Small Town Angel

by K'Anne Meinel

  “Just eat your cookies and cream,” Carol teased him as she scooped up her own praline.

  “We should work on a beer ice cream,” he replied with a twinkle in his eye.

  “Ahead of you there,” Amy told him as she wiped the counter in front of him with a smile.

  He shook his head, she really had been an angel to them and the terms were generous, she had also put them in contact with a marketing genius who was worth every dime that they had spent to make the store a success. The huge cask that greeted customers as they walked through a ‘plug hole’ to enter the store was genius. Terry had appreciated the work and Lenora thrilled to rent out another empty building in the small village. The work was first rate and customers appreciated the ‘brewery feel’ of their store. Many of the bars around town and the area were already carrying their different and distinctive brews. “I’ve got to enjoy this while I can, I have deliveries to make,” he said importantly.

  “And I have to get back to school,” Carol said with a grin, she was going to put her resignation in at the end of summer and work at the brewery full time at this rate.

  “Don’t forget to talk to Terry about putting in that boardwalk if the city would allow it,” Amy reminded them with a twinkle. She loved that she had helped them fulfill their dream. It had taken a lot of late nights to get it ready in time for this last weekend, but they looked pleased. Having outdoor drinking might be a problem on the lakefront but it was still in the confines of the brewery. Patrons would be warned not to take it off the property. The views would mean the customers could enjoy their beer in the shade overlooking the boats.

  * * * * *

  Lavina Mason was surprised when Amy approached her about opening a small laundromat in the back of one of the stores. It was to be out of sight but would cater to anyone who had to haul their dirty laundry in the past to the next town. They had Terry build the platforms for the industrial machines and put up false walls so the machines could be easily serviced from behind.

  “Why me?” she asked the redheaded owner of The Emporium.

  “I’ve seen you many times at the same laundromat as I and I saw you cleanin’. I want someone who will take care of the place and I can trust. I asked around,” she confided, not telling her that Abby and some of the people at Chuckies had vouched for her after some carefully place questions were made. A widower who barely made ends meet, as a partner of Amy’s she would get a percentage of the sales to maintain the laundromat. The highest compliment that she received though was from Bonnie, she assured Amy that the woman was the most honest she’d ever met. Amy had gone to her about the idea of opening the small business for their mutual benefit. It would certainly supplement her limited social security income.

  “I’ll make sure it’s spic ‘n span,” she promised and then proceeded to make it shine. People complimented that it never felt grungy as other laundromats did. It wasn’t large, they didn’t have a lot of machines, but what they did have was maintained and clean.

  People around town wondered where Lavina had gotten the funds to rent the back of the market, much less to put in the machines, but rumor had it she had come into some money to start her business. No one, not Lavina, not Amy, and not the bank where they did business told anyone differently.

  * * * * *

  “I’d like to rent one of those canoes,” one of the kids said enthusiastically as he bounced on the seat overlooking the dock as his mother tried to get him to eat the delicious meal they had ordered.

  “Maybe, if you are good, you and your mother could check out Spencer’s. Those are their canoes and they have lots of interestin’ things in their store,” Amy told him as she delivered their sodas. She wondered if so hyper a child should really have a second helping of soda, but it was up to his mother. The mother looked at her gratefully at distracting the boy for a minute with the idea of looking through the other store.

  “What else do they have?” he asked as he reached for the soda, but his mother adroitly pulled it out of his hands.

  “Food first,” she told him sternly.

  “You will have to finish everythin’ on your plate and I’m sure you will see for yourself,” Amy drawled with a conspiratorial wink at the mother who smiled back. Amy went to take care of other customers.

  Spencer’s frequently sent people over with one of their employees to take one of the canoes they kept on her dock. They also referred people to her for a ‘free’ ice cream now and again. Amy referred people to them all the time and they did the same, recommending her for gift items, ice cream, and her excellent food. People frequently stayed for the atmosphere or came in after a canoe rental. It had turned out to be a good relationship for both businesses.

  * * * * *

  Amy was taking a well-deserved break sitting on her own deck overlooking the water, listening to the ever present gulls, and enjoying the late spring heat. They had said it could actually get up to high temperatures this summer and she was looking forward to it. Having come from a warmer climate, humidity was actually something she missed.

  “You look comfortable,” Bonnie teased her, having seen her leaning back in one of the Adirondack chairs placed around the porch for customers. Amy had found someone locally who made these and made a deal that they could ‘sell’ them from her porch in exchange for providing them to the store. Some of their creations were really extraordinary and Amy had a beautiful rocker for her own porch at home. There were a few with designs so intrinsic that the viewer would breathe a sigh of appreciation at the beauty carved into the woods. Some, like the one she was leaning back in, were plain and functional.

  Amy sighed as she lifted her face into the sun; it was so nice to just relax for a moment before her self-imposed duties once again intruded. The smell of the lake, the distinct musky scent of rotting plant life, a bit of fish, and the clear smell of the water wafted over her. “I am,” she said reverently.

  “Mind if I join you?” Bonnie asked as she prepared to sit down on an adjoining chair. She herself enjoyed the never ending scenes over the water in the harbor.

  “NO!” Amy said angrily as she leaped up from her chair.

  “What?” Bonnie said offended and dismayed as she took a step back from the angry redhead.

  Amy hurled herself down off the boardwalk around her store and onto the steps to the dock before running the length of her dock and diving off the end.

  Bonnie followed her with her eyes shocked and alarmed at her abrupt leave taking but watched open mouthed as she dove off the dock without a moment’s hesitation, she looked out further to see a canoe in the water had capsized. A dark haired woman was running down the dock and shouting something incoherent. Bonnie stepped back to her own house and stepping inside called to Abby who was in the front room that seconded as the police station.

  “What? What’s going on?” Abby came at a run at the commotion and alarm in Bonnie’s voice.

  “Someone took a dip,” Bonnie said as she turned so that Abby could follow her out the door.

  They saw that Amy had reached the overturned canoe and had someone in a typical swimmer’s lock holding the torso in her strong arm as she swam one-handed back towards the docks.

  “My baby, my baby,” called the dark haired woman wringing her hands in uselessness.

  “What happened?” Abby asked officiously as she walked up to the end of The Emporiums dock. A boat was on one side getting gas with one of the kids who worked at The Emporium in attendance. Several empty canoes bobbed in the water on the other side tied up to the dock. People had started coming out of the store and along the boardwalk to stare as the redhead rescued the boy from the canoe.

  “My son, my baby,” the woman began and seeing Amy was bringing him she gulped. “He snuck off and got in one of those canoes,” she pointed accusingly at the empty berth where they were tied. “Those should really be better monitored,” she said importantly.

  “You will be lucky if your son isn’t charged for theft,” Abby returned seein
g where this was going. The woman wanted to hold her son unaccountable for his actions.

  “He can’t swim,” she said in defense as though that excused his behavior.

  “Well the Y offer’s classes,” Abby returned shortly as she leaned down to help Amy with the boy. Another set of hands was there to help her lift the rather plump little boy out of the water. Abby released him to the man who had appeared out of nowhere and helped Amy up on the dock. “You okay?” she asked the redhead as she could see the boy was fine, as well as being coddled by his mother already.

  “I’m fine, that water is freezing though,” Amy said as she began to rub her arms and shake a little.

  “Here,” Bonnie said as she handed her a big fluffy towel she had grabbed from their house and given another one to the little boy who was trying to say the canoe had gotten away from the dock, trying to be the hero. No one but his mother was buying it.

  “Thank you,” Amy said, genuinely grateful. It was a bath sheet and fluffy and wrapped completely around her smaller frame.

  “Let’s get you indoors and out of here,” Abby said as she urged Bonnie to take her and with a nod the older woman put her arm around the red head and led her off.

  The mother didn’t say anything as Amy passed and Abby stared at her disgustedly. “Thank you,” she told the man who had helped her get them both on the dock. She now recognized him from Spencer’s.

  “No problem,” he said. Something in his tone told her that he too was annoyed with the little boy who had snuck one of their canoes out from the dock, and without a paddle. His standing up in the canoe had capsized it out on the water, fortunately not too far out and Amy had been able to save him. He went into another canoe with a paddle and went out to retrieve the capsized one.

  Several hours later, some necessary paperwork had Abby annoyed at the tourist mom who had indulged her son at every turn and gave him a sense of self importance. After Abby got done with both of them she was certain they would never again visit Northpoint, but she didn’t care. Those headaches she didn’t need. The threat of being charged with theft of the canoe hadn’t fazed the kid but the mother looked terrified. After paying a ‘rental’ fee to Spencer’s who were satisfied with that and relieved that their insurance wouldn’t be involved, the woman took her bratty son out of the station. Nearly stealing Abby’s towel in the process, she came up with a plastic blanket the woman could use instead. Shaking her head at the different people she was forced to deal with, Abby let them go with a smile of good riddance.

  “How’s Amy?” Abby asked Bonnie when she saw her.

  “She’s fine,” Bonnie returned looking at Abby speculatively and wondering at her interest. Was it more than friendship? She tried not to judge, after all her own daughter had been attracted to other women and had even ‘married’ this woman, but it didn’t mean that every woman attracted them. “She went back to work.”

  “She didn’t go home and change?” Abby asked surprised.

  “She is down someone today and couldn’t go, she just put on one of the costumes she makes those employees of her wear and went back to work, you should see her. She’s playing up the role of a soda jerk to the hilt. I’d swear she was channeling those twenties soda jerks we see in the old movies,” Bonnie said admirably.

  The costumes were a bit of a cross of Americana. Where Amy had found her supplier no one knew, but the uniforms her employees wore, from the thin Mrs. Oswald who looked like she had been an original patron of these kinds of stores, to the thick set Johnny Meyers who father was Johnathan Meyer and supplied wood along with his brother Jacob. They all looked ‘dapper’ in them and Amy liked the authenticity of it as did the customers.

  Abby strolled by The Emporium later and saw that Amy did indeed look good in her role as a soda jerk behind the counter. Her thick red hair was up and in an old time ‘net’ that made it look perfect for her role. She was talking animatedly with anyone who came to the counter and sat on its polished stools. She admonished any of the kids who tried to spin on the stools pointing out that they could be hurt. She’d just as quickly go back to the grill and flip a few burgers for customers who adored the flavor of the locally grown beef. Nothing like the best for her customers she had been heard to say. She’d even made a deal with some of the local farmers to supply her with fresh vegetables when they were available, some of which she sold in old wooden crates on the boardwalk. Abby had heard a few stories about the redhead and marveled at how well she had fit into the community since her arrival last fall. Everyone adored her.

  * * * * *

  “Hey whatcha doin’? she called as she walked up.

  “My nails,” Amy answered, as she carefully trimmed another using a cuticle scissors on her hand.

  “Out here on the porch?” Abby asked amused as she greeted Toby whose tail thumped on the wood in greeting.

  “Well it’s better than having them fly everywhere in the house, I hate that in the bathroom. I can’t get them all into the trash and gawd forbid I do them in bed,” she returned saucily.

  “Well I’m sure Toby doesn’t mind,” she said jokingly as she sat down next to the pup to pet him.

  “I just did his nails, they were first, it was Tabby that would object and she did when I cut her nails!” Amy showed her a scratch on her arm.

  “You cut your cat’s nails?” she laughed imagining that.

  Amy nodded. “She kept using them to climb on the bed instead of hopping up which I know very well she is able to do!” She pulled up her bare foot and began to work on her toes and then looking up embarrassed that she had company quickly lowered it, making sure her pants legs covered her ankles.

  Abby saw her embarrassment and turned to hide her amusement. She shook her head as Amy had such old fashioned manners on some things and bare feet must be one of them much less cutting her nails. What, did she think that people didn’t know she cut her nails? “Did you use the same clippers on your pets as you do on yourself?” she couldn’t help teasing.

  Abby heard the chuckle behind her as she petted the amiable dog who unashamedly rolled onto his back to present his tummy for rubbing. “I did not,” was the response.

  “I was wondering if you would like to join the kids and I for a picnic up on the island next weekend if you aren’t too busy,” Abby asked hesitantly. It was the real reason for her visit and she knew that giving enough advance notice Amy might be able to go, with her busy social schedule and the work that she did so much herself.

  “That sounds wonderful, when were you thinking?”

  Abby turned back to ask shyly, “Would Sunday be good, I’ve got the sheriff boat and have to cruise up anyway and they won’t mind if I take passengers, so I thought we’d take along a picnic basket and stop on one of the islands.”

  “Do you want me to bring anything?” she asked helpfully.

  “Just this pup and yourself,” she responded giving Toby one more playful tweak before getting up off the porch and brushing off her pants.

  They worked out the time and Amy agreed to meet her in town on Sunday. Smiling as though she had really accomplished something Abby headed off on patrol.

  * * * * *

  “Look out there!” Abby warned as Bailey cast with his fishing pole.

  Amy laughed as they had all thought she was too girly to bait her own hook. Not only could she bait it, she had expertly cast into the deep waters of Lake Michigan. She’d impressed them all by knowing how to do a double fisherman’s knot, expertly. Later she admitted to the amusement of her captive audience that she had You-Tubed exactly how. Her giggles over how she had pulled that one over on them endeared her to Abby. “We should fry these up in a nice batter later,” she said as she looked at the fish already on the line holding their various catches. She had caught the biggest and the children were in awe of their friend.

  “That sounds delicious,” Bonnie enthused. She had been surprised to be included in this outing. She had assumed it was Abby’s way of dating the pert little redhe
ad, but really she saw nothing other than friendship in the two women. Although she hadn’t approved of her daughter’s relationship with Abby or even approved of Abby herself, she thought Abby was a good mother to her two grandchildren. Living in the same house had proven to be difficult at first, but her husband had smoothed the way as they all grieved over their mutual loss.

  “Oh yes, I’ll use my grandmother’s secret sauce,” Amy said before she could help herself and then quickly quieted as she realized she had spoken impulsively. She clammed up after that, but the adults pretended not to notice, and the children didn’t notice at all.

  “This is beautiful,” Abby said as she lay back on the blanket they had spread on the island for their picnic. She had pulled the boat right up on the sand and tied a rope to a tree. They had all jumped over the side into the small surf against the beach and helped unload their picnic.

  Abby was intrigued to see a perfect little angel tattoo on Amy’s right leg, it was on the inside and barely noticeable but she had noticed the trim little legs on the petite redhead as well as her tight little butt.

  Amy laughed at the brunette who was dressed in a sleeveless blouse revealing an intricate dragon tattoo on her upper arm. It showed off tanned muscular arms on the chief. Although she had used the Sheriff’s boat and was still technically on duty, she wasn’t wearing her officer’s uniform at all. Except for the empty gun holster at her hip and the badge on her belt she looked like a carefree woman on an outing with her children. Mischievously Amy started pinching watermelon seeds with her fingertips at the officer. The children grinned and tried to duplicate Amy’s technique of pinching them with moderate success.