Chapter 7
CHAPTER
SEVEN
Shelly
By the time I’m done working for the day, I have all the pertinent information for Abyss as well as appointments set up for the following day. Since he’s prepping his room for the party that’s about to arrive, I call out, “I’m leaving everything on your desk. See ya in the morning, Abyss.”
“Good night, Shelly. Be careful driving home.”
“I always am, I promise.”
While it took quite some time for me to heal from my injuries, the first few times I was a passenger with either Uncle Mack or Marcella, I had to be medicated because I would have panic attacks.
Then, when the doctor released me to start driving again, it took another six months or so before I was willing to get behind the wheel.
Needless to say, my Jeep has all the bells and whistles, plus I’ve added front and rear dashcams.
I decide to stop at the grocery store on my way home because even though I just went, I have a craving for some fried chicken.
Thank goodness for air fryers, it’s made cooking an absolute breeze.
Plus, even though Uncle Mack went out to the clubhouse for a few beers, it’ll still taste good served cold.
I’m not going completely crazy, because I plan to pick up pre-made sides since I’ve already been on my feet for hours and they’re aching.
Oh, and chocolate, I’ll need a lot in my stash since I did check my calendar, and my period is right around the corner.
It’s always best to be prepared as far as I’m concerned.
As I walk up and down the aisle, I see other things I want so I toss them in the basket, then because I’ve been watching TikToks where people make cake pops and treats, I quickly do a search about the items I’ll need and add that to the pile as well.
I’ll go online and order the molds, food color, bags, and sticks.
If nothing else, it’ll be something fun to do to keep me occupied at night so I’m not wasting away in front of the television.
By the time I’m done shopping, my cart is overflowing and I start laughing as I place things on the conveyor belt.
“What’s so funny, hon?” the clerk asks as she starts ringing me up.
“Well, I came in for a few things, like maybe a basket worth, and you see what I managed to grab,” I say. “Which wouldn’t normally be a horrible thing, except I literally did the shopping yesterday!”
She starts laughing as she continues her task, quickly and efficiently bagging my stuff as she goes. “So, you’ve got the munchies?” she asks as she rings up the three bags of pretzel rods.
“Actually, I’m going to try my hand at making cake pops and chocolate-covered pretzel sticks,” I admit.
“There’s some teenager I follow on TikTok who is so talented,” she replies.
“He does strawberries too, and when I saw how he made his rattle pops, I was beyond impressed. You’ll have to let me know how you like making them because I’m sure there’s a market for them around here, especially with the various festivals and stuff. ”
“I’ll do that, I have to order some stuff online since we don’t have a Michaels or Hobby Lobby all that close, but that’s okay, I’m an old pro at one-clicking what I want.”
“Same, girl, same, which is why I’ll be working up until the day I day,” the clerk says, grinning.
When I see the total, I shrug and pull out my debit card.
I ended up with a hefty settlement after the accident since I was so grievously injured and Amberlea died, and while most has been invested for my future, I’m more than financially stable.
Looking at the name tag on my clerk, I say, “Susie, when I figure out how these work, I’ll be sure to come back and let you know, maybe even bring you some samples so you can tell me how you like them. ”
“I’d like that,” she says. “I’m usually here every day, late afternoon until close. I take care of my momma in the morning but once her nurse arrives, I come in to work.”
“Then it’s a plan.”
Even though I want to jump into creating, I decide to make dinner first. While I eat, I do some more research and then place a hefty online order with the molds for designs, the special food color, the sprinkles, basically all the things, including a nifty machine that will allow me to individually wrap the pops and pretzel sticks.
I clean up dinner, wrapping a plate for Uncle Mack and placing it in the fridge, then divvy up the rest into containers for quick meals for the rest of the week.
Once the kitchen is spic and span, I wander through the house and do a quick reset.
I’ve found that it helps me a lot to have everything neat and tidy, which is kind of funny since I didn’t used to be like that.
My old therapist said it’s because I can control my environment and while I was healing, my brain needed that in order to cope with everything.
Thankfully, the habit stuck. The house isn’t magazine worthy by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s comfortable, inviting, and suits me and Uncle Mack. I turn on the lamp that’s on the end table, make sure the outside light is on, then head into my room to do a little bit of pampering.
Okay, I lied. I’m going to demolish the pint size container of rocky road ice cream, then take an everything bath and shower so I can exfoliate my skin, shave, then lotion, powder, and moisturize the hell out of my skin.
I don’t really look my age which is a testament to the lessons Marcella instilled in me about using SPF-based skin care items. I may have a light tan, but my face ‘tan’ comes from my makeup application, not because I bake in the sun.
After lighting a few of my lilac candles, I hop in the shower to rinse off while the tub fills.
I used to just get into the bath until I had back-to-back urinary tract infections.
The doctor said I should shower first to keep from sitting in what amounted to dirty water.
Ever since I switched, I’ve been fine. As the scent surrounds me, I think about everything Beth and I talked about earlier today and realize that what I told her was correct.
I don’t want to stay stuck in the past. It may take me some time to come around to the fact that it’s okay for me to find happiness again, but based on how I feel whenever Abyss is around, I don’t think it’s going to be that difficult.
I mean, it’s not like he’s asked me out or anything, but I think he’s attracted to me and the feeling’s definitely mutual.
Still, I’m not sure I’ll say yes if he asks me because I may not want to be mired in the past, but I’m also scared of what the future holds.
“James, I miss the hell out of you and wish you were still here, honey,” I whisper as I get out of the shower and prepare to get into my bath.
“But it’s time for me to step into my future and since you were such a green flag guy, I know my worth and won’t accept anything less.
I owe it to you and Amberlea both to find joy in living once again. ”
By the time I’m done with my everything bath, the water has cooled off significantly and I shiver as I step out of the tub and grab a towel.
I think I need to add a towel warmer to my order; it would be nice to have during the winter.
I don’t know how cold it gets down here, but living in Texas, I’ve learned that the weather does whatever it wants. So, I’ll be prepared.
I plait my long hair then put my silk bonnet on, grinning as I think about all the times Uncle Mack has given me shit for wearing one.
Marcella finally told him that they weren’t just for people with natural hair, but anyone who had hair on their head.
All I know is it reduces the tangles in the morning, and also those damn frizzies that the humidity likes to tease out of my hair.
Crawling into bed, I pull my journal out and write out my feelings.
Page after page fills, covering everything from what I did at work today to my conversation with Beth, and lastly, my plans for the future.
I fall asleep with a book open on my phone, and thankfully, none of my nightmares show up, something I was worried about considering how emotional this morning was for me.
“What the hell?” I ask as I walk into the shop.
As part of my normal opening process, I have the coffee pot going, more water put in the fridge, and my lunch put away. But when I breach the doorway into the front reception area, I come to a stuttering stop.
It’s trashed. There are empty bottles and cans on every available surface, and food bags as well as debris litters the floor. Abyss is going to lose his mind because if an inspector popped in, we’d be dinged hard.
Sighing, I turn on the computer then head back into the kitchen to grab a garbage bag.
Armed with that, as well as a pair of gloves I snagged from my room, I start cleaning the mess.
I can’t believe last night’s party would do something like this and am appalled that people who are supposed to be grown ass adults would treat a business in this manner.
“I was going to get that when I got in this morning.” Abyss’s voice rolls over me, and I shriek in surprise because I was so lost in thought, I didn’t hear him coming in.
Considering his size and the fact he wears motorcycle boots, it’s not like he’s a ninja.
“By the time I got them out of here, I was in no shape to deal with this bullshit.”