Snuffed Out - Tim Myers [52]
“Back alone on the water, or back to your shop?”
She smiled at me. “Let’s just say it might be a little bit of both.”
She was back in the canoe and on her way when she called out, “Thanks again for lunch.”
“My pleasure,” I said as she paddled away.
I hadn’t heard Sanora come up behind me, and I nearly fell in when she spoke. “Hey there. Take it easy, I’m not that scary, am I?”
“No, I was just lost in a thought.”
“I do that all the time. I’d ask you to join me for lunch, but it looks like you’ve already eaten. How long have you two been dating?”
It took me a second to realize she was talking about Erin. “We’re not dating. We never have been, to tell the truth.”
Sanora said, “Sorry, my mistake. You just looked cozy, sitting there sharing your meal. You must have been friends a long time.”
“We just met this week,” I said, surprised by the truth of it. Erin and I had skipped all of that awkwardness in our first meeting. There had been a comfort level from the start.
She said, “Wow, you make friends fast.”
“It’s been known to happen. So how’s business? It’s had to have slowed down since yesterday.”
“Yesterday was good,” she admitted, “But I’m not doing too badly today either. Did you get many customers down your way from all the excitement?”
“Not so you’d notice,” I admitted, a little too frankly. “Don’t worry about At Wick’s End. We’re doing fine.”
“That’s good to hear. Listen, there’s something I wanted to ask you about.”
“Fire away,” I said as I drained the last of my drink.
“I found this in my office last night. It had rolled under the desk. Do you have any idea where it came from?” She held up a shiny, polished piece of quartz, and I plucked it out of her hand. I studied the facets a moment, then turned it over and found that there was a hole drilled in one end of it. It looked like something Heather would sell, most likely for a bracelet or necklace.
“I’m not sure,” I said, offering it back to her.
She declined. “I’ve got no use for it. Maybe you can figure out who it belongs to.”
I tucked it in my pocket as I saw Pearly bustling toward At Wick’s End. I considered calling out to him, but from the look of his walk and the intent purpose in his stride, he probably wouldn’t hear me.
Sanora asked, “I don’t mean to rush you, but have you decided if you’re going to extend my lease or not? If you let it lapse, I’m going to have to take out an option on my old space.”
“Was it expensive to give it up?” I asked.
She misunderstood. “I’m not poor-mouthing you, Harrison, I do pretty well at my shop, no matter where it is, but I like River’s Edge. It’s got a lot of heart.”
“I think so myself,” I said.
“So have you? Decided, I mean?”
I shook my head. “It’s too early to say yet, I’m sorry. I have to give things around here a chance to settle down before I decide.”
“You’re talking about Heather, aren’t you? Listen, I’m truly sorry about all that. I didn’t mean to run her off.”
“I’m not so sure you did,” I said. “She has a new sign up in her window now that says she’ll be back in a couple of weeks.”
“But I thought...never mind. That’s good, then.”
“What were you going to say?” I pressed.
“Tick told me she was gone for good. I guess she was wrong.”
“For that we’ll have to wait and see. Listen, I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got to get back to the shop.”
“They’re worse than toddlers, aren’t they? I shouldn’t leave mine long either.”
I walked my way and she walked hers. Sanora was an enigma, no doubt about that.
Pearly Gray nearly ran me down coming out as I started to open the door to At Wick’s End.
“Were you looking for me?” I asked as I stepped aside.
“No, nothing like that,” he mumbled. “I’ll speak with you later.”
Then he was gone.
Eve’s cheeks were bright crimson and there was a glistening in her eyes.
Then it hit me. She’d been having problems with her love life, and Pearly had mentioned that some of the women he’d been dating were ganging up on him. I’d never dreamed Eve was one of the women he’d been talking about.