used a five-gallon jug of rust inhibitor to prop open the door, adding both light and ventilation to the inside. She began sorting and shifting. It was heavy work but, surprisingly, Andi welcomed the exertion. It made her feel like she was accomplishing something. And today, she really needed that feeling.
Andi glanced up as a shadow darkened her doorway.
“Hey, girl! I thought it might be you in here.”
At first, she didn’t recognize the woman. But the sound of her voice brought recognition.
“Oh, hi,” Andi said. “You’re the waitress from Connor’s Diner.”
The woman shrugged. “No, this week my sister is the waitress at Connor’s Diner. I’m just unemployed Tiff McCarin out walking the streets.”
With a smile Andi noted her conservative suit and sensible shoes. “That’s not quite the streetwalker outfit,” she said. “Even in Plainview.”
Tiff laughed. “Yeah, this is my disguise. I’m like a hunter in a duckblind. Camouflaged as I look for jobs.”
“I don’t think you’re going to find one here,” Andi said.
Tiff nodded. “That’s what I understand. Isn’t that just my luck? I finally know somebody who’s opening a business and it gets closed down before I even get a chance to beg for work.”
Andi nodded sympathetically.
“Well, you look nice,” she said. “Did you have interviews today?”
“Just one,” Tiff answered. “And when I showed up, they told me that they’d changed their mind about filling the position. So I guess I got dressed up for nothing.”
“My pop says that ‘nothing is for nothing.’ There’s always something good that comes out of everything.”
Tiff laughed. “He may be right. I passed my ex-husband on Hager Street and he was so stunned to see me looking good, he walked into a light pole. That alone was worth the extra effort with the makeup.”
Andi laughed, only because Tiff was laughing.
“I guess he hasn’t seen you lately.”
“Only from a distance, I guess. We have a six-year-old son,” Tiff said. “He goes with his dad every other weekend. But Gil, that’s my ex, he just parks at the curb and Caleb meets him at the car.”
“I guess that’s one way to keep things civil.”
Tiff agreed. “No talking means no arguing. At this point that’s about all we can do for Caleb.”
Andi nodded.
“What about you?” Tiff asked. “Divorced?”
“Never married,” Andi answered. “Now are you going to tell me how lucky I am?”
“You get that a lot, I bet,” Tiff said.
“I think it’s supposed to make me feel better about my drastic fate.”
“Does it?”
“Truth is, I’m just getting used to it. In Chicago, being twenty-eight and single makes you an up-and-comer, free and on the town. But I get the feeling that back here in Plainview it means you’re an old maid.”
“Yikes, I bet that does smart a bit.”
Andi nodded.
“You just haven’t run into the right guy,” Tiff told her.
“There may not be one,” Andi said. “I’ve got my standards set way too high. My parents had this perfect marriage, I want one just like it.”
“Nobody’s marriage is perfect,” Tiff pointed out.
“Yeah, I keep telling myself that, but I think theirs must have been,” Andi said. “They always got along, they were bothvery easygoing. Even with raising my sister, which had to be stressful, they never seemed to lose their balance.”
“That does sound good.”
“I asked Pop about it once and he told me that marriage is like any other contract—if both people aren’t willing to abide by it, then it’s not a deal at all.”
Tiff nodded. “I sure hear that,” she said. “Wish my ex had cooperated. I’m not sure which is worse, being an old maid or having a failed marriage.”
“Oh, I think old maid has got to be worse,” Andi assured her. “At least you caught a husband, even if he managed to wiggle off the hook.”
Tiff chuckled. “You may be right about that,” she said. “I guess it goes to show that
Andi glanced up as a shadow darkened her doorway.
“Hey, girl! I thought it might be you in here.”
At first, she didn’t recognize the woman. But the sound of her voice brought recognition.
“Oh, hi,” Andi said. “You’re the waitress from Connor’s Diner.”
The woman shrugged. “No, this week my sister is the waitress at Connor’s Diner. I’m just unemployed Tiff McCarin out walking the streets.”
With a smile Andi noted her conservative suit and sensible shoes. “That’s not quite the streetwalker outfit,” she said. “Even in Plainview.”
Tiff laughed. “Yeah, this is my disguise. I’m like a hunter in a duckblind. Camouflaged as I look for jobs.”
“I don’t think you’re going to find one here,” Andi said.
Tiff nodded. “That’s what I understand. Isn’t that just my luck? I finally know somebody who’s opening a business and it gets closed down before I even get a chance to beg for work.”
Andi nodded sympathetically.
“Well, you look nice,” she said. “Did you have interviews today?”
“Just one,” Tiff answered. “And when I showed up, they told me that they’d changed their mind about filling the position. So I guess I got dressed up for nothing.”
“My pop says that ‘nothing is for nothing.’ There’s always something good that comes out of everything.”
Tiff laughed. “He may be right. I passed my ex-husband on Hager Street and he was so stunned to see me looking good, he walked into a light pole. That alone was worth the extra effort with the makeup.”
Andi laughed, only because Tiff was laughing.
“I guess he hasn’t seen you lately.”
“Only from a distance, I guess. We have a six-year-old son,” Tiff said. “He goes with his dad every other weekend. But Gil, that’s my ex, he just parks at the curb and Caleb meets him at the car.”
“I guess that’s one way to keep things civil.”
Tiff agreed. “No talking means no arguing. At this point that’s about all we can do for Caleb.”
Andi nodded.
“What about you?” Tiff asked. “Divorced?”
“Never married,” Andi answered. “Now are you going to tell me how lucky I am?”
“You get that a lot, I bet,” Tiff said.
“I think it’s supposed to make me feel better about my drastic fate.”
“Does it?”
“Truth is, I’m just getting used to it. In Chicago, being twenty-eight and single makes you an up-and-comer, free and on the town. But I get the feeling that back here in Plainview it means you’re an old maid.”
“Yikes, I bet that does smart a bit.”
Andi nodded.
“You just haven’t run into the right guy,” Tiff told her.
“There may not be one,” Andi said. “I’ve got my standards set way too high. My parents had this perfect marriage, I want one just like it.”
“Nobody’s marriage is perfect,” Tiff pointed out.
“Yeah, I keep telling myself that, but I think theirs must have been,” Andi said. “They always got along, they were bothvery easygoing. Even with raising my sister, which had to be stressful, they never seemed to lose their balance.”
“That does sound good.”
“I asked Pop about it once and he told me that marriage is like any other contract—if both people aren’t willing to abide by it, then it’s not a deal at all.”
Tiff nodded. “I sure hear that,” she said. “Wish my ex had cooperated. I’m not sure which is worse, being an old maid or having a failed marriage.”
“Oh, I think old maid has got to be worse,” Andi assured her. “At least you caught a husband, even if he managed to wiggle off the hook.”
Tiff chuckled. “You may be right about that,” she said. “I guess it goes to show that
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