For Your Sake by Elayne Disano Read Free Book Online Page B

And Aero was right.  Plus Ben had time to kill while Taz worked on his bike.  He thought about it then took a sip of coffee and thought about it.  “Sure, what time?”
     
                  “Three.  But I wanna leave at two and stop at Lou’s.”  Aero ran a hand behind his neck to feel the slightest bit of hair growth.  “I need a cut
     
    ~~***~~
     
                  At nine twenty Eva was pleased to see Cyndi already waiting outside the store with a large coffee and dark sunglasses.  She wondered if they were to deflect the bright sunshine or hide the effects of drinking with her girlfriends the night before.  Oh, to be twenty two, living with mommy and daddy and not a care in the world. “Morning, Cyn.”
     
                  “Hi.” 
     
                  It was all the young woman mustered which led Eva to believe her theory about a night filled with too many apple-tinis.  Lifting her hand, she removed Cyndi’s glasses and grimaced.  “How about saving your wild nights for when you can sleep in the next morning?”
     
                  The young woman shrugged, then sipped her coffee.  “I didn’t drink too much.  My turn to be designated driver.  Didn’t get home until two.”
     
                  Eva couldn’t remember the last night where she poured herself in after midnight.  She was usually several hours into REM sleep by then.  God, she sounded old.
     
                  Once inside, she went to the office, took the cash drawer out of the safe then gave it over to Cyndi to open the front.  She had pretty much straightened up all the greeting cards, gift displays and jewelry counter containing collections from independent vendors before closing last night.  With October right around the corner, the stretch between Halloween and Valentine’s Day would be a busy one.  Good, because she had a large Christmas list of her own.  Santa was going to need a very strong sleigh this year.
     
                  By ten, the door was unlocked and First Impressions Card & Gift Shop was officially open.  Steady regulars popped in right up until noon, which was when it got real busy.  Located behind town hall in the heart of Tippitt, the local fare included Ticker Liquor, Dell’s Hardware Store, Lou’s Barber, Sugar Me Bakery, hair salon, Tippitt ‘n  Sip-It Coffee Shop, bank, grocer, insurance agency, Clarks Café and even a psychic.  It provided the town folk with everything they needed in one spot as well as its employees to run all their errands on their lunch break.  The establishments were situated in two strips directly across from each other with parking area in the middle.  First Impressions sat between Tippitt ‘n Sip-It Coffee Shop and the psychic where the owner, a sixty-ish woman with a roller-tease-comb-out hairstyle, polyester pantsuits and reeking of Shalimar, would come in and quietly nose around the jewelry. 
     
                  Directly across was Clark’s Café and, a little before one, Eva left Cyndi to hold the fort down while she met her friend there for lunch.  Arriving first, Eva secured a window booth which afforded her a visual watch on her store, then called over a waitress.  Fashionably late by one twenty, MaryLynn walked through door, cell phone in ear, to which Eva waved her over.  Her longtime friend since high school, MaryLynn Marteen – correction, Marteen- Doyle - practiced law with her husband over in Morgantown.
     
                  “Smooches.”  MaryLynn offered her face for a kiss before sitting across from Eva.  “Sorry.”  She waved her phone.  “I’m all for texting, but dammit, when I tell a client to call me while I’m driving I mean it.”
     
                  Eva took a sip of water.  “Time to break the whip out.”
     
                  “Nah.”  MaryLynn slid her beige-suited body into the