Heidi clicked her teeth, did an exaggerated wink and walked away.
Mabel turned to Kimmy.“I’ve been wanting to meet you.”
“Everybody does,” Kimmy returned.“I’m the town character, and I take that role seriously.”
“I can see, but I wanted to ask you about your shop,” Mabel said.
“And I wanted to ask you about those religious bozos that live up where you two live,” Kimmy shot back.“Or they did, past tense.”
“Can I go first?”Mabel requested.
Kimmy sprawled back in the booth and invited, “Shoot.”
Heidi returned with the Dr.Pepper and Shirley Temple.
“I do vintage and local artisan stuff,” Mabel told Kimmy after Heidi left.
“I know,” Kimmy replied.
“But I thought maybe we could swing a deal.Especially around the major holidays where I might not be able to source much good stuff.You could put your stuff in my shop, I could sell it, keep track, give you a check at the end of the month.And maybe put up a few cards around that say something like, ‘If you like this Rudolf sweater, there’s more Christmas at Kimmy’s.’”
She quit talking and Kimmy stared at her.
This went on awhile.
Hutch, who seemed to have become invisible, sat back and stretched an arm on the booth behind his woman, not caring a bit.
“That it?”Kimmy prompted.
“That’s it,” Mabel replied.
“I’m confused, girl.What do you get out of it?”
“A store that doesn’t look like it’s half-stocked?Cool holiday stuff that gives a vibe that makes people want to hang and look around longer?Good relations with my fellow shopkeepers?”
“Can I guess you’re running out of Halloween stuff?”Kimmy deduced.
Mabel copped to it.“Yes.”
“Come over tomorrow.Have a look around.We’ll get you sorted out,” Kimmy said.
“Awesome,” Mabel replied.
“Now, about those religious bozos,” Kimmy started, remembering Hutch was there because she looked at him.“You see anything?”
“A lot of red and blue light illuminating the air above that compound,” Hutch replied, hoping Mabel would catch how they were going to play this by the vagueness of his answer.
“That it?”Kimmy pushed.
“Harry being closed-lipped?”Hutch asked instead of lying.
Kimmy scrunched her face.
She’d harangued him for info, as was the way of Kimmy, and Harry was being closed-lipped.
Mabel, fortunately, stayed quiet.
“I know it was a mess,” Hutch said when Kimmy’s stare didn’t go away.“I know Harry and his crew have a lot to clean up.I think Lacey Diever is going to get her family’s land back.And I think Harry’s been worried about that group for a long time, so after he wades through all the shit, it’s at least one thing he doesn’t have to worry about anymore.”
