me.

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ I whispered back at her.

‘Because I was enjoying talking to you,’ she said, ‘and who wants to work when you can have a nice conversation instead?’

‘Can I talk to you about your book?’ I said heading off, ‘it sounds exciting.’

‘Even though I’ve told you nothing about it?’

‘You’re writing a book,’ I marveled, ‘that’s amazing in itself.’

She seemed thrilled by that, and as I left to move into the body of shop I glanced back over my shoulder to see her scanning items of shopping, talking to the customers who were buying them, packing them, and in the other hand holding the novel she’d been reading, even whilst she was talking to me.

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