Snuffed Out - Tim Myers [51]
I thought for a second she was going to take me up on my offer, but finally she just shook her head. “No, I’ll work.”
“All right then, let’s work.”
I assigned her the stock inventory, and even let her place the order while I waited on our first customers. I’d come a long way since my Great-Aunt Belle had left me At Wick’s End, and I could handle just about every customer who came into the shop, but I still needed Eve’s help with some of them, especially in the areas of candlemaking I hadn’t mastered yet. As Mrs. Jorgenson’s lessons proceeded along, so did my own. I wasn’t sure what would happen once we’d explored all we could in the current art of candlemaking, but I’d burn that taper when I came to it. We had enough techniques to explore to last us dozens of additional lessons.
By lunchtime, I’d managed to stay out of Eve’s way, but it had been an extra strain for me.
I said, “I’m going to take the first lunch, if you don’t mind.”
She said, “That’s fine with me. I’ve got nowhere else I need to be.”
It was obvious the morning of work hadn’t done anything to improve her attitude. What I needed was some fresh air and some solitude.
I jogged up the steps to my apartment and threw a sandwich together, then grabbed a soda to go with it. I was tempted to have my little picnic up on the roof, but decided to go down to the steps of River’s Edge and watch the Gunpowder flow past me.
As I unwrapped my sandwich, I wished Heather hadn’t fled River’s Edge, for so many reasons, not the least of which were the nice lunch breaks we’d shared in the past.
Chapter 13
A voice from the river called out, “Do you happen to have enough to share?”
It was Erin, in a sleek green canoe, paddling toward the steps where I sat. The water lapped three steps below, and I often wondered just how low the stairway descended.
I said, “I’ve got plenty, if you don’t mind bologna and cheese.”
“Are you kidding? I was raised on the stuff.”
I put my sandwich down and helped her steady her canoe as she climbed out. “How are you going to keep it from drifting off?”
She smiled. “You don’t know your own property all that well, Harrison. There are rings mounted right in the concrete of the steps.”
She tied her boat up and joined me. As I handed her half my sandwich, I said, “We’ll have to share the soda.”
“I don’t mind if you don’t. It’s quite a paddle up here from my place.”
“Who’s watching your shop?” I asked.
“I’ve got a dozen signs, one for just about every occasion.”
“Aren’t you afraid you’ll miss some business?” I asked. I felt guilty closing the candleshop at night, let alone shutting it down in the middle of the day.
She shook her head. “A long time ago, I had to decide who was going to run my life, my shop, or me. I might not make as much money as I would if I were more dedicated, but there’s no doubt in my mind I wouldn’t sleep as well, either.”
“Sounds like you’ve got a handle on it. So what brings you to River’s Edge? Did you come by for another kit?”
She shook her head. “No. I believe I’ll leave the candlemaking to the experts.”
“So why are you here? Not that I’m not happy for the company.”
She looked at the water as she spoke, taking her time before she answered. “I didn’t plan to come this far, but sometimes, when I’m out on the water, I get lost in my own little world. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?”
“No, I understand it. That’s one of the joys of it, as far as I can tell.”
She took a bite of her sandwich, then said, “You’re a loner at heart, aren’t you?”
“I like people well enough,” I protested.
“Hey, I’m not accusing you of anything evil, I’m just asking a question. It’s okay, I’d rather be out on the water alone than just about anywhere else in the world.”
I finished my sandwich before she did, but then I’d spent less time talking than she had. “I’m happy enough by myself, but if there’s someone I’m comfortable with, that’s nice, too.”
She took a sip from the bottle of soda, then said, “I used to believe that myself.”
I could tell she wanted to say more, but