Summer In Iron Springs

by Margie Broschinsky

  She stopped outside a trendy boutique and glanced up at the lighted sign that said Hildi’s Boutique. “Hildi’s?” Phoebe wondered aloud. She thought of Anna’s friend but decided that if this were her boutique it would be called Alyssa’s. Several stylishly dressed mannequins were posing in the large window display. One was wearing a light grey vest layered over a white button up shirt. A grey and yellow paisley mini skirt and black leggings completed the cute outfit. Another wore a light pink summer dress. Despite her foul mood, Phoebe’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the dress. It was one of those rare occasions when an outfit seemed to come to life and call her name. She stepped into the boutique and was welcomed immediately by a bubbly redheaded salesgirl.

  “Welcome to Hildi’s!” The salesgirl’s many bracelets jingled when she waved from across the store. “I’ll be right with you.” A wide smile spread across her cheery, freckled face as she made her brisk approach. “I’m Jenna. Can I help you find something?”

  Phoebe glanced over her shoulder at the mannequin. “I was looking at that dress in the window and I thought I’d try it on.”

  “Oh yes, that dress is to die for! It’ll look amazing on you. You simply must try it on.” Jenna took a step back and measured Phoebe with her eyes. “Follow me and we’ll find your size.”

  Jenna headed toward the center of the store, jingling as she walked. Phoebe couldn’t help giving a little chuckle at the zip in Jenna’s every step. Running into Jenna was the perfect prescription to cure Phoebe’s foul mood.

  “Size five, right?” Jenna said.

  “Yep, that’s my size,” Phoebe said. She thought about how Alyssa had said the same thing at breakfast and wondered if there was a training they’d undergone in order to guess clothing sizes so well.

  “Here you go!” Jenna announced, after sifting through the dresses and pulling out Phoebe’s size. She motioned with her arm to direct Phoebe into the small changing room. “Come out once you have it on so I can see how it looks on you.” Jenna instructed.

  Phoebe stepped inside the dressing room and slipped the dress over her head. It fell flawlessly into place. Her pulse hastened and she gave an audible squeal as she glanced at her reflection in the full-length mirror. She had to admit that Jenna was right. It was ‘to die for’. The color was perfect; shimmery pink—it reminded Phoebe of the color of cotton candy. Not only did it beautifully compliment her light skin but it also looked like it had been tailor made just for her. She loved the ruffled straps and the way the dress flared slightly at the knee. She emerged from the dressing room to cries of excitement from Jenna.

  “You must get it! You simply must! It looks amazing on you! Turn around and model it for me!”

  Phoebe laughed aloud as Jenna’s infectious excitement overflowed.

  “Yes, I agree with Jenna, you simply must get it.” The voice came from across the store by the cash registers. Phoebe arched her neck to see who was speaking. “What is he doing here?” She was talking to herself but she said the words aloud. Billy smiled a broad smile as he made his way to the changing rooms.

  “Hey, Billy,” Jenna said in a tone that conveyed a relaxed sense of familiarity. “I was wondering if you’d ever get here.”

  “And hello to you. It’s been a while.” He nodded playfully at Jenna before returning his gaze to Phoebe. “You look really pretty, Phoebe.”

  “Thanks.” Phoebe glanced at the floor. Don’t turn red, don’t turn red. Her urgent plea apparently did not reach the anti-embarrassment receptors in her brain—this was evidenced by the heat that rose in her cheeks. She breathed a sigh of relief when Jenna’s words; directed at Billy, took the focus off of her long enough for her to regain her composure.

  “Here’s your bell. I’m sorry it took so long. It was back ordered.” Jenna said, handing Billy a small red gift bag.

  Billy smiled and accepted the bag. “Thanks for ordering it. Do I owe you anything?”

  “Nope. In fact there was money left over. It’s in the bag.” Jenna motioned a hand to the bag.

  “Thanks again. My mom will love it.” Then, turning to Phoebe, Billy’s eyes studied her for a moment. “Those are some pretty fancy duds little lady.” Billy’s spot on imitation of Norm made everyone laugh—especially Jenna, who, Phoebe reasoned, must also be familiar with Norm.

  Small town life. Everyone knows everyone else.

  “So, you two know each other?” Jenna asked pointing a finger from Billy to Phoebe and then back at Billy. She tilted her head as her unruly red curls bounced atop her head.

  “Well, yeah. I’m staying with my Aunt Anna and—”

  “Oh, you must be Phoebe! Of course, I should have known. Alyssa told me you were coming here from Seattle.”

  Phoebe should not have been surprised that Jenna seemed to know all about her, but she was. Does everyone in this town know about me? And why I’m here? A feeling of irritation tried to take over Phoebe’s new found good mood but she pushed it to the side and answered Jenna’s question.

  “Yeah, I’ve lived in Seattle all my life.”

  “Well, not all your life” Jenna said smiling her wide smile. “Least not from what I hear—some of your life was spent right here in Iron Springs.” Jenna directed her pointing finger toward the floor. “But I guess you were too young to remember that, huh?” Jenna gave Phoebe a sideways glance and, with raised eyebrows, waited for an explanation.

  Phoebe glanced at Billy. His arm rested on a shelf that held multi-colored t-shirts. His feet were crossed and the toe of his shoe rested on the floor. He was wearing loose fitting jeans and a white t-shirt. He looked good; really good.

  The deliberate clearing of Jenna’s throat brought Phoebe back to reality.

  “Oh, Yeah . . .” Phoebe tried to collect her flustered thoughts. “I was too young.” She glanced at Jenna and then back at Billy. “I only lived here until I was three, then my dad and I moved to Seattle.” Phoebe didn’t have any memory of ever having lived in Iron Springs. As far as she was concerned, she had lived in Seattle her entire life.

  “Why Hildi’s? Why not Alyssa’s” Phoebe asked. She pointed toward the large mural of the boutique’s name that was painted on the wall.

  “Hildi’s is more upscale sounding, I guess,” Jenna said. She lifted a pretentious nose in the air and gave a loud chuckle.

  “How do you know each other?” Phoebe asked Jenna.

  Jenna giggled before she answered. “Well, Billy here strolled into town one day and before you know it, he was the talk of Iron Springs.”

  Phoebe raised her eyebrows and gave Billy a sideways glance. “Oh, yeah? Why is that?”

  “That’s not true.” He let out a playful chuckle. “I just started some drama I guess.”

  “You could say that,” Jenna laughed. “A lot of drama.”

  Phoebe left the subject alone, but she could tell there was a lot more to the story.

  “Well, I better go get changed,” Phoebe said glancing down at the pretty pink dress and not wanting to take it off. She returned to the dressing room and closed the door.

  When she emerged, Jenna announced that she and Billy had made plans for the three of them to get ice cream as soon as she got off work. “I’ll meet you two at the Village Candy Shoppe in exactly . . .” She craned her neck in order to read the clock that hung on the wall on the other side of the room. “. . . One hour and forty seven minutes.”

  Billy looked at Phoebe. “What do you think, Feebs? We could hang out until Jenna gets off work then we’ll meet her for ice cream.”

  Phoebe smiled. Feebs? She’d never been a pet name kind of person but the nickname was cute and the fact that Billy came up with it made it even cuter. “Well…” She glanced at Jenna who was smiling wide while staring at her and waiting for an answer. She turned to face Billy. “Sure. That sounds good.”

  “Great,” Billy said. He glanced at Jenna. “We’ll meet you at the candy shop in a bit then.”

  ***

  “Let’s head up this
way,” Billy said once they were on the sidewalk outside the boutique. “Then we can cross and head back toward the Village Candy Shoppe.”

  Phoebe walked along beside Billy as she tried to think of something to talk about. There was always the weather. But she didn’t want him to think she was a dork. She could ask him about the drama that ensued after he met Jenna but that would be awkward. Phoebe racked her mind and settled on talking about the orchard. She was about to ask him about the apple harvest—something she truly had no interest in whatsoever—when he spoke.

  “It’s really hot today. Do you want to get a Coke?” he asked, as they approached Lou’s Corner Diner.

  “That sounds good.” Phoebe said. It was hot and she was getting thirsty.

  As they entered the diner, bells jingled loudly and a waitress who was busy cleaning a table yelled out to them. “Hi, Billy, just sit anywhere. I’ll be right with you.”

  Billy led Phoebe to a booth by a window that looked out on Park Street. They sat across from each other and Phoebe glanced out the window at the T-shirts that hung in the souvenir shop across the street.

  “Shouldn’t this place be on a corner?” Phoebe said. “I mean, it is called Lou’s Corner Diner.”

  “Everyone says that.” Billy’s eyes lit up when he laughed. “This town had got a long interesting history and I’m sure there’s an answer out there somewhere. But, I’m an outsider—I didn’t grow up here so I don’t know much about Iron Springs.” He pulled a napkin from the dispenser and wiped some crumbs off the table. “So, banished to Iron Springs, huh?” he said. “What’s that all about?”

  Phoebe glanced at him. “I guess you could say that my dad and I don’t exactly see eye to eye.”

  Billy nodded. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I have the same problem.”

  “You do?” Phoebe was about to ask about the problems he had with his father when the waitress approached their table.

  “Hi, Kate,” Billy said. He motioned a hand toward Phoebe. “This is Phoebe. She’s staying at Anna Walker’s for the summer.”

  Kate looked at Phoebe for an uncomfortably long time and it wasn’t like she was just looking at her either. It was like she was searching for something. “So, you’re Peter’s daughter, huh?” she finally said, a tight smile on her face. “I heard you were coming to town.”

  What was that supposed to mean? An uneasy feeling swept over Phoebe. And what did Anna do, tell the whole town about her? “Do you know my dad?” Phoebe asked, trying not to sound as creeped out as she felt.

  Kate chuckled, shook her head, and then, with a hint of condescension in her voice, she said, “I know of him.” Then, shifting her attention to Billy, she asked, “What’ll it be today?”

  “Two Cokes, and . . .” He looked at Phoebe. “Are you hungry?”

  “No, just a Coke is fine.”

  Billy nodded and looked at Kate. “Two Cokes, please.”

  Kate lingered at their booth a few seconds longer before heading off to get their cokes.

  “What was that all about?” Billy asked once Kate was out of hearing range.

  Phoebe shook her head. “I was hoping you could tell me.” What did Kate mean when she said she knew of Peter? “That was bizarre.”

  “It sure was.” Billy glanced over his shoulder at Kate who was behind the counter filling their glasses with soda. “I’ll be right back—I’m just gonna go wash my hands.”

  When Billy returned, Phoebe looked up from the napkin she’d been doodling on and smiled. “So, you were saying, you were forced to come here too?”

  “Not exactly.” Billy glanced at Kate who was wiping down the counter but seemed to be eavesdropping on their conversation. “I’ll tell you later.” He said, giving her a look she knew was meant to convey his desire not to say anything in front of Kate. “Let me see that.” He reached for the napkin and glanced at the drawing of the snowy mountain peak that could be seen from the diner’s window. “Did you just draw this?”

  Phoebe nodded. “Yeah, I was just doodling—sort of a habit I have. I never go anywhere without this.” She held up the graphite pencil. “It’s permanently connected to my arm.” She giggled.

  “Phoebe, this is really great! I can’t believe you just drew it.” He looked Phoebe in the eyes. “You’re the first artist I’ve ever known.” He smiled and glanced at the napkin again. “Can I have this? You know, so I have something to remember you by when you’re famous.”

  “Oh, come on. You’re joking. That’s just a little doodle. Anyone could do that.” Phoebe said, wishing her father could muster up even a tiny portion of the enthusiasm Billy seemed to have for her art.

  “I couldn’t do it.” Billy said. “And I don’t think very many people could. You only feel that way because it comes so easily to you.” He smiled. “Serious, can I have it?”

  Phoebe shrugged. “If you really want it, you can. I was just going to throw it away.”

  “I really want it. But first, you need to sign it.” Billy slid the napkin back across the table and Phoebe reluctantly signed her name below the drawing.

  “Here you go,” she said and Billy carefully folded the napkin in half and put it in his shirt pocket.

  ***

  “So, I guess we’re two peas in a pod, huh?” Billy said once they’d both drained their glasses and were headed up Park Street.

  Phoebe glanced at Billy and laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Two peas in a pod?” Phoebe sputtered, trying to hold back her laughter. “What are you, ninety?”

  “No, I’m not ninety. It’s a real saying. It means we have something in common.” Billy laughed even harder. “Come, on. Let’s cross.” He led Phoebe into the crosswalk.

  “I know it’s a real saying,” Phoebe said once they had reached the sidewalk. “But who says it—other than old people?”

  “Norm says it all the time, and he’s only about forty.”

  “Well, if Norm says it; that should be your first clue not to repeat it.” The laughter continued as they made their way down the sidewalk toward the candy shop. If Phoebe were still adding to her list of pros and cons, Billy’s use of the phrase two peas in a pod would have prompted her to put another checkmark in the pro column. It was definitely dorky, but it was also cute.

  So, you were forced to come here too?” Phoebe asked. “Is that why we’re two peas in a pod?”

  Billy laughed. “Not exactly; I am here because I want to be here. I don’t get along with my dad. So, I came here to work for Anna. She gives me a place to live and pays me to work in the orchard. This way, I don’t have to constantly hear what a disappointment I am.”

  Up ahead a lady had gotten out of her car and opened the hood. Billy hurried to the lady’s car and glanced at the engine. “Looks like you’re having some trouble.”

  “I don’t know what’s wrong. This is a new car and I have to be at work in ten minutes and if I’m late again, I’ll be in a lot of trouble.”

  “Let me take a look,” Billy said. There was a gentle tone to his words that calmed the lady down. She nodded and took a step back. Phoebe watched as Billy bent over the car and checked the motor. After a brief time, he straightened up and smiled. “Why don’t you try to start it?”

  The lady quickly slid into the driver’s seat and turned the key. When the motor roared to life, she smiled. “Wow, that’s impressive,” she said, joining Billy and Phoebe on the sidewalk. “Let me pay you.” She unzipped her purse and pulled out her wallet.

  Billy held up a hand. “No, you don’t owe me anything.”

  “Yes, I do, you really saved me,” she insisted.

  Billy waved her words away. “It was nothing. You better get going though so you won’t be late.”

  She checked her watch. “You’re right! Oh my goodness. Thank you!” She hurried around the front of the car. “Seriously, thank you so much.”

  Billy waved as she drove off then turned to look at Phoebe.

  “That was
impressive,” Phoebe said, repeating the lady’s words while mentally adding a few more check marks to the pro column of her list.

  “Thanks,” Billy said. “But, it was nothing, really, just a loose wire.”

  “Well, it was impressive nonetheless.”

  “My dad sure doesn’t think so. He thinks it’s beneath me to work with my hands. But I enjoy it.”

  Phoebe glanced in the window of The Iron Springs Art Gallery. “Is that why you two get along?”

  “He just wants different things for me than I want for myself. He likes getting his way.”

  “So, what does he want for you?” Phoebe’s eyes were examining an oil painting that portrayed a Victorian woman in a stunning formal gown.

  “He wants me to follow in his footsteps; go to college and work in the family business.” Billy rolled his eyes. “He refuses to even consider the idea that I may want something else.”

  “What do you want?” Phoebe glanced at Billy and then looked back at the painting.

  Billy glanced upward as if he were searching for an answer. “I don’t know. I just know what I don’t want.”

  Phoebe sensed that Billy was uncomfortable talking about his life so she pointed to the gift bag he was holding. “What’s that?”

  “It’s a gift for my mother’s birthday; a glass bell. She collects them. Jenna ordered it for me.”

  “Oh, so that’s why you were at Hildi’s. I thought you were stalking me.”

  “Actually, I am. The bell was just an excuse to get you alone.”

  Phoebe laughed. “Seriously though, why did you follow me even though I told you not to?” Phoebe asked. She was happy to be spending the time with Billy but a little surprised he’d have followed her after she specifically asked him to leave her alone.