MONTY AWOKE EXCITED AND jumped in the shower. Liz’s scent lingered on her skin, and Monty smiled at the tingling between her legs. No time for that right now, Ms. Montgomery, but oh, how sad that is. Uh huh.
She looked in the mirror and combed her hair, noting she’d need a haircut soon. She wondered how she should cut it. Monty practically ran back to the room. She dressed in her khakis and a clean, long-sleeve T-shirt. She donned her Goober’s vest and tucked a clean rag and the pressure gauge in her back pocket. She loaded her boxes and painting into the back of Liz’s car.
Liz was still asleep. How she could sleep through all of that, Monty had no idea. It had been a late night, but still. Monty sat on the edge of Liz’s bed and leaned in.
“Hey. You have just enough time to get me to work a few minutes early…remember?”
“Ugh,” Liz groaned. “Can you just take my car?”
“Not without a license. Sorry.” Monty leaned in again and kissed Liz on the mouth. Liz raised her hips in response, wanting more.
“Don’t make me late, please,” Monty whispered.
“I would love to make you late.” Liz pulled Monty close and breathed softly into her ear.
Monty shuddered with desire. She knew that Liz knew the soft breathing and sweet talk were her weaknesses.
“C’mon. I gotta go. I have to be there in fifteen minutes. Please,” Monty was begging softly.
Liz threw on a pair of jeans, sweatshirt, and a pair of shoes. No underclothes at all. Monty felt even more aroused.
“Lord, please get me through this morning,” she prayed aloud.
Liz smiled at Monty and kissed her.
* * * *
“Don’t forget me,” Liz said as she dropped Monty at the store..
Monty unloaded her things and carefully leaned the painting beside the boxes. Liz kissed two fingers as if she were kissing Monty, and she shuddered again, smiled hesitantly, then turned around. She moved her belongings to the back of the building and used her key to open the door of her new space. Liz had stuffed a pillow, several blankets, and a towel into the backpack. Monty smiled, thinking of Liz…and their night together.
Once again, Monty marveled at how sweet making love could be. Kissing Liz. Feeling Liz explore with her lips and tongue. Monty ached as she walked around the outside to the front of the building. Shake it off, girl.
It was seven on the dot. Crawford had just arrived and opened the front door. Monty went to the back of the store, turned on all of the lights, and started brewing the coffee. They would have two carafes made by the time the door was unlocked for the public. Even though the store officially opened at eight, everyone knew they could stop by earlier for a cup of coffee. Parents dropping their children off at the school often expected them to be serving by seven fifteen. Most people waited until seven thirty, though, because that was when the fresh donuts arrived from the Dahlonega baker.
Monty moved boxes, restocked items, and tidied the shelves. She also cleaned the public restroom, whose door sign read Paying Customers Only. She made a mental note to make a new sign that was not as off-putting. She would discuss it with Mr. Whitfield.
Sarah apparently never cleaned or restocked. Monty noticed how dirty the pizza machine was and cleaned it. The day before, Crawford had told Monty that she would get tired of cleaning up after Sarah, day after day.
“It’s still morning, love.” Connie walked into the store at eleven thirty, smiling at Monty. “Hi, Crawford.”
“What can I do for you?” Monty asked, instantly regretting her choice of words.
“Ha, ha, love. I wish I could say it in mixed company. What time does your shift end?”
“Today, at seventeen hundred. This will be my second day. I work one more, then off the next two days. I start back Monday, zero seven hundred to thirteen thirty.” Monty decided to give the details, because she guessed she would be asked.
“I love a woman who uses military time,” Connie boomed. “After my heart, are you?”
“Connie, Sunday’s my last day,” Crawford interrupted, changing the subject.
“I’ll be sorry to see you go. I’m glad you chose such a good-lookin’ replacement though.”
“Are you buying or just flirting today, Connie?” Crawford grinned.
“Actually, I want to buy some fishing gear. My nieces are coming from Atlanta tomorrow. I want to take them to the lake and teach them how to fish.” Connie walked back to the fishing rack and picked out a few things.
She brought tackle, rod and reel combos, cooler, and net to the counter. They totaled more than eighty dollars with the bait. She gave Monty a hundred-dollar bill. Monty opened the register and made the change. She was sure Mr. Whitfield would be glad to see that come through.
“I hope to see you later, if you’re around,” Connie said to Monty, again looking into her eyes. “Crawford, bon voyage. Darlin’ Monty, you are gorgeous.”
“You’re not so bad yourself, Connie.” Monty smiled, hoping Connie would see she wasn’t intimidated.
“You should avoid flirting with Connie,” Crawford said after she left. He looked quite serious. “You know, she tried to get Sarah and Jake into a threesome one day, or so Sarah claims. I’m not sure I wouldn’t believe it. She used to be an officer in the Army. She’s retired, and she’s loaded. Just watch out, Monty. She’ll eat you alive, but she might not spit you back out.” They both chuckled.
* * * *
Sarah arrived right on time—fifteen minutes late. Crawford bragged on Monty holding her own with Connie Brantley.
“Jeez. That ol’ hag? She tried to get me and Jake to join her for a threesome. Can you believe that? I thought Jake was gonna die laughing when I told him. He said he better not ever find out that she had touched me. I mean, she hasn’t, of course. I think she’s an old blowhard.” Sarah laughed.
Crawford left without a good-bye, mainly to escape Sarah, Monty deduced. When he left, Sarah looked in the cash drawer. Monty kept waiting for Sarah to ask about the money. She didn’t. Several kids came in after school, then some parents and kids. The place was pretty busy for the rest of the shift. Monty was busy, and she totally forgot about the money.
At five fifteen, Monty walked around back to her new place. Crawford had told her to take one of the chairs out of the other room, so she’d have a place to sit. There were two stacks of five chairs left from the early days. He was certain Mr. Whitfield wouldn’t mind, because he had asked Crawford once if he wanted any of them.
Monty took her clothes out of the boxes. She turned the boxes to make little tables and neatly stacked her sorted clothes onto the surfaces. She had borrowed the store’s hammer and a few nails. She hammered two nails to support the weight of her woodpecker painting.
She then stacked two blankets, folded lengthwise, on the floor and stretched her sleeping bag on top to make a multilayer bed. She put the pillow on top, making a little pallet. With another folded blanket on top, covering the sleeping bag and pillow, her new bed was complete. She stood back to admire the creation, such as it was. It was as good as the one at Alto, she thought, but it sure wasn’t the Murphy bed. Mm. Or Liz’s bed. She sat on her new chair while the iPad Liz gave her charged in the nearby socket. Monty was grateful that the store’s internet extended to her room. There was only an overhead light and a small window, close to the ceiling. The opening was about forty-eight inches wide, but only twelve inches tall. At least it was a window.
She had a bottle of water and a store PB & J for supper and wondered what Liz was having. If Monty could not have seen her woodpecker painting across the room, she may have felt as if she were back in a cell. She had to get used to spending so much alone time again. Monty had become comfortable being with Liz, knowing that Liz was in a room close by. Thinking of Liz aroused her.
A knock on the door startled Monty. With the window so high, she couldn’t see who was there. She wondered if Whitfield would let her install a peep hole viewer in the door. Hesitantly, she opened the door. Connie Brantley.
“My word, girl,” Connie said, obviously shocked. “I knew these were small…”
“I would offer you a seat, but…” Monty joked.
Connie was holding a pizza box and a six-pack of beer. “Have a beer with me, and some pizza. No onions!”
Monty laughed. “Sure, why not. You take the chair. I’ll sit on the floor.” She had put one box outside the door since it was empty. She shook it off and made another table, then motioned for Connie to have a seat. Monty sat cross-legged on her pallet.
“Wow, where’d you get that painting? That’s a Peter Loose,” Connie said.
Monty beamed. “It is! My friend gave it to me. Sort of a ‘finding myself’ gift, I guess.”
“What about this friend?”
“Yeah. She’s a really good friend. Maybe more,” Monty admitted.
“Hmph,” Connie said. She popped the tops of two cans and handed one to Monty. “Hope you like Belgian style.”
“Just fine. Thanks.” Monty took a piece of pizza. They knocked cans, and each ate a slice.
“I don’t beat around the bush, Monty. I find you extremely attractive. Gorgeous, actually. I’m interested in seeing you, dating you.”
“Wow. I uh, I think…” Monty couldn’t find the right words.
“Don’t get flustered. I can tell you’re a gal who can handle herself. You didn’t bat an eye when I was teasing you.” Connie looked directly into Monty’s eyes for a reaction.
“Look. I don’t really know you, Connie. And you don’t know me. I mean no disrespect here at all. You are very attractive. I like you already. I’d love to have a friend, I’m not lying, but I don’t know about the dating thing, right now.”
“Oh. You mean because of your friend.”
“That’s part of it. I really am just finding out who I am. She really helped me begin to find someone who’d been lost for years…maybe someone I never knew−”
“A friend is one thing. That’s for certain. Not sure I understand all of that finding yourself business, though,” Connie interrupted.
“You have to let someone talk to find out about them, darlin’,” Monty said, winking at Connie.
“Oh, I do so find you attractive, Monty. You’re a jokester. And right as rain.” Connie chuckled. “I’ve met my match.”
“We’ll see about that…” Monty teased.
“You’d better stop,” Connie said softly. She inhaled her next beer. Monty, not being a frequent beer drinker, already had a buzz after the first one. She ate another piece of pizza, hoping more food in her stomach would help that.
“We’ve got to drink them while they’re cold, you know.” Connie opened another beer for each of them.
“I have to work tomorrow. You have to drive home, wherever that is,” Monty said.
“I walked.” Connie opened the door and pointed in the direction of the post office and community center. “On the other side of the fire station is a little chalet, on that next hill. That’s mine. Less than a half-mile. Easy walk. I’d be happy to have you visit tonight.”
Monty felt confused. She felt sexual attraction. Is this okay? “I think I’d better not tonight—”
“Oh. There’s a chance another night, then. Good news.” Connie pulled the door closed behind her as she stepped back into Monty’s room. Monty stood to see Connie out, but Connie leaned her body against Monty’s. They kissed. Monty instinctively reacted, pressing herself firmly against Connie. She stopped and stepped back.
“Don’t be afraid,” Connie said softly. “I do bite, but not hard.” Connie kissed Monty again, and Monty responded again.
“Connie. I find you extremely attractive. I would…I want to…something says no. I need to listen to that.”
Connie leaned again, pressing her hand on Monty’s bottom to pull her in close between her legs. “If you really don’t want to,” Connie whispered softly into Monty’s ear.
Monty shuddered. “I want to. I can’t.” Monty pulled back.
Connie leaned into Monty, kissing her firmly, finding her tongue. Monty responded, then pulled away again.
“Please, Connie. Please go tonight. Let me figure this out. Don’t give up on me, yet. I just don’t know.”
“I don’t want to, but no means no. We all have to respect that. You know where I live. If you change your mind...” Connie kissed Monty on the cheek and held her hand there a moment before she left.
Monty turned the light off and locked the door. She fell onto her pallet, pulled the top blanket over her head, and cried. Her deep confusion left her with thoughts swirling around. Am I in a relationship? Is it okay to make love with other people? I don’t think Liz would like it. Eventually, sleep overtook her.
* * * *
When the iPad alarm went off at six thirty, Monty shook her head and stumbled to the shower. The mirror showed her eyes were puffy from having cried. Ugh. She hated that look. When she went to the store, Crawford had just opened the door and turned on the lights.
“You look terrible. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just one of those things.” She had no intention of going into her personal drama with him.
“Don’t forget. The other part-timer comes in today. I think he’s gay, but nobody talks about it. Some of the local guys bully him. Did in high school anyway. You’ll probably like him. Tim’s a nice guy.”
“That’s all that matters…right?” Monty shrugged.
Tim White was the grandson of the elderly customer, Charlotte, whom Monty had helped with the air pump. He was a tall, thin young man, probably early twenties since he had graduated from high school a couple of years ago. He had one of those bowl cuts—long on top, all the same length, then shaved close the rest of the way. It was evident he had acne in his recent youth.
Monty was instantly drawn to Tim. He worked two days a week to cover shifts when no one would be in the store. He was always willing to work more, but Sarah was reluctant to give away any of her shifts. He also filled in when anyone was sick or had appointments.
Tim was a hard worker, and Monty had respect for hard workers. He liked to joke with Monty about being thin and looking like a guy. He never joked in a mean way. It was a fun, jovial kidding. He teased her about them being twins separated at birth. Even after just one shift together, Sarah was obviously annoyed by the friendship that was developing between Monty and Tim.
“Hey, Sarah. What did your dad say about that hundred-dollar bill?” Monty asked when she remembered.
“What hundred-dollar bill?” Sarah asked.
“Oh, quit teasing. The hundred that Connie spent in here yesterday.”
“There wasn’t a big bill when I took the bag last night.”
“Might not have been last night, but it was in the drawer when I left,” Monty said, squinting her face. “Crawford saw it.”
Sarah just walked about, pretending to be busy. “Don’t know anything about it. I’m sure if Dad saw it and everything adds up…” She trailed off and walked to the back of the store.
Monty decided to stop saying anything more about it, but she was terrified. She kept on doing her job as usual, but she was shaking on the inside.
At one point, during the busy, pizza-making time, Sarah removed her sweater. It was hot by the pizza oven. Monty stepped back to give Sarah another order and saw definite round bruises on Sarah’s upper arms. Monty tried not to stare or reveal to Sarah what she’d seen. Monty had seen those bruises on her own arms after a guard had grabbed her and pushed her into a wall. She’d seen the bruises on other girls in the prison, and on street girls who’d been bullied by their pimps. Monty kept her mouth shut, but she was sure that Jake must have grabbed Sarah.
Monty was relieved that she would be off the next two days. She had told Crawford good-bye, but she’d jotted down his phone number and address from a card in the register. She thought she might need him in the future.