Chapter Five
Murky water swirled down the open storm drain as Sterling walked over to the faucet to rinse out the wooden bucket and fill it again, so the pump would be ready for the next morning. There were still a few vendors closing up their booths. He guessed it was nearly eight, but that was only a guess. In his hurry to get this assignment over with, he’d forgotten his cell on his bed stand. One thing he knew— he was done waiting. Once he replaced the water, he’d catch the bus back home and be finished, whatever the consequences. Unlike the other assignments he’d taken, this didn’t feel right. The sooner he put this whole mess behind him, the better. It was Friday night. Certainly, the buses would run 'til at least ten.
Without a handle, the full bucket was awkward to carry. He sloshed cold water against his shirt twice before he figured out he had to watch the water’s surface to keep it steady. Unfortunately, that’s why he didn’t notice the man standing by the goat soap booth until he was only a few feet behind his back. Paige was there too. Her face shown in the moonlight. She stared at her visitor with a look that seemed alien to the confident woman he’d met that morning. Neither seemed to notice Sterling in the shadows.
Paige scowled. “I’d say yes to dinner, but tonight isn’t good for me.”
The guy was wearing all black. He took her hand, talking in a deeper voice than sounded natural. “You said we would. I need to talk to you. I want to.”
Paige lowered her eyes. “I know, but I can’t tonight. I’ve got things I need to do.”
The prospective boyfriend took the liberty of running the back of his hand down her cheek. “I’ve missed you.”
She was literally shaking. Was she afraid of him? Whatever it was, she was not having a good time, and Sterling determined not to watch this a second longer. Although protocol would direct he stay put and get more information, human decency took over.
“Sorry, buddy.” Sterling wedged himself between the two of them like it was another day at the office. “She can’t go with you because she’s going to dinner with me.” He knelt and placed the bucket beneath the pump.
Sterling peered over his shoulder to gage her reaction and was a little surprised to see a full, genuine smile flashed his direction. Was it one of relief at getting rid of her unwanted suitor or anticipation of spending time with him? Why did he even care? This was only an assignment. He wasn’t going to get involved.
He let the two of them finish their conversation while he retrieved a roll of greenish paper from a box beneath one table and dumped the remaining handful of soap cakes on the other. Flattening out the long sheet, he began to count the names on the list but stopped when he heard the sigh behind him.
Turning, he found Paige staring at him with an expression not close to the smile he’d seen earlier. “You were here all day and didn’t even try to sell the rest?”
He blinked in an effort to hold back the cutting remarks that were his first reaction, but it was no use. He couldn’t help but speak his mind. “And you didn’t even try to get back here on time? Seven hours is not twenty minutes by anyone’s clock.”
She didn’t apologize. In fact, the opposite. “Then, leave. Just go!” She stood with her pointed finger unmoving. At least her confidence was back.
He’d done what he set out to do and was content. “Fine.”
“Wait.” He hadn’t even taken a step before she recanted. “Do you need me to pay you for your time?”
Sterling couldn’t help but laugh. “You’d pay me when you think I did nothing?” His boss would be interested to know this broke soap maker was so free with her money.
Paige softened. “I mean, you did wait here most of the afternoon, and frankly, you look like you could use some cash.” Nearing the table, she touched the paper he had spread out. “What’s this list you have?”
He lifted the page and straightened his shoulders. “It might be the sales I made this afternoon.”
Her gaze flit to the leftover soaps, and she crossed her arms. He could tell she wasn’t buying it.
“If you had looked more closely at the soap that remained,” he lifted one and held it in front of her nose, “you would have seen that each cake has two little words written below them.”
Paige touched the writing as she read it, “Display only?”
Sterling made a clicking sound with his cheek like one would make to get a horse moving. “I told the women who were interested that their soap would be custom made and ready for pick up tomorrow morning.”
“Really? That’s pretty good.”
Sterling fished a wad of cash from his pocket. “And this is even better.”
She took it but didn’t count the bills or even look at them. She was staring at him, wagging her head in amazement. “You collected money?”
“Only half up front.”
“Now I know why Austin admires you. His instincts have always been stellar.”
“Austin?” He wondered if she was referring to the guy that wanted to take her to dinner.
Her eyes narrowed. “You know, that person who introduced us?”
“Oh, the inter—esting guy we both like so much.” He had almost said the intern.
She laughed. “That’s exactly how I’d describe him. Interesting.” She took the list and fingered the parchment-like texture. “This is different paper.”
He was surprised she'd noticed a detail like that. “Actually, I didn’t have anything to write on, so I asked the florist next to us if I might use some of hers.” He omitted the part that the older woman had charged him a five dollars for it.
Obviously impressed, she put the display soaps back in the box under the table. “If you’re really up for dinner, I know the perfect place, but we’ve got to make it quick. I wasn’t lying to Joe when I said I have something else to do.”
“Lead the way.” As he walked behind the goat girl, he realized how hungry he was.
A New York style deli around the corner had a note in the window that said it stayed open late on the nights of the farmers’ market. The salty smell and sudden warmth from the chilly night made Sterling feel at ease for the first time since he got up that morning. They ordered and sat at a booth in the corner. He meticulously unwrapped his sandwich, folding the paper down to reveal the part he would eat, and rewrapped the rest, so it wouldn’t fall on his clothes. He was determined to take control of the situation, both the one in his hand and the one across the table.
He swallowed before speaking. “Now are you going to tell me what took so long?”
She opened her sandwich, picked it up unwrapped and took a big bite while a bigger chunk of innards fell on the wax paper wrapping. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” she said between chewing.
“Try me.” He still hadn’t touched his sandwich.
She swallowed then put the sandwich down. He thought he saw her eyes mist a little, and her voice was so soft he could barely hear her. “There was a stranger in my house when I got there.”
He wasn’t sure what she meant. “Like an unexpected visitor?”
She clasped her hands together, her eyes glued to them. “An intruder. I had to call the police.”
His lungs deflated. His previous remarks must have stung. “I’m so sorry. Were you hurt?”
“No.” Every muscle in her face seemed to tighten. Her eyes, only slits, still stared at her clenched hands.
He thought he knew that look. “Scared then? I understand.”
“No.” She hadn’t moved.
“Then what?”
Her gaze lifted and caught his. He saw fire in her eyes. “Angry. How could someone come into your life, extend a hand of friendship and then totally betray you? What kind of a person does something like that?”
Sterling wasn’t going to touch that question with a ten-foot pole.
She picked up her sandwich, took a huge bite, and kept on talking. “At least Deputy Dunn was on my side. When I went down to the station, his captain had the nerve to question my sanity. At first he would
n’t believe that Blanche even existed. In the end, he said it didn’t matter because no crime had been committed. No crime. My neighbor breaks into my house, knocks me to the ground, and admits she was trying to steal from me. But, do you know what the biggest crime of all was?” She stared at him, expecting a reply.
He’d barely taken a bite and felt like he was at the dentist’s office when the dentist asks you a question while your mouth is full of cotton. He chewed and swallowed as quickly as he could but had forgotten the question. “What?”
She was in full rant mode. “Lying. That’s the biggest crime. I mean, this woman told me she wanted to help me from the goodness of her heart. When I think of how I let her into my life. I trusted her, and it was all a lie. That’s what hurts the most.”
Not hungry anymore, Sterling put down his sandwich. Wasn’t that what he was doing to her? “I’m sorry.”
“So am I.” Almost calmed down, she took a sip of her soda. “Mostly because I don’t have anyone to milk the goats tomorrow morning. Now I’ll probably have to close down my booth for the rest of the season.”
He felt for her. It was hard to deal with unexpected reversals but part of any business. “Do you need the sales that badly?”
“Not really. My website is generating more traffic than I can keep up with.” She dropped the sandwich back on the table and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I’m doing the farmers market for me. Day after day alone at the house, sending out orders, mixing new formulas is lonely. I like interacting with my customers and rubbing elbows with the other vendors. Without it, the police chief might be right, I may become a crazy goat lady after all.” She peered at him with a look that reminded him of his sister when she was begging for a compliment.
He laughed. “No arguments here.”
She broke into a grin and sat back. “So, what do you do for a living?”
Sterling paused. “I’m currently looking for opportunities.” That was true in a way. If he had to write a job description of his responsibilities, researching opportunities was as close as anything he could think of.
She pinched the tomato, lettuce and sauce that had fallen from her sandwich with her bare fingers and stuck it in her mouth. “Any way I could hire you?”
“Why would you want to?” After her little rant about lying, he was losing his nerve. Did this girl let just anyone into her life?
“I’m desperate. It’s you or close the booth.” She began folding up the remaining half of her sandwich in the paper wrap. “Was Austin lying about you?”
“No!” Sterling sat forward. “In fact he made me promise to be nice to you.”
“The nicest thing you could do right now is help me out. It would only be for the next two days. Then you never have to see me again.” She bit her lip and held her breath, waiting for his response.
This was not in his plan. He was going to get this initial meet done, report in, then spend the weekend doing what he’d been looking forward to for weeks. Cursing his boss in his mind, he relented. “Okay, but it’s only for this weekend.”
“It’s a deal.” She lifted her hand across the table to shake but still had mayo on her fingers.
He hesitated for only a moment before taking her hand, amazed at the strength and surety of her grip. He hoped she could keep it up through the mess that was sure to come.
***