with a perfectly manicured hand. Taking another
bite of her salad, she eyed Lili, waiting for an answer.
“What makes you think I have
something to tell you?”
“Don’t play games with me, Lili.
I’ve been listening to your secrets all my life. You have that same look in
those baby blue eyes that you had the time you and Lester put a live snake in
Mrs. Reid’s top desk drawer, remember?”
Lili choked on a chunk of tomato
and grabbed her glass of water. When she could stop laughing, she said, “I
remember.”
“You both had to sit in the
cloakroom the rest of the day,” Tami said, grinning.
“That wasn’t as bad as it sounds.
We ate all the cookies out of everyone’s bag lunch.”
“So that’s why you threw up.”
“See, I didn’t tell you
everything, even back in first grade,” Lili teased.
“Does that mean there is something you’re not telling me?”
“Well…” Lili found herself
telling Tami the details of her father’s will, and all about Ken Mills.
Tami listened patiently, biting
her lip as Lili ended with the dance at Ken’s house the night before. “So
you’re falling in love with Ken, and you’re mad at yourself for that?”
Lili gasped. “I didn’t say that.”
Tami shrugged. “Maybe not, but
your face and voice did. It’s written all over you as you talk about him.”
When Lili frowned and looked
away, Tami put her hand over Lili’s and said, “Hey, don’t knock it. Love
doesn’t come along every day. You have to take it where you find it.”
“But I just want to be rid of
him, and get control of my store back,” Lili protested.
Tami grinned smugly. “Do you? I
don’t think so.”
“You’re wrong.”
Tami stared at her speculatively,
then asked, “Would you really choose selling bananas over love?”
When Lili didn’t answer, she
sighed and said, “Come on, let’s go home.”
While Tami concentrated on the
heavy traffic on the now darkened freeway, Lili pondered her comments. Could
she be falling in love? With someone she had vowed to oust from her business
and her life? No way!
“A penny for your thoughts.”
“You wouldn’t get much of a
bargain,” Lili said. “Oh. We’re back in Landers already?”
“Yes. You were thinking so hard I
didn’t want to interrupt with small talk.”
“Nonsense,” Lili denied. “I must
have been dozing. All that walking in the mall wore me out.”
Tami grinned. “If you say so.”
“Could you stop at the store a
minute?”
“At midnight? Whatever for?” Tami
parked at the curb.
Lili dug her keys out of her
purse. “I just want to check to be sure everything is okay and properly locked
up for the night. You know, in case a fuse blew and the power is off to a
freezer or something. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Want me to come with you?” Tami
asked, looking doubtfully at the empty street and dark building.
“Of course not. I do this alone
all the time,” Lili said. She unlocked the door and flipped the front entrance light
switch. The rest of the store was dimly lit with night lights, so she walked
quickly through the store as she always did, without bothering to turn on all
the overhead fluorescent lights. The pungent scent of oranges and lemons filled
the air. The low humming vibration of a compressor kicking in on the roof
overhead broke the almost eerie silence of the store.
Opening a glass cooler or freezer
door here and there, she quickly ascertained that each unit’s compressor was
working properly. She had done this so often that she could judge the
temperature within a few degrees just by putting her hand on the metal rack
inside each case. The sharp bite of cold in the freezers and a comfortable
chilliness in the refrigerators told her that all was well.
Next she tried the door to the
basement to make sure it was locked and then went to check the back storage
room door.
A circle of shadows loomed ahead
of her as she stepped into the dark room and groped for the light
bite of her salad, she eyed Lili, waiting for an answer.
“What makes you think I have
something to tell you?”
“Don’t play games with me, Lili.
I’ve been listening to your secrets all my life. You have that same look in
those baby blue eyes that you had the time you and Lester put a live snake in
Mrs. Reid’s top desk drawer, remember?”
Lili choked on a chunk of tomato
and grabbed her glass of water. When she could stop laughing, she said, “I
remember.”
“You both had to sit in the
cloakroom the rest of the day,” Tami said, grinning.
“That wasn’t as bad as it sounds.
We ate all the cookies out of everyone’s bag lunch.”
“So that’s why you threw up.”
“See, I didn’t tell you
everything, even back in first grade,” Lili teased.
“Does that mean there is something you’re not telling me?”
“Well…” Lili found herself
telling Tami the details of her father’s will, and all about Ken Mills.
Tami listened patiently, biting
her lip as Lili ended with the dance at Ken’s house the night before. “So
you’re falling in love with Ken, and you’re mad at yourself for that?”
Lili gasped. “I didn’t say that.”
Tami shrugged. “Maybe not, but
your face and voice did. It’s written all over you as you talk about him.”
When Lili frowned and looked
away, Tami put her hand over Lili’s and said, “Hey, don’t knock it. Love
doesn’t come along every day. You have to take it where you find it.”
“But I just want to be rid of
him, and get control of my store back,” Lili protested.
Tami grinned smugly. “Do you? I
don’t think so.”
“You’re wrong.”
Tami stared at her speculatively,
then asked, “Would you really choose selling bananas over love?”
When Lili didn’t answer, she
sighed and said, “Come on, let’s go home.”
While Tami concentrated on the
heavy traffic on the now darkened freeway, Lili pondered her comments. Could
she be falling in love? With someone she had vowed to oust from her business
and her life? No way!
“A penny for your thoughts.”
“You wouldn’t get much of a
bargain,” Lili said. “Oh. We’re back in Landers already?”
“Yes. You were thinking so hard I
didn’t want to interrupt with small talk.”
“Nonsense,” Lili denied. “I must
have been dozing. All that walking in the mall wore me out.”
Tami grinned. “If you say so.”
“Could you stop at the store a
minute?”
“At midnight? Whatever for?” Tami
parked at the curb.
Lili dug her keys out of her
purse. “I just want to check to be sure everything is okay and properly locked
up for the night. You know, in case a fuse blew and the power is off to a
freezer or something. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Want me to come with you?” Tami
asked, looking doubtfully at the empty street and dark building.
“Of course not. I do this alone
all the time,” Lili said. She unlocked the door and flipped the front entrance light
switch. The rest of the store was dimly lit with night lights, so she walked
quickly through the store as she always did, without bothering to turn on all
the overhead fluorescent lights. The pungent scent of oranges and lemons filled
the air. The low humming vibration of a compressor kicking in on the roof
overhead broke the almost eerie silence of the store.
Opening a glass cooler or freezer
door here and there, she quickly ascertained that each unit’s compressor was
working properly. She had done this so often that she could judge the
temperature within a few degrees just by putting her hand on the metal rack
inside each case. The sharp bite of cold in the freezers and a comfortable
chilliness in the refrigerators told her that all was well.
Next she tried the door to the
basement to make sure it was locked and then went to check the back storage
room door.
A circle of shadows loomed ahead
of her as she stepped into the dark room and groped for the light
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