“Holiday warriors. They don’t know what they’re doing and they buy an expensive knife before they go play in the wilderness. When their vacation ends they realize they can’t carry the knife back on the plane and they come by here or the other store we have in Los Angeles and sell it. Bob down the street at the pawn shop has the used guns.”
He nodded. “Nice. The knife that is on the left side one in from the end, third row up. The Benchmade. How much is that?”
She turned then spun back to him and smiled. “That one is a gem. New it’s three hundred. It’s one fifteen here. It was used a few times by the guy. I checked it over and my husband has looked at it a few times. He says it’s good.”
“Can I see it?”
“Sure.”
The door opened and his buddies came in. He waved them over. Griz noticed the women were looking at cast iron skillets.
“You have a lot of nice things here.”
She nodded. “My daughter and son-in-law go to garage sales in Los Angeles and San Francisco. They’revery discerning buyers.” She laughed. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but…”
“I won’t tell anyone. This is a great place, though.”
“Travelers know about us, and they stop here when they pass through. The cast iron is top-notch. She doesn’t buy anything that can’t be rehabilitated.”
“Well, I appreciate what you’ve done and I’ll keep your secret. I think it’s great. Recycling at its best.”
She chuckled then his friends came over and they all started looking at the knives. He bought the one he’d been looking at, and four of the other guys bought knives. They were all in excellent shape and though they’d dropped money, they had gotten a bargain.
The women came over carrying various cast-iron pans. From what he could tell the store had made a lot of money on them. When they stepped out, he had his arm around Elowen. It felt good being out with her.
“I’m hungry,” Amelia said.
“Same,” Sharp said.
“We should eat,” Elowen said. “The place I was telling you all about isn’t far from here.”
Elowen was surprised she’d had a good time shopping with the other women. She’d never really had much fun shopping, but she did with these people. They were women she knew she would be friends with even if she hadn’t met them just because they knew Griz.
When they were on their way to the vehicles, she had an odd feeling, like people were watching. But they were a big group in the middle of town that wasn’t well populated. Vacationers always got stares, and she guessed this group fit that description.
“You okay?” Griz asked as he slung his arm over her shoulder.
She nodded. “Yeah, fine.”
“Good. You sent the address for this place to the drivers, right?”
She turned toward him and placed her hand on his chest. It felt good touching him. She’d never been touchy feely with any of the guys she’d ever been with, mainly because they acted like she was a possession. Griz acted like she was an equal.
“I did. This has been a really good day.”
He kissed her again, and she liked how the kiss felt like a promise for later. A shiver slid down her back and he pulled her closer, laughing.
The drive over took them less than five minutes and they piled out, going to the window to order. The owner of the place seemed thrilled to have such a big crowd. The guy came out after they’d received their food to make sure everything tasted okay.
Griz stood and shook his hand after wiping it off on the napkin. “That is one of the best burgers I’ve ever eaten.”
“Well thank you, son.”
She watched as Griz pointed to the man’s arm. “I see you’re a Marine.”
“Yes, I served for six years. I wasn’t a cook, though. Tank crew.”
“Nice. That’s awesome.”
