“Hi, girl.”
“Hi, Tammy. Thanks for calling back,” said Markie after answering her cell phone.
“I got your message. Where have you been, and what area code is this?
“It’s upstate New York. I’ve been in this small town out in the sticks.” Markie was still debating over telling Tammy where she was. There were questions she needed answered before she could.
“We’ve all been worried sick about you. You call your accountant, but not me? What gives? Why did it take you so long to call?”
“I’m so sorry, Tammy. I had to leave. There was just too much going on all at once. I couldn’t see straight—I needed time to think.”
“How is your vision now?” Tammy asked half-jokingly.
“Probably worse.” She laughed.
Tammy was Markie’s most trusted confidant. There was an unwritten rule that Markie nurtured, giving Tammy authority to run the office in Markie’s absence, whether it be for an hour or weeks, as in this case. She had been with Markie almost from the start. An accomplished seamstress, she was a driving force behind bringing Markie’s creations to life. What she brought to the table was the mechanics of clothing. However, she was lacking in marketing skills. Markie had been helping her improve that aspect of her abilities, as well as teaching her how to design clothing.
“We all missed you, I’m sure you know. Are you going to be in tomorrow?”
“I’m still up here, Tammy.”
“Oh. So when are you coming back?”
“I don’t know. I need a little more time. How are things there?”
“I’m holding the place together, but it really needs your guidance, Markie.”
“I know. That’s one of the reasons for my call. I want to give you some direction.”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to do that in person?”
“Yes, it would.” Markie quickly changed the subject to get an idea of what had been happening while she was away. “Have any reporters been snooping around?”
“No. Why?”
“I was afraid somehow they might have caught wind that I was missing. Glad to hear they haven’t been. So, I guess...”
“No, Bob hasn’t come around looking, either.”
“Good. I’d like you to come up here for a meeting. We can go over my vision for next season’s apparel. I’ll pay your way up.”
“Where is here?”
“Sorry, Oxford.”
“Is that in central New York?”
Markie laughed. “Yes. Google it. You’ll find it just outside Norwich. I’ll give you my address, or you can stop by the diner.”
“Diner?”
“Yeah. You won’t believe this. I’m waitressing Monday through Friday, from six to two-thirty.”
“Whoa! Let me get this straight. The country’s—no, the world’s—premier up and coming clothing designer is waiting tables in a small town in upstate New York?”
“Pretty bizarre, huh?”
“How do you spell understatement? What about us? You know. Your employees?”
“That’s why I need you to come up here. I have some new designs ready for prototype.”
“Great! But why can’t you just bring them back here yourself? We all miss you.”
Markie avoided a straight answer. “Things are a bit ... complicated right now.”
“Did you meet someone?”
Markie was amazed that Tammy automatically assumed that. She was right, of course. But Markie was not some girl who played the field. Tammy knew that. “Um... well, sort of.” She knew Tammy hated being left in the dark, but anything she might say today might also change tomorrow.
“How do you sort of meet someone?”
“We’ve gone out a few times, that’s all. He’s different.”
“Is he cute?”
“Why don’t we cut right to it and ask if he’s jumped me,” Markie replied, laughing.
“That’s too personal for me, thanks.” She smiled. “But is he cute?”
“You won’t let go, will you?”
“You know me, Markie.”
“Yes, I do, and yes, he is.”
“Ooh, girl! Hey, does he know?”
“No. Still keeping it a secret. We’re not an item, yet.”
“Careful, girl. If things get serious, your little surprise might be a game changer.”
“I know. Promise me you won’t tell anyone where I am, okay?”
“I won’t. But you have to promise me you’ll keep in touch. None of this disappearing for weeks.”
“Deal. Thank you, Tammy. Okay. Let me get off the phone so I can text you my address.”
“I’ll come tomorrow. Is that all right?”
“Perfect. Like I said, I work until two-thirty. Since tomorrow is Monday, I might be able to leave a little early. It’s our slow day.”
“Then I’ll take off after rush hour.”
“Again, I’m sorry it took so long to call.”
“I forgive you, boss. See you tomorrow.”
Markie could actually feel Tammy’s warm expression over the airwaves. It was a connection she had feared she might have damaged. She sighed in relief as she hung up.
Even though Markie was excited about Tammy coming, she also felt a certain anxiety about having to tell Pam that her other occupation was still very much alive. There was no way she could keep it in the closet with Tammy coming. She did not want to lie, either. Pam had been a true friend from the day she’d arrived in Oxford. Knowing what she had to do, she decided to quit worrying about it and let it go for the day. Easier said than done. She watched a movie, baked cookies, even jogged three miles. Nothing could get it off her mind.
Worn out, she went to bed but still tossed and turned. This is silly, she thought. It’s not like I plan to quit on Pam. She did not intend to quit the diner, but there was more going on than the job. Much more. In the back of her mind, she knew it was not the job at all. She did not want to admit it, but there was no way she could run from her own feelings. If there truly is a God, He sure put me in a place I never intended on falling into. I hope He has a plan to get me out.
* * * *
All too soon, Monday morning arrived. Four o’clock Monday morning, to be exact. Markie had given up on sleep, deciding she might as well go to work early. It was time for her to bring her other occupation out in the open. Besides, Pam was extremely easy to talk to. And she was very smart. Even though she was only in her mid-thirties, she displayed a common sense that could only come from the school of hard knocks. She had to have learned quickly. Markie’s strong intuition had picked up on Pam’s abilities the day they met. Maybe Pam could help her decide what was best.
That was Markie’s hope, anyway. She was still quite uneasy about bringing her past up—even if Pam was the most receptive person she had seen in ages. It would soon be evident Markie did not need the money but was working to pass the time. Markie enjoyed the diner very much, and the people she had met while working there were nothing short of a breath of fresh air. If they knew her secret, would they still be the same, however?
She got up and dressed quickly. First out to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee, then to the bathroom to get her face together and brush her teeth. Satisfied with her makeup, she returned to the kitchen and poured a cup. After dressing it in milk and sugar, she brought it out to the living room.
She turned on the weather channel and sat down. The day promised to be warm with no chance of rain. The current four-thirty temperature was sixty-three degrees. She was glad of that. The walk to work was going to be pleasant.
At five, she could not wait any longer. She expected Pam would arrive around five-thirty, but the walk to the diner from her apartment was ten minutes if she took her time. She donned a light sweater and descended the stairs into the garage.
Taking a leisurely stroll down the street, she spent time observing the architecture of the homes she passed. The sky was beginning to lighten, so she could make out details of the woodwork. Most houses were Victorian in style, but likely knockoffs. Colors were from current pallets, with a few that tried to emulate the Victorian era scheme. There were modular homes as well as a few custom homes. There had been a few that were erected where a house might have burned or was torn down, but she suspected most were created in response to changing zoning laws.
Downtown appeared to be completely reconstructed. Other than the bank, none of the buildings held any character like the houses did. They weren’t ugly, just modern—a nineteen-seventies modern.
Markie sat on the bench in the town square across the one-way street from the diner. She ran every conceivable scenario through her head and formulated her thoughts into what she knew from experience would never end up coming out the way she wanted. Still, she tried to make it work. But no matter how the planned monologue ended up in theory, she also knew she was more of a shoot from the hip orator. This time was no different. She knew what she planned to say, but starting was always trouble.
This time, there was to be no trouble getting started. Pam arrived at five-thirty like Markie expected. Markie saw her twist her face and assumed she knew something was up.
Markie followed her in and went straight to the coffee machine.
“You look like you could use a cup,” Pam commented. “Late night, darlin’?”
“I couldn’t sleep—kept tossing and turning,” Markie answered.
“So you decided to come to work early.”
“I wasn’t sleeping. I thought I might as well.”
“No one shows up this early because they can’t sleep. Come on. What’s up?”
Markie hesitated, still working up the courage. Pam pushed a little.
“You plannin’ on giving notice?”
“No, no. Not at all. Well, not right now, anyway.” She poured two cups of coffee and set one down in front of Pam.
“Your past catching up with you?” Pam mixed a couple sugars in her cup.
“In a way.” Markie retrieved a cream pitcher from the refrigerator and mixed her usual brew.
“It’s not a concern, here, I promise. I don’t care what you were in the past. My only concern is the present and the Markie I know.”
“Thank you, Pam. That means an awful lot. And I promise that if I need to leave, I’ll be here at least until school starts back up and you can find someone to take this shift.”
“I appreciate that. I’d still prefer you, you know that.” She took a sip of her coffee.
“Yes, I do. And this is the first time I ever worked for someone who really wanted me. But I have my employees to think about, too. I just don’t know what ramification there might be if word gets out I work here.” She saw it in Pam’s eyes. There was a confused look about her.
“Your employees?”
Markie saw the light bulb click on in her head.
“You’re still designing clothing.”
“Yes.” Markie downed almost half her coffee in two gulps.
“Well I’ll be. What the heck are you doing here?”
“I think I told you that I had a bad break up with my boyfriend.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“He left me because I wanted to change. I couldn’t live with myself the way things were going. I am glad I made the change. It was the best thing I could have done with my life. Unfortunately, tensions got to a breaking point, and I had to get out of there.”
“What change, darlin’? I’ve heard you say that before. Change should make things better, not stress you out.”
Markie didn’t say anything. She was counting on Pam not pushing the issue. She was right.
Pam asked a different question, instead. “Why are you bringing this up now?”
Markie answered, “My assistant is coming over today. I have designs for her, and I didn’t want you to think I was deserting you.”
“I know you wouldn’t do that. You have integrity. That’s rare, nowadays.” Pam smiled.
“Thank you.”
“So, you could possibly leave in September?”
Markie didn’t answer. Instead she shrugged her shoulders.
“Have you told Mike about any of this?”
“Um. Not yet. I don’t know if there’s anything between us.”
Pam wasn’t buying any of that for a second. “Is that your head talkin’? ‘cause I’ll tell ya, your heart just ain’t listenin’.”
“I just got out of one relationship a few weeks ago. I’m not supposed to fall right into another.”
“Markie, darlin’, since when has love ever followed rules?”
“Who said anything about love?”
“Okay, I can take the hint.” She smiled almost flatly. It was a plastered smirk. “When is your assistant going to arrive?”
“Sometime today. Probably around noon or so. Think I can take off a little early when she does? I mean, I’ll go through lunch, but after?”
“Only if I get to meet her.”
“Not a problem. I think it’s time to set the tables.”