Page 4 of The Holiday Grump
“Where are you staying?” Summer asked, ignoring me.
“I’m here to run a pop-up shop on the town square. I haven’t even seen it yet. I was too hungry. But I hope it’s nice. There’s an apartment at the back I can stay in, so it’s a great deal.”
Summer brightened. “A shop? Really? What do you sell?”
“Christmas decorations, apparently.”
“Wow. Didn’t know we needed any more of those.” Summer laughed, glancing at the pine garlands hanging from the ceiling. “But that’s great that you got yourself a job.”
The woman nodded enthusiastically. “I’m so grateful I don’t even care what I’m selling. I got off a cruise ship this morning, and it’s so amazing to be on dry land for more than two hours and, you know, out at night.”
She sounded so perky. Full of excitement. Where the hell did they breed her kind? I’d long ago stopped pretending to read and was now shamelessly listening in. She knew it, too, raising her voice just enough for my benefit.
Summer threw me a dirty look and aimed her honeyed voice at the newcomer. “Sounds like a special occasion.”
“You have no idea. Excuse me, I’m starving.” She took a bite of the sandwich, smiling apologetically.
Summer laughed. “I’ll let you eat. But you must tell me all about the shop later. I’m Summer.”
“Noelle,” she said after chewing and swallowing her food.
Summer gave her a thumbs-up and headed back to the bar, weaving between the tables.
Noelle. Her name was Noelle, and she was here to sell Christmas decorations.More than a little on the nose, I thought, shaking my head. But I memorized it anyway. I might bump into her again.
I wondered where her shop was located on the town square. I knew the place like the back of my hand. A couple of empty shops remained—one next door to mine—but that space was too big for something so frivolous. It didn’t make sense.
As she ate, I enjoyed the silence. She wasn’t a talk-with-her-mouth-full type, thank God, even if she kept glancing my way between bites. No doubt she was gearing up for another question with that head tilt and those giant anime eyes, expecting me to dazzle and entertain her.
She was barking up the wrong tree. I was as dazzling and entertaining as that cactus she’d been putting makeup on.
My shoulders dropped with a heavy exhale as I took a sip of my beer. It had turned warm and flat an hour ago. Mostly, I used it as a prop. Summer knew better than to push alcohol on me. I was a cheap, lousy drunk, once voted “Most likely to fall asleep in public.” I didn’t care either way. I’d long since stopped feeling embarrassed over things I couldn’t control.
I didn’t deal in secondhand embarrassment, either, so watching this woman in a baby chick coat exercise and brush a cactus didn’t bother me. Her incessant questions did.
“What are you reading?”
I lowered the book, giving her a tired look. “How to Keep People at Bay. It’s self-help.”
“Self-help?” Her lips twitched like she wasn’t buying my bullshit. “Can I see?”
She reached for the book, but I slipped it into my bag, committing to said bullshit. “It’s annotated. Very personal stuff. I can’t risk showing it to a stranger.”
Why was I encouraging her?
She was smiling now. A pretty smile that made her brown eyes glint. “You shouldn’t write anything that sensitive in the margins. What if someone comes to visit and starts browsing through your book?”
“Well, then, the writer has failed to help me keep people at bay. She’ll get a scathing review.” I gave her a stern look, which did nothing to discourage this muppet.
“Who’s the author? I’ll look it up.” She batted her eyelashes like a cartoon character, leaning in to peek into my bag.
I closed the flap in her face, and she giggled.
“Come on! If it’s about keeping bad people away, I need that book.” Her laughter fizzled, and something dark crossed behind her eyes. She hid it well, keeping that smile on her lips. But I’d already seen it.
“Do you have trouble keeping bad people away?” I asked despite myself.
As much as I wanted to return to my peace and background noise, I couldn’t ignore the red flag.
