Snuffed Out - Tim Myers [61]
Before I realized what I’d done, my plate was clean. “Seconds?” Millie asked.
“Not unless I take a nap for the rest of the day. I’m going to have a hard time staying awake as it is. Millie, that was wonderful.”
“I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I thank you for talking to Heather.”
“As I said, you’re welcome. I’d say you shouldn’t have, but I’d be lying. Now I’d better get back to work.”
As I left the cafe, my blue jeans felt snug on me. I was going to have to do a lot more walking if I was going to be able to wear them much longer.
I lingered outside the candleshop, not eager to go back in on such a beautiful autumn day. There was that crispness in the air filled with a longing to cut school and play hooky. In the other jobs I’d had in my life, one day off now and then never made that much difference, and I probably took more time off than I should have. But if I was being honest with myself, there was a part of me that longed for those days. It wasn’t that I didn’t love At Wick’s End, or River’s Edge, for that matter, but I’d been in school entirely too long without a day off.
That wasn’t going to happen, though.
I walked back in and found Eve watching me from the second I passed through our door.
I asked, “What is it? Did I get a stain on my shirt?”
She shook her head. “Not that I can see. Harrison, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
Uh oh. This couldn’t be good. “What’s on your mind?”
“Don’t you trust me?” she asked, a mixture of anger and hurt in her voice.
“What makes you ask me that? You know I do.”
“Then why don’t you ever take any time off? Believe it or not, the candleshop was running just fine before you came along. Belle used to take two afternoons off a week, and if the mood moved her, she would grab an entire day now and then, too. I’m perfectly capable of handling things around here.”
“You know what? When you’re right, you’re right.” I started for the door.
“Where are you going?”
I said, “I’m taking this afternoon off. After all, I trust you.”
“I didn’t mean right now” she said, surprised by the immediate success of her argument.
“There’s no time like the present” I said. “See you in the morning.”
“That will be fine,” she said, still unsure about what exactly had happened.
I’d been looking for an excuse to get away, and Eve had offered me a perfect one.
I thought about going up to my apartment and changing, but my jeans would be good enough for whatever I wanted to do, and I honestly needed to get away from River’s Edge.
There was gas in my truck, money in my wallet, and a smile on my face. I suddenly knew exactly what I wanted to do. I was less than an hour from the Blue Ridge Parkway, a place I truly loved. Who wouldn’t? It was a ribbon of road that ran through some of the prettiest country there was. Even the forty-five-mile-an-hour speed limit appealed to me. I wanted time to savor the colors of the trees, and since the road wound through a higher elevation, I should get a great show. I would have never tried it on the weekend because of the traffic, but I figured I’d be safe during the week.
Driving up into the mountains, I rolled my windows down despite the chilly air and turned my radio off completely. It was an afternoon worth bottling, if I could have figured out a way to do it.
It was nearly six by the time I got back to Micah’s Ridge. Beside me on the seat, I had a bag of apples, a jug of cider, and a half a case of pumpkin butter. I was hooked on the stuff, and loaded up whenever I visited the mountains. It amazed me that I’d been able to get a week’s worth of relaxation in one afternoon, and I promised myself to start taking advantage of having Eve there to run things at the candleshop. There was a world to see beyond the confines of At Wick’s End, and I was going to start taking advantage of it.
Eve looked surprised to see me as I walked into the store. “Harrison, I thought you were gone for the day.” She was totaling out the cash register