Read Online Waiting for Daybreak by Kathryn Cushman - Free Book Online
Authors: Kathryn Cushman
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Dawn’ll be here, and I’ll come in by eleven to give you a lunch break. Then maybe Saturday, I’ll leave after noon and let you get your feet wet with closing shop. Saturdays are always slow back here, anyway.”
Paige exhaled slowly. “I . . . guess so.” She didn’t have a full grasp of the computer yet. Dawn did, but she was consistently late for work. Quite late, usually. Still, Paige could at least open on time. “I don’t have keys.”
“That’s right . I keep meaning to get the extra set from Mrs. Trout and give it to you.”
“Mrs. Trout?”
“Mrs. Trout. The front-end clerk. Let you in here today.” Clarissa looked at Paige as if she were an idiot.
“I know who she is. What I meant was, ‘Why does Mrs. Trout have all the keys?’ ”
“Because she sometimes gets here before I do, like today. And she sometimes comes in on Sundays and does a little merchandising work up front.”
“But she has the key to the dispensing area, too?”
“Well, yeah. They were on the same ring and I didn’t want to separate them. I was afraid I’d lose one if I did. It’s not like she’s up here selling narcotics. I mean, look at her. She’s hardly the criminal type.”
“I didn’t say she was. Still, it’s against the law. What would happen if a state board inspector just happened to be around that day?”
“Like board inspectors are going to spend their Sunday afternoons in this town, looking for Mrs. Trout and her kind to be wandering free in a pharmacy.”
It did sound foolish. Why should Paige make waves? She could still feel the joy from mailing her signing bonus just in time for her mother’s first payment. Just being employed was a blessing. But disaster sometimes came unexpectedly. “You never know.”
“I do. Look, I’ve been doing the work of three people here. If Mrs. Trout is willing to come in on her day off and help me, I’m not going to get all ballistic on her. I’m going to appreciate the gift for what it is and get on with my life—which has enough issues without inventing more to worry about.”
Paige looked at her young boss, hoping the bravado proved true. The worse-case scenario had already played out in her own life. She vowed never to go through that hell again, no matter what she had to do.
Clarissa poured thick red syrup into the bottle. On the floor above them, construction teams rattled and banged. She was on the verge of a headache. How much longer would this day last? She looked toward Paige, and her annoyance grew.
Paige mumbled under her breath as she looked from prescription, to label, to stock bottle, to medicine vial. “Yeah, looks good. One more quick check.”
Aaagh! She was so meticulous it was maddening. It took her forever to do anything. Did the girl ever laugh? The only word that came to mind was dull . The more she thought about it, the more it really burned her that her grandfather had hired this—what did he call her? A hard worker? Slow worker was a more accurate description. It didn’t take much to look busy if it took you an hour to do anything.
Her grandfather had been deceived by slowness and freckles— that little smatter of freckles across Paige’s button nose. Yep, combined with her wide-eyed innocence, it took the girl-next-door look to a whole new level. Cuteness. It fooled old people every time.
Clarissa sighed, put the label on her bottle, and took it to the counter. “Alana, your prescription is ready.” She knew if she didn’t get away now, she was going to say something she’d regret. Who knew if Paige was reporting back to her grandfather; she needed to at least be civil and hope for the best. But that wasn’t going to happen if she stayed beside Paige for another second. She was going to blow. Where could she go that wouldn’t be overly conspicuous? From upstairs came some more clanging and she had her answer.
Cory.
He was the one distraction in Shoal Creek that made it almost bearable. And he hadn’t called in
Paige exhaled slowly. “I . . . guess so.” She didn’t have a full grasp of the computer yet. Dawn did, but she was consistently late for work. Quite late, usually. Still, Paige could at least open on time. “I don’t have keys.”
“That’s right . I keep meaning to get the extra set from Mrs. Trout and give it to you.”
“Mrs. Trout?”
“Mrs. Trout. The front-end clerk. Let you in here today.” Clarissa looked at Paige as if she were an idiot.
“I know who she is. What I meant was, ‘Why does Mrs. Trout have all the keys?’ ”
“Because she sometimes gets here before I do, like today. And she sometimes comes in on Sundays and does a little merchandising work up front.”
“But she has the key to the dispensing area, too?”
“Well, yeah. They were on the same ring and I didn’t want to separate them. I was afraid I’d lose one if I did. It’s not like she’s up here selling narcotics. I mean, look at her. She’s hardly the criminal type.”
“I didn’t say she was. Still, it’s against the law. What would happen if a state board inspector just happened to be around that day?”
“Like board inspectors are going to spend their Sunday afternoons in this town, looking for Mrs. Trout and her kind to be wandering free in a pharmacy.”
It did sound foolish. Why should Paige make waves? She could still feel the joy from mailing her signing bonus just in time for her mother’s first payment. Just being employed was a blessing. But disaster sometimes came unexpectedly. “You never know.”
“I do. Look, I’ve been doing the work of three people here. If Mrs. Trout is willing to come in on her day off and help me, I’m not going to get all ballistic on her. I’m going to appreciate the gift for what it is and get on with my life—which has enough issues without inventing more to worry about.”
Paige looked at her young boss, hoping the bravado proved true. The worse-case scenario had already played out in her own life. She vowed never to go through that hell again, no matter what she had to do.
Clarissa poured thick red syrup into the bottle. On the floor above them, construction teams rattled and banged. She was on the verge of a headache. How much longer would this day last? She looked toward Paige, and her annoyance grew.
Paige mumbled under her breath as she looked from prescription, to label, to stock bottle, to medicine vial. “Yeah, looks good. One more quick check.”
Aaagh! She was so meticulous it was maddening. It took her forever to do anything. Did the girl ever laugh? The only word that came to mind was dull . The more she thought about it, the more it really burned her that her grandfather had hired this—what did he call her? A hard worker? Slow worker was a more accurate description. It didn’t take much to look busy if it took you an hour to do anything.
Her grandfather had been deceived by slowness and freckles— that little smatter of freckles across Paige’s button nose. Yep, combined with her wide-eyed innocence, it took the girl-next-door look to a whole new level. Cuteness. It fooled old people every time.
Clarissa sighed, put the label on her bottle, and took it to the counter. “Alana, your prescription is ready.” She knew if she didn’t get away now, she was going to say something she’d regret. Who knew if Paige was reporting back to her grandfather; she needed to at least be civil and hope for the best. But that wasn’t going to happen if she stayed beside Paige for another second. She was going to blow. Where could she go that wouldn’t be overly conspicuous? From upstairs came some more clanging and she had her answer.
Cory.
He was the one distraction in Shoal Creek that made it almost bearable. And he hadn’t called in
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