Joe lit the end of his cigarette, sat down on his crate in the alley, inhaled deeply, then blew out a breath of toxic smoke.
“Joe, that’s your third one in a row. I think you need to take it easy,” Harv warned. “Besides, you should be turning to God in your time of need.”
Joseph released a sarcastic laugh. “God? This is a classic example of what happens when I start trusting in your God, Harv. I’m done.” He pulled a small glass bottle from his pocket, unscrewed the lid, and brought it to his lips.
Harvey quickly knocked the bottle out of his hands. “What are you doin’, Joe? You can’t drink that stuff.”
Joe frowned at Harv. “What’d you do that for?” He walked over to the bottle and picked it up out of the snow. After determining it was now empty, he threw the bottle at the brick wall, hollering a curse word in frustration.
“Why don’t you fight for her?”
“What?”
“Fight. If you truly are innocent, why don’t you prove it to her? Show her the articles Mr. Perfect purposely ignored in order to dig out the trash.”
“It’s too late, Harvey. Linda told me that she’s engaged now. Besides, Anna believed what she wanted to. Probably wouldn’t believe me even if I proved the truth to her.”
“Balderdash! She can’t be engaged. It’s only been four days. My, that scum sure does work fast,” Harv said disgustedly.
“Well, she chose him.” Joe shrugged.
“No. She chose you. And I don’t know why you allow her to believe a lie.” Harvey sighed. “Do you really want Miss Anna to marry that jerk?”
Footsteps crunching through the snow drew their attention to the opening of the alley, interrupting their conversation. Joe was pleased to see Linda. It seemed she’d been a true friend and had given him the benefit of the doubt.
“Joe, I need your help,” she requested.
“Sure, Linda. What do you need?”
“Will you come back to the store with me?”
Joe’s eyebrows raised. “Is Anna there? Because if she is, I’d rather not.”
“No. She’s on lunch right now. Aaron picked her up.”
Joe rolled his eyes. It figures. “Okay.” He glanced at Harv for approval.
“Don’t mind me. I’ll be fine here,” Harvey insisted.
“If it begins snowing, you come to the store,” Linda said. “I have a small back storage room the two of you can share when the weather is foul. It’s not much, but at least it’ll be shelter.”
Joe touched Linda’s arm. “Thank you, Linda. You truly are a kind person.”
Her concerned eyes met his. “Anna is too.”
Joe nodded, then followed after Linda to Threads of Beauty. She led him to the backroom and detailed what she wanted done after hours. He also had extra time to finish up the project Linda had commissioned this morning, several hours prior to Anna’s arrival.
“Is it working now?’ Linda asked hopefully.
“Yep. Should be working like a charm.”
“I want to pay you for the work you’ve been doing for me.” Linda opened her wallet and handed Joseph a few bills.
“Thank you.” Joe took one of the bills and stuffed it in his pocket. He handed the others back to her. “Will you add the extra to Anna’s check, please?”
Linda’s eyes showed empathy. “Of course.”
“But please, don’t let her know.”
Linda nodded in understanding. The front bell rang, alerting her to a customer’s presence. She and Joseph walked to the front store and she glanced down at her watch. “It’s already ten minutes after one and Anna’s not back yet. Where could she be?” A group of patrons poured in at once when Linda noticed a tour bus outside. “Oh boy. Joe, will you please stay and help me? I can’t possibly assist all these customers myself.”
“Sure. What would you have me do?”
“Just run the cash register.”
Joe took his place behind the counter and began ringing up a customer’s purchase, while Linda met the other customers’ needs. Where is Anna? Joe glanced at the clock on the wall which revealed it was now twenty minutes after one.
Five minutes later, a smiling Anna waltzed through the door with Aaron in tow. She glanced at Joe and frowned, then looked up at the clock. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth, most likely realizing her tardiness. Fortunately, the store had cleared out by now.
Good. Now that she’d returned, Joe could go. He summoned Linda to the cash register and told her of his intentions.
“Will you hold on just a little bit? I’d like to have a chat with Anna in the back before you leave,” Linda requested.
“Sure.”
<><><>
Linda turned to Anna, who’d been showing one of Mammi’s quilts to Aaron. The fact that they’d sold three over the last few days hadn’t surprised Joseph at all. Linda realized the man knew what he was doing. He was very good at what he did. It’s too bad Anna couldn’t see Joe’s worth.
“Anna, I’d like to have a word with you in the back, please,” Linda requested.
Anna nodded sheepishly and sent Aaron a fleeting glance. Aaron nodded back. Anna followed her employer to the back room.
“I don’t think I have to tell you that you’re nearly a half-hour late.”
“I’m sorry, Linda. We lost track of time.” Anna explained further, “Aaron took me to his home for lunch and it took longer than I’d thought.”
“I’ve decided to hire Joe as a second employee,” Linda stated. “He’s proved valuable many times and he’s a good worker.”
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Anna frowned. “Since they’ve been gone, other things have come up missing at our place too.”
“Nevertheless, he’s now an employee of Threads of Beauty.” Linda just hoped that Joe would agree to it now. With the extra money they’d been bringing in of late, she could afford to hire him at least part-time. Linda walked to the door and beckoned Joseph.
Apparently, Joe and Aaron had been in some sort of discussion, because Joe’s arms were crossed over his chest and his countenance reflected frustration. He walked to the door, leaving Aaron standing near the counter alone. Linda wished Anna’s fiancé would leave, but she wouldn’t be rude by asking him to.
Joseph walked in with the door clicking shut behind him. “You wanted to see me?” He kept his gaze steady on Linda and she knew it was to avoid eye contact with Anna. Linda thought Joe and Anna had made a cute couple.
“Yes. I just informed Anna that I hired you part-time,” Linda stated.
Joe glanced nervously at Anna. “Uh, you did?”
Linda nodded in affirmation. “I’d like you to stay until closing today, if you can.”
“If you think you need me.”
“There’s always stuff to do back here if there aren’t any customers up front,” Linda explained. She turned to Anna. “You may go back up front.”
Anna nodded and walked back to the main store, with not so much as a glance at Joe.
Linda hoped she was doing the right thing. After Anna disappeared, she turned back to Joe. “I haven’t said anything to Anna about your private activities. She doesn’t need to know anything about that.”
“I appreciate that, Linda.”
“Why don’t you work on getting that back storage room cleaned out so you and Harvey will have some shelter?”
Joe nodded.
“I’m just sorry I can’t offer you more.”
“Oh no, Linda. You’ve been a great help to me and Harv. We’ll never forget it.”
“Well, you’ve more than earned it. You’ve really helped Threads of Beauty get on its feet.” Linda smiled at Joe, but his reciprocating grin was nothing like it had been when he and Anna were dating. It seemed as though a dark cloud hovered over him. Seeing Anna with Aaron must be difficult for Joseph, she realized. Perhaps the two of them working together would change that.