Chapter 10
CHAPTER 10
A ce made his way into the back of Blithe Boutiques. He grumbled as he set down the heavy box filled with groceries on the counter. He’d told Apple and Olive a million times they needed to lock this backdoor. Not only did it give thieves access to their merchandise, but the two old women lived upstairs. What if someone came in the unlocked back door in the middle of the night.
Olive told him he was a silly worry-wort —whatever the hell that was—and Apple argued that no one in this tiny town would dare mess with the Blithe sisters. More like everyone loved the sisters and wouldn’t dare harm them. At least, the locals wouldn’t. While they didn’t get as much tourism as Denver, they did pull in people on their way to the mountains and ski resorts. Strangers who wouldn’t hesitate a quick grab and run if they saw the opportunity.
Ace pulled out the cookies and tea bags he’d picked up at the store and placed them on the counter. The sisters liked to provide snacks for their shoppers. Olive did, anyway. The sweeter sister was like everyone’s kind old granny. Apple, on the other hand, scowled and muttered under her breath until the customer left. She was everyone’s grouchy old granny.
After making sure all the supplies for the store were out of the box, he lifted it again and headed up the short staircase into the sister’s small apartment home. He unloaded the groceries into the cabinets and fridge, making sure to put a fresh bottle of Jacks vodka in their freezer. Once he was finished, he headed back down the stairs with the empty box.
Ace broke down the empty cardboard box and set it next to the recycling by the back door when the muffled sounds of speaking caught his ear. Not unusual considering it was mid mornings and the shop was open. He recognized the voices of both Blithe sisters and someone else’s too. A voice that caused a streak of heat to shoot up his spine and his teeth to grind together in annoyance all at the same time. Only one person could make his body and mind fight each other like that.
Ace pushed through the back door into the store area to confirm what he dreaded.
Millie.
She sat at a small round table covered in an intricate lace tablecloth by the register. The table was normally where the sisters put their tea and cookies for the customers. Currently it was empty, or it looked that way to him from this far across the room. Millie was sitting on one side of the table with Olive sitting on the other. Both women were looking down at the tabletop. Whatever was there must be fascinating as neither of the women noticed his approach.
“Ace,” Apple said from her position behind the register.
He nodded, not surprised she’d been aware of his presence. Nothing slipped by Apple.
“What’s going on here?” he asked, stopping on the other side of the counter just a few feet from the table. From here he could see an array of cards laid out on the table. The sisters enjoyed their poker and rummy, but these weren’t normal playing cards. These cards had drawings of people and objects and…was that a goat man?
“Nonsense and time-wasting is what’s going on,” Apple replied with a grunt.
“Oh Apple, you old sourpuss,” Olive laughed, still glancing down at the table. “It’s not nonsense, it’s fun.”
“It’s hogwash,” Apple insisted.
“It’s harmless,” Olive replied. “And hello Alfa dear, how are you today?”
She glanced up to send him a kind smile, before returning her gaze to the table.
“I’m fine, Olive, thank you.” He stared at the other woman at the table. “Millie.”
“Oh, hey Alfa . You in the market for some doilies and handmade soap?”
She pressed her lips together tightly, but he could still hear the laughter escaping.
“Ha!” Apple let out a bark of a laugh. “Ace Jackson with a doily in his house. Now that’s something I’d like to see. Young man, do you even use coasters?”
Apple thought everyone under the age of seventy was an uncouth slob who wouldn’t know how to properly maintain a household if their life depended on it. The woman took her role of town curmudgeon very seriously. Ace could appreciate her no nonsense attitude. He never did understand the reason for fake pleasantries.
“Yes ma’am, I do, but you’re right about the doilies. Afraid I’ve never seen much use for them myself.”
“Ace brings us our groceries, dear,” Olive said to Millie.
Sure, now she uses his nickname.
“Oh, does he?”
Millie looked up at him with a sparkle in her eyes.
He did not trust that sparkle.
She placed her elbows on the table and clasped her hands together, setting her chin on top as she gazed at him. “Isn’t that just so sweet of him.”
Sweet? Him? He’d been called a lot of things in his life—most he couldn’t repeat around his mother—but never had he been called sweet.
He didn’t like it. It felt…weird.
“It’s not a big deal,” he insisted, uncomfortable with the praise. “I bring them Jacks vodka and the store is on my way here so…”
He trailed off. Three sets of eyes stared at him, calling him a liar. Whatever. He didn’t come here to be put in the spotlight. And he certainly didn’t expect to see Millie here. Speaking of…
“What are you doing here?” he asked, the question coming out more accusatory than he intended.
“Working,” she replied simply.
He huffed out a small laugh, glancing around the store. “That’s funny, this doesn’t look like Jacks.”
“It’s called a side gig.” She leaned back in her chair, waving a hand over the cards on the table. “I told you I do readings, remember?”
Right. Tarot cards or whatever they were.
“And I was just telling Olive here that she’s about to stumble into some very good luck.”
He snorted. “Let me guess, she’s about to meet someone tall, dark, and handsome?”
Isn’t that what those fake psychics always claimed?
Millie narrowed her eyes. “Doubters always resort to overplayed jokes.”
Apple let out a loud cackle. “Oooo, I like her, Ace. This one doesn’t take crap from anyone. Not even her boss. That’s backbone there.”
More like backtalk, but he had to agree with Apple, Millie didn’t take anyone’s crap. Not even his. Secretly, he liked that about her. Not many people other than his siblings called him on his shit. It was refreshing and infuriating at the same time.
“As I was saying,” Millie said to Olive, pointing down at the cards, giving him the brush off. “You see this card here? The Sun card. It means that good fortune is on its way to you.”
“But I don’t play the lottery. Don’t you have to play to win?” Olive asked.
“I didn’t say it wouldn’t be monetary. Fortune can mean many things. Anything that enriches your life. The cards aren’t specific, they simply interpret the energy surrounding you.”
“Hogwash,” Apple muttered.
“Quiet, Apple.” Olive admonished her sister. “You’re just mad because your reading said a long-lost love would be entering your life and now, you’re worried you’ll have to grovel to some poor man whose heart you broke.”
“Ha! There’s not a man on earth worthy of my groveling.” Apple smiled, but Ace noticed a hint of apprehension in her eyes. “The cards are wrong.”
“The cards are never wrong,” Millie insisted. “Only our interpretation of them.”
“Then you read them wrong,” Apple insisted.
“Ignore her, sweetheart.” Olive patted Millie’s hand. “They were wonderful readings. How much do we owe you?”
Millie waved a hand in the air. “First reading is free.”
Ace shook his head. How could she call this a side gig if she didn’t even charge?
“I’ll be back Saturday morning.” Millie said with a smile.
“Saturday morning?” Ace questions, the words escaping his mouth before he could pull them back.
Olive smiled at him. “Yes, Millie is going to offer readings to our customers. It’ll be a fun way to draw in the tourists here for the Art Festival this weekend.”
Right, the art festival. A big crowd puller. Speaking of.
“You’re scheduled at the bar Saturday,” he reminded Millie.
Millie arched one eyebrow at him as she gathered up her cards and shoved them into the large cloth bag hanging on the edge of her chair.
“Yes, but not until three. I can do readings for the Blithe customers in the morning and serve drinks in the evening.”
Sounded exhausting to him. He stared at her, noticing the faint lines around her eyes. Why was she pushing herself so hard like this?
“Ladies.” Millie rose from her seat, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “It’s been a pleasure and I’m looking forward to Saturday.”
She moved around the table toward the front door. Ace hurried over, catching her arm just before she left the store. She glanced down to his hand and back up, staring him directly in the eyes without a hint of intimidation.
“Yes?”
Words stuck in his throat. He stared at her, noticing up close how tired she looked. Millie always had a smile on her face, an offer of help for everyone, but he never realized how similar they were. Just like him, she wasn’t the kind of person to ask others for help. Even when she needed it. Why else would she work at the bar, and do side gigs? Especially when—
“Why do you need to work multiple jobs?”
She brushed off his question with a small laugh. “I told you at the interview, in this economy—”
“Cut the crap, Millie.” He lowered his voice, knowing the Blithe sisters were avidly trying to listen to their conversation. He hoped their poor hearing prevented the old snoops from catching too much. “You make excellent tips, we pay well, and I’m giving you five k for your undercover work.”
“So?”
He frowned, all kinds of terrible things racing through his mind for why someone would need such a large influx of cash quickly. Medical problems, trouble with loan sharks, gambling debt. He didn’t judge, but he also didn’t like seeing the people around him struggle. If he could help, he would, but she had to talk to him first.
He swallowed past the worry and gentled his voice. Hoping she understood the genuine question he was asking her. “Do you need help?”
Millie’s gaze softened. Her lips curled up in a smile, so sweet it took his breath away. Lifting her hand, she brushed her palm against his cheek. Heat infused his body at her touch. He ached to turn his face and brush his lips against her warm skin. The urge was so unexpected he felt his body turn stone still.
“You really are just a big ol’ softie, aren’t you Ace?” She shook her head. “I’m fine but thank you for your concern. I’m just working toward a dream.”
He could understand that. He and his siblings spent years working toward Jacks. Still, he wished she’d open up. Maybe he could help her with her dream.
“See you at work.”
Right, work. The place where he was the boss, and she was the employee. The one he hired to sniff out a thief. For a moment there he’d forgotten all their tangled strings. For a brief second, he’d only seen a woman who stirred things in him, one he wanted to help in any way he could.
“Bye Apple, bye Olive,” Millie waved as she turned and headed out the door.
Ace turned to see the sisters smiling at him, a knowing look in their eyes.
“What?” he asked, knowing they were going to say what was on their mind no matter what.
“She’s such a sweet girl, Ace.” Olive said.
Woman. Millie was a woman, but to the senior citizens he supposed everyone was a child.
“She’s got gumption,” Apple agreed. “Keep you on your toes.”
He knew where this was going and the last thing he needed was the town’s surrogate grandma’s hooking him up with one of his employees.
“It’s been a pleasure, but I have to get back to Jacks for some inventory,” he lied, ignoring the women’s statements about Millie.
Olive waved, while Apple said something under her breath he was sure he didn’t want to hear. Ace headed out the store. In the distance he saw Millie strolling down the sidewalk as if she didn’t have a care in the world. He couldn’t pull his gaze off her retreating form. His chest ached with a longing he’d never felt before. As she disappeared into the distance, he muttered to himself.
“I am so fucked.”