Eunice beamed. “Abigail! I heard you were back in town. When did you arrive?”
Abigail had lived in Dunter Harbor long enough to know that everyone always knew everything about everyone and that Eunice’s shop was gossip central. She had no doubt that as soon as Eunice had found out about Abigail’s arrival, she’d spread the news far and wide. Every single person who lived here probably knew about Abigail right now. “A few days ago. How are you, Eunice?”
“Good, good. Are you here to stay, then? Or will you leave again once Charlotte is feeling better?”
Abigail wasn’t about to explain what had happened with Kevin. The entire town would know about it by the end of the day if she did. “We’ll see,” she answered, hoping it would be enough to appease Eunice.
“Oh, of course. It depends on how long it will take Charlotte to heal, I suppose. What did the doctors say?”
Abigail was more comfortable discussing this. “Not much so far. She needs to keep the cast on for six weeks and to rest, but you know her.”
Eunice laughed. “She doesn’t know the word rest. She wouldn’t have tripped over a goat if she did.”
“Exactly.” Aunt Charlotte was hands-on when it came to the soap. She made all of it herself, and she bought the goat milk from a farmer in town. She visited him and his goats once a week, and during one of those visits, she’d been taken down by Baaa-rbra. Abigail would have paid to see it.
She suppressed a smile and cleared her throat. “Did you need anything?”
Eunice blinked as if surprised by the question. “Need?”
“Soap?”
The door opened once more, and both Eunice and Abigail turned to look at the newcomer. Abigail smiled at the mayor and wondered if he, too, was a regular, or if both he and Eunice were here to find out what was happening. Abigail suspected it was fifty-fifty.
“Abigail,” the mayor’s voice boomed in the small space.
“Mayor Caldwell.”
His smile widened. “I was surprised but delighted to find out you were coming home. Are you here to stay?”
Was everyone going to ask Abigail that? “I’m not sure yet. We’ll see what happens with Aunt Charlotte. Did you need anything, Mayor? Eunice was here first, but you can look around while I take care of her.”
The mayor looked lost, but Abigail didn’t want to chat. She knew that if she started, they’d never leave, and Aunt Charlotte needed her to sell soap, not to stand around chatting with potential clients.
To her own surprise, Abigail managed to sell three slices of lavender soap to Eunice and one of rose soap to the mayor, who made sure she knew it was for his wife. They’d just left when the door opened again. Abigail relaxed when Aunt Charlotte walked in. She had her handbag hooked at her elbow and was holding two coffees in the crook her good arm, and Abigail rushed to help her.
“What are you doing? The doctor said you needed to rest,” she protested.
“I’ll rest when I’m dead.”
“Don’t say that.” Abigail put the coffees on the counter and reached for her aunt’s handbag. “I could have gone to the coffee shop. You didn’t have to do that.”
“You opened today. And from what I know, you’ve already had clients.”
Abigail laughed. “People are talking about that?”
Aunt Charlotte lowered herself into the chair behind the counter. “They’re talking about you, Abby. About the fact that you’re back. You haven’t told anyone but us what happened, and they’re wondering.”
Abigail grimaced. “Yes, well, I’m not going to give anyone details, so hopefully they’ll stop asking. Eunice didn’t even try to be discreet.”
“She doesn’t have it in her.” Aunt Charlotte hesitated. “Are you okay? Because I can deal with this on my own if it’s too soon for you.”
Abigail shook her head. “I’d go crazy if I weren’t here. I need to do something, and this is perfect. This way, I can help you and keep myself distracted at the same time.”
Abigail was thankful for the door opening again. She and her aunt exchanged a glance, and she could tell Aunt Charlotte was trying hard not to laugh. They both knew that Joyce, the local doctor’s wife, was probably here to see if she could get more information out of Abigail.
Abigail sighed. She understood why everyone was curious, and she didn’t blame them. For all that they were gossiping about her behind her back, she knew they cared about her. They’d seen her grow up, then leave the town. Now she was back, alone, and they didn’t know what to make of it. They wanted to make sure she was all right, and if they found out why she was back in the process, well, that was a plus for them. It wasn’t for Abigail, but she was more than happy to answer a few generic questions if it made them buy soap.
“Good morning,” Abigail said, plastering a smile on her face.
All in all, it was a good morning. What felt like half the town came around, apparently to buy soap but really to take a look at Abigail. Abigail was relieved Aunt Charlotte was with her. She might have a broken arm, but that didn’t stop her from stepping in when a customer went too far. It was also interesting to find out who bought what kind of soap. Doctor Kingsley liked eucalyptus, while the postman had a weakness for coconut.
When the door opened yet again, Abigail turned, but the expression on Aunt Charlotte’s face made her falter. She glared at the newcomer, and Abigail took a moment to try to remember him. She couldn’t.
“Randall. What are you doing here?” Aunt Charlotte asked.
Abigail took a step back. Whoever this was, Aunt Charlotte had things in hand.
“I was surprised to see you were open today,” Randall said. “I didn’t expect you to be up for it.”
Aunt Charlotte tried to cross her arms over her chest, but she couldn’t, not with one arm in a cast. “I told you I would be. I’m fine. We both are. Unless you’re here to buy soap, you know where the door is.”
Abigail had never heard her aunt talk that way to a customer.
“Of course. I just wanted to check in on you,” Randall drawled.
Abigail suspected that wasn’t the truth. The man felt slimy, even though he hadn’t said anything weird. She could tell he had a second motive to check in on Aunt Charlotte, though, and she couldn’t wait for him to be gone.
Aunt Charlotte snorted. “No one believes that, Randall. Not even yourself. But as you can see, I’m perfectly fine, and I won’t have to close and sell the shop. Thanks for stopping by.” She stared at him until he inclined his head and turned to leave.
He smiled at Abigail on his way out, and Abigail gave him a tight smile. She didn’t know what else to do.
Abigail was grateful for lunch break. She’d been running around since she’d opened the shop this morning, and people were still coming in. They couldn’t get enough of gossip, and it meant Abigail hadn’t yet had the time to talk to Aunt Charlotte about Randall.
She probably shouldn’t bring up the man considering how Aunt Charlotte had taken his presence, but she was curious, and she wanted to be sure nothing would happen. She was here to take care of the shop, which meant she would spend a lot of time in it, sometimes alone. She needed to know if something was wrong. She had to make sure she wouldn’t be cornered and that nothing would happen to her if he came back.
She wasn’t looking forward to talking to Aunt Charlotte, though. She could tell that her aunt didn’t want to talk about it from how quiet she’d been since Randall had left. She wanted to help, but she wasn’t sure how to do that, especially without hurting Aunt Charlotte.
“Why don’t I pick up a few sandwiches at the coffee shop?” she suggested as her aunt came out of the backroom.
Aunt Charlotte blinked. “Or we could go there and eat.”
“We could. It’s probably a good idea. I didn’t expect things to go the way they did this morning.”
Aunt Charlotte smiled. “We had a lot of clients today, and it’s all thanks to you.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
Abigail hadn’t changed her mind. She still didn’t want to talk about Kevin, and she doubted she would anytime soon. He was her past, and she was looking at her future.
She forced herself to smile. “Let’s go, shall we?”
Aunt Charlotte went back to the backroom to grab her handbag, while Abigail turned the sign on the door. She moved away, but the door opened. She turned around, opening her mouth to tell whoever had entered they were closed for lunch break and that they should come back this afternoon, but she froze when she saw who had walked in.
Abigail and Miranda had gone to high school together. They’d never been friends—quite the opposite. Miranda had been a cheerleader and popular, and while Abigail had had a lot of friends, they hadn’t run in the same groups. She still had no idea why Miranda disliked her so much, but from the expression on Miranda’s face, she could tell it hadn’t changed.
Still, Miranda was a customer, and Abigail needed to treat her like one. She forced herself to smile. “Good morning. What can I do for you?”
Miranda wrinkled her nose and looked around. “Nothing if this is all you have to offer.”
Abigail gritted her teeth. They weren’t in high school anymore. No matter how unpleasant Miranda was, Abigail needed to act like an adult. “No? This is all we have, although some of the soaps are still curing in the backroom. I’m sure you can find something you enjoy.”
“I doubt it.” Miranda looked at Abigail again, up and down until she was satisfied. “So you’re back,” she said.
“It looks like it.”
“Why? Wasn’t the city good enough for you?”
Abigail wanted to ask what Miranda had against her. She wasn’t about to, especially not with Aunt Charlotte in the backroom. “The city suited me just fine. I needed a change of pace and scenery, though.”
“And you decided to come back to Dunter Harbor? What happened? Did your husband dump you?”
It was too close to the truth for Abigail to be comfortable, even though it wasn’t exactly what had happened. She smiled, but she was pretty sure that more than a smile, it was a grimace. “We had our disagreements, just like every other couple. I’m sure you’re aware of that. Are you here to buy something? Because otherwise, we’re closing for lunch.”
Miranda looked around again. Abigail would have to ask Aunt Charlotte if she’d ever come into the shop before. From the looks of it, she doubted it, which meant that Miranda was here because of Abigail.
Abigail sighed. Why was everyone so interested in her? She understood that small towns liked gossip because nothing else happened, but she hated being in the spotlight. It might have helped with sales today, but she knew it wouldn’t last for long. The whispers and stares couldn’t last forever.
Right?
Miranda cleared her throat. “I heard you were taking over the shop,” she said.
Abigail wasn’t surprised she knew. “For now. Aunt Charlotte has a broken arm, so she can’t do most of the things she needs to do to keep it open.”
“I see. Your aunt is quite old, isn’t she?”
“I suppose it depends on what you mean by old. I’m sure she’ll live another twenty years, if not more.”
To Abigail’s surprise, Miranda gave her what was probably meant to be a smile. It wasn’t, though. It looked very much like the smile Abigail had given her only a few seconds earlier. “Well, I hope so for you. Still. It doesn’t mean she’s not an elderly woman.” Miranda opened her handbag and rustled through it. “I wanted to leave you my business card. I already have a buyer lined up for the shop.”
Abigail gaped. She tried to school her expression, but she’d never been good at that, and she was pretty sure Miranda knew she was shocked. She took the business card Miranda offered her anyway because it was the polite thing to do, but she had no intention of using it.
What was this about? Aunt Charlotte had never talked about selling the shop. That was the reason Abigail was here. She’d come back because Aunt Charlotte had gotten hurt and didn’t want to close the shop. Why would she be thinking about selling?
“My numbers are on there,” Miranda said. “Both my office and my cell phone. You can reach me anytime.”
Abigail laughed, the sound slightly hysterical. “Why should I want to reach you anytime? Do you think I’m going to sell in the middle of the night? Besides, this isn’t my shop to sell.”
“Give it to your aunt, then. But I thought you would make the decisions since you’re in charge.”
“I’m not. I’m helping because Aunt Charlotte got hurt. As soon as she’s healed, she’ll be back to working full-time.”
“If you say so.” Miranda gave one last glance around, then moved to the door. “I’ll be waiting for your phone call.”
Abigail didn’t have anything to say to that. She doubted that anything she could say would change Miranda’s mind. The sooner Abigail got rid of her, the better she would feel.
The backroom door opened, and she turned toward her aunt. From her expression, she’d heard everything, so Abigail didn’t beat around the bush. “Are you selling the shop?”
Aunt Charlotte snorted. “They’d like me to. My answer is still no, though.”
Abigail was relieved, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Miranda. “Are you sure? Because she seemed convinced you were going to sell. She even has a buyer.”
“She’s also convinced I’m old. She might be right up to a certain point when it comes to that, but I’m not so old that I won’t recover from a broken arm.” Her expression softened and she patted Abigail’s shoulder. “I’m not selling. It’s one of the reasons I wanted you to work with me.” She hesitated. “I’m not retiring yet, but I can’t deny this has become hard the past few years, and a broken arm is yet another sign of that. I’d like you to stay here, Abigail. I’d like you to continue working with me, and eventually, to take over the shop.”
Abigail opened her mouth. She didn’t know what to say, but she had to say something.
Aunt Charlotte cut her off before the words could leave her mouth. “Think about it. It doesn’t have to happen today or tomorrow, or even next month. Like I said, I’m not retiring just yet. I’d like to work alongside you for the next few years, and eventually, when it becomes too much, I would like you to take my place. It’s not a demand, though. You can say no, and you can take as much time as you want to think about it.”
Abigail nodded. If she answered now, she would say no, but she realized it was because her life had been flipped upside down, and she didn’t know which way was up and which was down. That would change, eventually.
The sooner, the better, though.
“Go home, Aunt Charlotte. I can close on my own.” Abigail could tell her aunt was tired. Her energy had been waning since lunch, and she needed to get some rest.
“I’m not going anywhere until we close the shop.”
Abigail went to stand in front of her, her hands on her hips. “Why did you ask me to do this again?”
Aunt Charlotte blinked up at Abigail. She was sitting on the chair behind the counter, but her expression drooped, and she wasn’t fooling Abigail. “I needed help.”
“Exactly. You need help because you got hurt. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard, and not giving me enough responsibilities. I can do this.”
“I know you can, but you just came back. You’re not used to this.”
“And I’ll never get used to it if you don’t let me do things on my own. Go on. Go home. I know Mom is waiting for you at the coffee shop. I’ll close up.”
Aunt Charlotte hesitated, and Abigail waited. She wanted her aunt to lean on her more than she had until now. She realized she was new at this, but she’d listened to what Aunt Charlotte told her, and she was positive she could at the very least close on her own. Making soap was different, but she wasn’t at that point yet.
Aunt Ch
arlotte sighed. “All right. I won’t deny I am tired.”
Abigail relaxed. “It’s kind of obvious. Go. If you want, I’ll call you once I’m home to let you know how it went, but I promise you I can do this.”
“I know. It’s not you, Abby. I’ve always had trouble letting go of things, and this shop is my baby. I don’t like not being in control.”
Abigail crouched in front of her aunt. “But you are in control. I’m your minion. I’m doing what you need me to do, exactly the way you need it done.”
“For now.”
Abigail wasn’t sure what that meant but now wasn’t the moment to ask, even though she wanted to. Aunt Charlotte looked ready to drop. “I’ll call you later.”
Aunt Charlotte shook her head and got up. “Don’t. I know you’ll be fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Abigail walked her to the door and stayed there, watching her, to make sure she made it to the coffee shop without a problem. Once Aunt Charlotte was out of sight, Abigail went back inside and looked around.
There wasn’t much to do. She swept the floor, added soap to the areas in the shop that looked empty, and she was done. Aunt Charlotte had already taken care of the money and the accounts, and Abigail was relieved she wouldn’t have to deal with that for now. She had enough trouble with her own taxes.
Once everything was done, she turned off the lights and took a deep breath.
It was over. Her first day working the shop was over, and she’d done well—or at least, she liked to think she did. She felt good about the work she’d done, even though she had no doubt she could do better. She would, with time. But for now, this was good, even though it was also overwhelming.
Lethal Suds Page 2
