“So nice to meet you, Jolene.”
She crosses her arms and leans against the shelf, tilting her head. The action causes her gray bob to move in perfect unison, making me wonder how much product is in it.
“You got a job yet?” she asks, skipping straight to business even though we just met.
“Uh, no, not yet. Is there anywhere in town hiring that you know of?”
The truth is, I don't actuallyneeda job. I could live comfortably with the money in my account for quite some time. But I don't want to live my life doing nothing. I wanta job. Besides not wanting to get bored, I want to contribute to this town.
Plus, working would help me get to know everyone better. I'm a curious person by nature, and I love getting to know people's stories, their pasts, what makes them who they are or why they do certain things. It's why I like listening to investigative podcasts. It feeds my curiosity of what happened in a certain instance and why.
She nods. “I need someone here. If you want, come by tomorrow evening for an hour. I'll show you what the job entails, and if you're interested in it, you can start Monday.”
I haven't even been in this town for half a day, and I already have a job if I want it. I'd say this move is already looking successful.
“That sounds great, thank you. Is six o'clock good?”
“That's fine.” She nods again, turning back to the items she was re-stocking.
I wonder what her story is? She's either late fifties or early sixties, and she's working here on a Thursday night. Does she have a husband at home? Grandkids? Or is this store her baby? I guess I'll probably find at least some of that out tomorrow night.
“Okay, I'll see you then.”
By the time I make it home and put my groceries away, the weather has changed quite drastically. The once beautiful pink and orange painted sky is now filled with dark menacing clouds, shooting flashes of lightning across the sky above the ocean. And I can't decide which of the two I like better.
The deck at the back of the house is covered in, so I find a sweater to put on and step outside to watch the now wild storm. Despite the wind and rain pounding against anything within reach, there's a calmness settling inside me. I know without a doubt that this was the right decision.
I can see some tiny specks of lights out along the horizon, and I wonder how those boats are fairing out there on the ocean during the storm. Just the thought of being out there on one of them has my stomach churning. I love that I live by the beach, but I much prefer being on land.
The other houses to my left don't appear to have any lights on so I assume that the people living in them probably go to bed at a decent time, unlike me. I've been known to be more of a night owl, although that may change with a job.
My eyes wander back along the shore, and then over to the right along the beach and I can't quite tell if they're playing tricks on me when I think I spot a small light flickering further down the beach.
In the next flash of light, I can see the small shack-like building where the light is coming from, so I guess I did see correctly. I hadn't noticed it when I first arrived. It looks like maybe a fifteen-minute walk along the beach to get to it. I wonder if it's a fishing shack or someone's home?
I think I'll have to take a walk down there one of these days and check it out.
CHAPTER 2
Remi
Besides the hour that I was at Peacheson Friday night, I spent the last three days unpacking, organizing, sitting on my deck, and swimming in the ocean. And by swimming, I mean standing in it no further than ass deep. I can't actually swim, and I was terrified to go any deeper.
I'll have to learn one of these days because it seems like an important thing to know how to do when you live by the water.
It was a nice and relaxing weekend, but I'm more than ready to get out of the house and start work. I accepted the job from Jolene on Friday night before the hour was even up. Despite the size of this town, there was a surprisingly steady flow of people coming into the store. I guess being the only grocer in town has its advantages.
I was introduced to many different people, and the ones that didn't introduce themselves still smiled at me in a friendly manner. At the very least, by working there, I'll be entertained by learning everybody's stories.
“You're early. I like that,” Jolene says as I walk through the store doors.
She leans a hip against the candy rack by the cash register, and besides the floral pants she has on today, she looks exactly the same as on Thursday and Friday, with the same long sleeve work shirt on. She gave me a short sleeve version of hers to wear today, which I paired with some skinny jeans. I've made sure to stick to my more casual clothing rather than what I would have had to wear in the past.
Checking the time on my phone, I see that I only have five minutes until I'm supposed to start. Do people actually turn up to work right when they're supposed to start and no sooner? The only reason that I wasn't here earlier is that I decided to walk instead of drive, and I hadn't calculated the amount of time it would take to get here.
“Did you get settled in over the weekend?”
“I sure did,” I answer with a smile, thinking about how cute my place is. “Everything is unpacked and put exactly where I want it.”