Second Chances (Fairshore Series Book 1)

by Christina Butrum

  “It’s August for Pete’s sake!” Amelia shouted as she raised her arms in the air.

  “Mother Nature doesn’t care. She obviously can’t read the calendar.” Courtney laughed. “We’ve had snow in June before. And we’ve had no snow on Christmas before.”

  “How’s that even possible? It has to snow for Christmas.”

  “December barely had any snowfalls last year.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  “It is. So now I guarantee people will be in here buying everything. Our shelves will be empty.”

  “Well, let’s get everything stocked so we’ll be ready.”

  “Yeah, right. There’s no being ready for the waves of people that’ll come through here. You’ll see why by the end of our shift.”

  Amelia looked around the store. “Should we call Tony and the others to come in and help us?”

  Courtney shrugged. “I’m not sure. My guess is we should, but I’m not sure.”

  “Well, let’s just stock and do what we can.”

  As they stocked, customers came into the store. Amelia and Courtney took turns at the checkout.

  Amelia restocked the breads and the pastas. The customers bought an overabundance of boxed foods.

  She looked back at the meat counter. She was relieved when she saw Tony. She waved at him. She was happy he came in to help. He waved and smiled back at her. “Big storm’s coming. Thought I’d better get in here and help out!” he hollered over the noise of the customers.

  Amelia nodded. Within the next two hours, the shelves were almost bare. The meat counter was near empty.

  “Is this everything we have? Is there more in the back?” Amelia asked. “I can’t believe we have sold this much. What’s the backup plan?”

  Tony and Courtney exchanged looks. When they shrugged their shoulders and did not say anything, Amelia knew there was not a backup plan. Amelia became worried. “What’s going to happen?”

  “Last time this happened, Anna had to close the store for a week. She had to wait for shipments to come in. She lost a lot of money from being closed, but the store picked up and was back to normal within a couple of weeks.”

  Amelia wondered if Anna knew this was going to happen again. She thought it was awkward that Anna hadn’t been into the store lately.

  Amelia asked Courtney, “Do we need to call Anna and let her know?”

  Courtney looked at Tony and then said, “No, I think Anna trusts us to do the right thing. We can handle it.”

  This whole situation and this week’s events felt awkward to Amelia. Something felt wrong. She wasn’t sure what, but she was sure she would find out soon enough.

  The rest of the day went by quickly. By the end of their shift at four, all of the shelves were empty and the meat counter was bare.

  They walked to the time clock. Courtney clocked out and said, “I’ll call Anna and make sure she knows what’s going on.”

  Tony and Amelia agreed it was a good idea.

  Courtney told Amelia, “Have a good vacation. Make sure you come back. We’d miss you if you didn’t come back.”

  Amelia made a sad face and then smiled. “Aww, that’s sweet. I’ll definitely come back. I moved here for a reason.”

  Amelia said goodbye as she left the store. She made sure they knew to call her if they needed her.

  As she drove home, she thought about Anna’s Deli and Anna. She needed to get home so she could call Zach and talk to him about the situation. No matter how sure Tony and Courtney seemed to be about the store being fine, Amelia felt uneasy about it. It was scary and nerve-racking. She needed reassurance from Zach. Anna was his grandma and he had helped her with the store. If anyone would know, Zach would.

  She pulled into her driveway. When she walked up the front steps, Bailey called out to her, “Hey, Amelia!”

  Bailey walked up the sidewalk to the front steps by the time Amelia turned around. “Hey, Bai. What’s up?” Amelia walked up the steps and onto the front porch. “I need to call Zach.”

  A look of panic crossed Bailey’s face. Amelia wondered if Bailey already figured out what had happened in town today.

  Bailey stayed quiet while Amelia called Zach. She asked him to come to her house. He told her he would be on his way over in a few minutes.

  When Zach arrived at Amelia’s house, all three sat around the living room.

  Amelia wasted no time. “Zach, Anna’s store ran out of stock today.”

  He nodded. In a calm voice he said, “It happens almost every year.”

  Amelia wondered why he was so calm about it. Was she overreacting? She asked in a worried voice, “Isn’t it serious?”

  He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Depends. Usually when a big storm is coming to town, people go crazy. Stores sell out of their complete inventory. Last time, Anna’s closed just long enough for my Grandma to restock and get the store back to normal.”

  Amelia nodded and said, “Tony and Courtney told me about that.”

  “It’s not a big deal. No need to worry,” he said as he sat down in the chair by the door. “It just means a longer vacation for you.” He smiled at Amelia.

  Amelia smiled back. Amelia realized it was not awkward between them after yesterday’s news. Maybe we will get through this together. She shook her head and stated, “Well, honestly, I don’t care about days off. I just want to make sure the store is going to make it through this.”

  Zach smiled. Amelia could tell he was amused by her worries. “It will. It always does. Grandma and her store never stay down for long.”

  Amelia clasped her hands together and said, “Okay, I won’t worry then.” Hearing Zach tell her in his own words about Anna’s Deli comforted her. She hoped he was right. She hoped Anna’s Deli would pull through this.

  Zach moved closer to Amelia and nudged her. “You’re a worry wart.”

  She rolled her eyes and said, “I can’t help it.”

  He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed her close. “No worries, okay?” He kissed the side of her face as she nodded her head.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Amelia woke up as her phone rang. The shrill of the ring pierced eardrums in the mornings. She looked at her alarm clock: 7:15 in bright red numbers. She tossed her head back against the pillow. She rubbed her eyes. She threw the covers off and got out of bed. “Who calls someone this early?” she asked out loud to no one in particular.

  The phone rang its fifth ring. She made a mental note to buy an answering machine. “I’m coming!” She hollered at the phone.

  She walked into the kitchen. The phone rang its tenth ring. She grabbed the phone and held it to her ear. She answered, “Hello?”

  “Amelia?”

  “Yes?” she replied in an abrasive tone.

  “I’m just calling to let you know you’re not needed at work today or the rest of the week.” The man’s voice boomed through the phone.

  “Thanks for calling me and letting me know, Tony,” she said politely.

  “No problem. Sorry for letting it ring a million times. I wanted to make sure to catch you before you left for work,” he apologized.

  “Thanks.” She was irritated, but not upset. “See you after my vacation.”

  “Have a good time. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “Okay, bye.”

  “Bye.”

  She hung up the phone and went back to bed. She crawled into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. She wanted to go back to sleep, but her mind raced with random thoughts. She thought of Crazy Courtney, and wondered what she looked like. Amelia shook her head. She did not want to think about it. The thoughts would not leave her. I wonder why he slept with her when they weren’t together. Amelia wondered if he still loved Courtney. Amelia closed her eyes. She thought of her trip to Linford. She wanted to ask Zach if he was sure he couldn’t go with her, especially now that Anna’s was closed. She thought it would be good for him to meet her parents. They would love to meet him. She was sure they would like hi
m. They would get along fine. She would have to hide the fact he might be a father to another woman’s baby. Amelia shook her head at the thought of keeping it secret.

  She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. To no avail, she could not sleep. She threw the blankets away from her. She got out of bed and walked downstairs. She wondered if the big snowstorm had arrived last night. A snowstorm was the only storm she knew that made everyone panic. It amazed her what a snowstorm caused people to do.

  She looked out the window. She was surprised when she saw enough white on the ground to cover all of the yard decorations and to bury her car. She wasn’t impressed with the amount of snow. “This is a snowstorm?” She said out loud. “I really hate snow. What the heck, Mother Nature?”

  She walked to the couch and grabbed her blanket. She grabbed her book and sat down on the couch. After she draped the blanket over her, she opened the book and read. She read until there was a knock on the door.

  Bailey’s voice traveled through the closed door, “Amelia, let me in. It’s cold out here.”

  Amelia unlocked the door and opened it. Bailey walked inside. She was fully dressed for the snow. She wore a bright red hat with matching gloves. Her white scarf glittered in the light’s reflection. She stomped her snow boots on the rug by the door. “Brr! It’s cold out there!” She tossed her things on the floor by the door.

  “It’s not that cold out there.” Amelia laughed.

  Bailey looked Amelia up and down and glanced at the blanket on the couch. “Says you, who’s in her pajamas and covered with a blanket. Mmhmm.”

  Amelia laughed. She looked at Bailey’s clothes. “Look at you. Wearing pajamas, too! Don’t judge me.”

  Bailey threw her head back and laughed. “I’m not judging.” She unbuckled her boots and placed them neatly on the rug by the door. She walked to the chair and sat down. “I just heard that Anna’s is closed until further notice.”

  “Yep, Tony just called me. He told me I can stay home today and the rest of the week.” Amelia smiled and gave a thumbs up.

  Bailey rubbed her hands together in an attempt to warm them. She smiled and asked, “Do you want to go to Linford a few days early?”

  “I’m not sure. I thought about it yesterday. It made sense to go earlier. I have so many people to visit…”

  “Then let’s go. We can leave first thing in the morning.”

  Amelia got excited. “What about your job?”

  “I took a few extra days off at the beginning of the week.”

  Excitement filled the living room. Bailey glanced around. She spotted the flowers and asked, “He bought you more flowers?”

  Amelia grinned and nodded. “Yes, he did. I need to tell him I need more vases.”

  “You definitely will if he keeps buying you flowers.”

  Amelia smiled. “But I love flowers.”

  “He left a note too?” Bailey asked.

  “He’s sweet like that.” Amelia laughed.

  “He’s definitely a keeper.”

  Amelia nodded. “I think so, too.”

  “You should ask him if he’s sure he can’t come with us. I’m anxious for him to meet your parents. I know you must be dying waiting too.”

  “I don’t think he can. He says he has both businesses to run.”

  Bailey grabbed a glass and poured milk into it. “Not now. Now that Anna’s will be closed for a while.”

  Amelia thought about what Bailey said. She did have a point. “Okay, I can ask him again. Hopefully he doesn’t get annoyed with me asking. I feel like I’m hounding him.”

  “Don’t feel that way. And annoyed? Ha! Zach’s so laid back, annoyed isn’t in his vocabulary.”

  Amelia chuckled. “I’ll take your word for it. I’ll ask him later.” Amelia grabbed a glass and poured milk into it. “For now, I’m going to relax. Let’s watch a movie.”

  Bailey chose a chick flick. She picked a movie about a mother who abandoned her child and later meets him. “This sounds good.”

  “It’s a tear jerker!” Amelia announced. Bailey stopped and looked at Amelia. Amelia shooed her with her hand and said, “Put it in!”

  They watched the movie and shared a box of tissues.

  “Why do these shows have to be so sad?!” Bailey bellyached.

  “To keep us watching them.” Amelia said as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

  “They don’t have to be though. I’d be interested in just about anything.”

  “I agree, but these movies are so good.”

  They watched the movie and put another one in.

  “It’s official. It’s movie day.” Bailey stated with a big smile on her face.

  “I have no problem with that, do you?”

  Bailey shook her head. “Nope, not at all.”

  Chapter Twenty

  After the last movie ended, Amelia called Zach. He answered on the second ring.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Zach.”

  “What’s up?”

  “Anna’s is closed for the week.”

  “Yep, but like I said last night, no worries. Grandma will get it going again.”

  “So I was thinking…” She let her words trail off. “Now that I have nothing to do all week, Bailey and I thought about leaving for Linford tomorrow morning.”

  “That sounds like a good idea. It’ll give you more time back home.”

  “I’m looking forward to more days with everyone.” Amelia smiled. She looked at Bailey who prompted her to ask Zach if he would go. Amelia was unsure if she wanted him to. She needed time to clear her thoughts. She wanted time to think about the whole situation. She asked him anyway, “Can you go with us now that Anna’s is closed?”

  Zach hesitated. The minute felt like an hour to Amelia. She heard him sigh and then he said, “Amelia, I’d love to, but I have stuff to do around here. I have stuff to figure out. I’m sorry.”

  Amelia’s heart sank. She felt disappointed. She felt conflicted. She had hoped he would say no because she needed her time to think, but now that he said no, she felt discouraged. “It’s okay. I understand.”

  “I promise I’ll go with you sometime,” he stated. “Look, I’ve got to get off the phone now. My to-do list is calling my name. Call me when you get to Linford so I know you made it there. Have fun. No worries, okay?”

  That’s easier said than done. Amelia thought.

  “I can give you my parents’ phone number. If you want it?”

  “Let me grab a piece of paper and a pen.” She heard shuffled papers.

  “Okay, go ahead and give it to me.”

  “Area code 621-782-5943.”

  “Got it.” He said. “I’ll call only if I need to.” He chuckled. “Or if I miss you, which I’m going to. You’ve been warned.”

  Amelia laughed. “I’m going to miss you, too.” She was relieved they could act somewhat normal.

  “Have fun and don’t forget to call me.”

  “I will.” Amelia shook her head and laughed. “I meant I’ll have fun and I’ll call you. I won’t forget. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Zach laughed. “Okay, bye.”

  “Bye.” Amelia hung up the phone and looked at Bailey, a look of sadness on her face.

  “He said no?”

  “He said he has stuff to do around here and stuff to figure out.” Amelia pouted.

  “That’s okay. You have me and we’ll have a blast,” Bailey assured Amelia. “Maybe we could leave in an hour.” Bailey said as she glanced at the clock.

  “Really?” Amelia asked in shock.

  “Why not?” Bailey stood up. “It’s early in the day. It’s the perfect time to travel. And everything is packed. We just need to load your car.”

  Amelia smiled. She clapped her hands together and said, “Okay! Let’s do this!”

  They raced to grab their suitcases. Amelia brought her suitcases to the car, and Bailey stood at the trunk of the car. She waited for Amelia to unlock the trunk. She had two medium-sized
suitcases and one duffle bag. Amelia put her suitcases and bags down on the ground.

  “I’m surprised that you aren’t taking all five suitcases with you.” Bailey joked.

  Amelia chuckled and said, “Nope, but I do have these two suitcases and the two bags.”

  Amelia opened the trunk of her car. “Here’s the start of a new level of Tetris.” She laughed as she crammed the suitcases and bags into the trunk. “That’s what my dad and I said when I moved here.”

  “It does seem like Tetris to me.”

  After they shuffled and rearranged the suitcases, Amelia crammed the last bag into the trunk and closed the lid. She clapped her hands in an attempt to remove the snow from her gloves. “I’m glad I packed my winter stuff separately when I moved here. It was easy to find this morning.”

  Bailey opened the passenger door. “Do we have everything?” She looked at the front door. “Is your house locked?”

  Amelia jogged up to the front door and checked the handle. “It’s locked!” she hollered back to Bailey. When she got to the driver’s side, she made a quick memory jot through her list. “I’m sure we have everything. I don’t think we missed anything.”

  Bailey smiled and she said with excitement, “Then I think we’re ready to go!”

  They hopped into the car and started their journey to Linford. On the way, they listened to music. They sang at the top of their lungs. No worries or cares along the way. The drive seemed shorter to Amelia. It did not seem to take as long as it had to get to Fairshore from Linford.

  “Welcome to Linford,” Amelia announced as they drove past the town sign.

  The town looked the same. The small town still had the abandoned stores. The buildings were boarded up and closed tight.

  “Nothing has changed.” Amelia rolled her window down and smelled the air.

  “This town’s small compared to Fairshore.” Bailey observed. “Look at those buildings. What businesses were in them?”

  Amelia looked as they passed by them. “Mostly Ma and Pa shops. Some were hand-me-down stores, with used clothes and other items for sale. Others were our main businesses, like our pharmacy and our grocery store.” Amelia continued to drive through downtown Linford. “Nothing compared to Anna’s, but it supplied us with what we needed.”