“Morning,” Nora says cheerily, popping up from behind the display.
“Hi, girls.” She smiles at us both before inspecting the case. “Oh, what a cute display.”
Nora gives me that deadpan look, making me snicker.
“It was all Nora. She’s very creative,” I tell the lady as I wink over my shoulder at Nora, who rolls her eyes at me.
As soon as the lady walks out the door, Nora reaches over and pinches my side, making me giggle and fold in half.
“See? She loved it,” I tell her, stepping out of her reach.
“How about you just let me handle this part and you get on the register.”
“Fine,” I say with a sigh, but she doesn’t touch the way I have the meat displayed.
After a quick tutorial on the cash register, which is a little different from the one at work, we fall into a comfortable rhythm as customers slowly trickle into the shop. Nora takes orders and weighs and packages up the meat while I check people out.
About an hour after open, I pull my phone out of my back pocket, surprised to see eight unread texts from my mom.
Hey did you get there okay?
Stevie?
Are you there?
Text me so I know.
Hello?
Helloooo?
Stevie, answer me.
Stevie???
I roll my eyes as I text back.Relax, Mom. Jeez. Yes, I’m fine.
It’s not like much could’ve happened to me on the ten-minute drive here. I know she’s worried, but I’ve been feelingfine. A little more space might be nice.
I tuck my phone back into my pocket as a customer comes in, asking for some kind of sauce that was on order for them, but when I turn around Nora is nowhere to be found. I start reversing toward the back room.
“I just have to ask about it.” I round the corner. “Hey, Nor—”
Oof.
I runsmackinto her, and both of us lose our footing. I fall forward while she falls backward, until I have her pinned up against one of the stainless-steel carts. I start to push myself back.
“Shit. S—” I freeze when I see her face so close to mine, her freckled cheeks, her pupils wide in her greenish-brown eyes. My breath catches in my throat and I swallow hard as that tingly feeling I was searching for so hard all last night shows up without any effort at all. It runs all the way from my toes to my fingertips, which are gripped onto the cart on either side of her head.
I feel a warmth radiating from my right side, just above my hips, and it takes me a second to realize that it’s her hand.
“Uh, hot sauce…” I blink hard and step backward, putting a couple of feet between us.
“Wh-what?” Nora asks, still glued up against the cart.
“The guy out there, he says he ordered some hot sauce,” I tell her, pointing over my shoulder.
“Right. I’ll just…” She points to the front, walking by me without another word.
