March 22nd, 2013
Pitcairn Island
1
"I can't handle that. Server's been gone for months."
Kendle slid the credit card back into her pocket and pulled out money, ignoring the dumpy island woman's abrupt tone. "Cash okay?" she asked evenly, but her pale eyes were defiant.
The middle-aged store keeper frowned. She darted a tense glance toward Luke as he waited, lounging carelessly against the small shop's front door.
Kendle gave her a sharp look of warning, pulling her attention away from LJ. "One of those caps too."
It was up on a shelf that required the heavy woman to climb for it and Kendle smiled sweetly when the pie-faced female glared at her in the almost stifling heat of the general store. "Love the Dodgers. Gotta have it."
Storekeeper or not, the woman clearly wanted to tell her to go to hell and Kendle flashed her a look that said do it at your own risk. The air in the musty little shop was cold despite all of them sweating.
Luke shoved his hands into his jean pockets, embarrassed and yet impressed with the way Kendle was handling things. Plump but scrappy, with the air of a born snob, Mary Jo had been born on the Island and hated outsiders. The fact that Kendle's show had been popular even here made the frumpy spinster more jealous. LJ sighed. She also hated him. That didn't help.
The moment was long and tense and it was the vivid, reddish-brown skin of the movie star that convinced Mary Jo. She was obviously tough, and the Island native turned to climb the ladder for the ball cap, muttering under her breath.
Satisfied, Kendle took a moment to look around as the sharp odor of cleaning products stung her nose and smothered the light hint of LJ's sexy cologne. There were neatly stacked baskets and racks, tasteful signs and pictures, and not a speck of dust to be found. The front glass windows were spotless as well, the white curtains closed to dim the bright, noonday sun, and Kendle was suddenly sure the woman now jabbing at numbers on her tiny calculator hadn't been the one to clean any of it.
"A hundred even."
Kendle laid the cash on the spotlessly neat counter with a frown, but said nothing at the too high price, wanting only to go. Not for herself, but for Luke, whose embarrassment she could feel. They didn't like him here. Why? Did they know his secret? It explained his reluctance to go into town to replace the things they had lost in the storm. Kendle turned to meet his eye in the dimness of the store.