Chapter Eight #2
"I'd rather sit and drink it here with you," he said when he reached the office. He took a seat in the armchair in the corner and watched Harvey settle himself behind the desk. So far, Jake’s favorite purchase that he’d made for the business was Harvey's chair.
When Harvey had first started, there was only a cheap one.
He hadn't said a word, but as soon as Jake noticed that it took him a while to get up from it and that he seemed to walk more bent over after he'd been sitting for a while, he figured it out.
He'd ordered the replacement from the mall and had to wait a week before he could pick it up, and it had put him way over what he'd budgeted for office equipment. But seeing the way Harvey settled into it with a smile every time he sat down was worth every penny.
~ ~ ~
Savannah stopped at the grocery store on the way home from work on Monday. She was looking forward to a peaceful evening. The restaurant had been busy all weekend, and between that and fitting in time to hang out with Jake on Saturday and Tiffany on Sunday, she was tired.
“Hi, Mrs. Pickles,” she greeted the older woman who was manning the cash register.
“Hey, Savvie. How’ve you been?”
“Great, thanks. How about you?”
“Oh, you know. I keep myself busy.” Mrs. Pickles looked around as if to check no one was listening before she leaned in a little closer. “I’m about ready to hand my notice in here.”
“Wow!” Savannah was shocked. Mrs. Pickles had worked at the grocery store for as long as she could remember. She’d been here when her mom was still alive.
The older woman shrugged. “I know, I thought I’d be here till I retired, but it’s not the same lately.
The new manager thinks he’s something else—wants to bring in all these newfangled ideas and ways of doing things.
We keep trying to tell him that stuff might work down in the city, but we do things the way we do around here because they work.
” She shrugged again and kept ringing up Savannah’s groceries.
“He won’t have it, though. He thinks we’re all dumb backwoods hicks.
He’ll learn. But anyway, some of the folks who’ve worked here for years have found other jobs, so it’s not the same atmosphere anymore.
Even the youngsters are getting fed up with him.
I’m just glad Shayna got out.” She frowned.
“You were friends with Shayna, weren’t you? ”
Savannah was about to say that she still was, but it hit her that she hadn’t managed to catch up with her old friend for a few months—even before she moved to Montana.
“Yeah, she was one of my best friends all the way through school.”
“I thought so. You were a pair, the two of you—hard workers, good girls.” Mrs. Pickles winked.
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you that you find yourself a good man like she did with that cowboy.
She brought him in here last time she was home visiting.
” She waggled her eyebrows. “I wouldn’t mind finding one like that for myself! ”
She laughed at the shocked look on Savannah’s face. “I’m only kidding you. Mr. Pickles is all I need—I still love that old grump even after all these years—but there’s no harm in looking, even though I’m old enough to be Tyler’s mom.”
Tyler—that was the name of the guy Shayna was with, the cowboy she’d moved to Montana for. Savannah smiled. If anyone deserved to find a good man and be happy with him, Shayna did.
“But my point was,” Mrs. Pickles went on, “I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for you. You could do with a cowboy coming in to sweep you off your feet and ride away with you into the sunset.”
Savannah chuckled, tempted to say that she’d be happier with a mechanic if he wanted to drive away with her—and there was no need to ride off into the sunset. She’d be happy if they only went as far as his garage on the other side of the lake.
Mrs. Pickles gave her an inquiring look. “Is there anything you want to tell me?”
A woman who looked like a tourist came to stand behind her at the checkout, and Savannah shrugged.
“That’ll be thirty-eight seventy-two, then,” said Mrs. Pickles. “And I’ll want to hear all about it next time you come in.”
“Okay.” Savannah paid and carried her bags out to the car.
She couldn’t imagine going into the store and not seeing Mrs. Pickles anymore.
But then, she’d felt that way about Shayna leaving.
Times changed, life moved on, and all she could do was hope the changes were good for the people she cared about.
She popped the trunk when she reached her car and put the bags inside. As she started the engine, she smiled to herself, hoping that things might be changing for the better in her own life, too.
When she got back to the apartment, Tiffany came downstairs to meet her.
“Hey. I only have a couple of bags; there’s nothing you need to carry.”
Tiffany took one of the bags from her anyway. “I know, but… don’t laugh at me, but I’ve never had this. Never had anyone I look forward to seeing when they get home. I… shit, that probably sounds stupid.”
“No! I love it. And I know what you mean. I feel the same way, mostly. I mean, it was like that when I stayed with Harvey – he’s awesome – but, well, you have an idea of what life was like with my mom. And I’ve had roommates before, but no one I was close to – not like you.”
When they reached the top of the stairs, Tiffany let them in before putting the bag down on the kitchen counter. She waited for Savannah to put hers down, then wrapped her in a hug.
“Don’t get me wrong. I love Elle – she’s been a good friend to me – but we never lived together or anything, and…” Tiffany shrugged. “I turned the oven on when I heard you pull up. Should I put the pizza in? Are you hungry?”
Warmth bloomed in Savannah’s chest as she nodded. “Yeah, let’s do that. I got a bag of salad; we can have that while we wait.”
She wanted to say more, but she already knew that once Tiff had changed the subject, she wouldn’t go back.
She’d stick with her tough-girl act. And that was okay.
They didn’t need to wallow in it, but little moments like the one they’d just shared meant the world to Savannah – and made her grateful for all the good people she was lucky enough to have in her life.