Twelve

Jack

The day continued the way it started. Everything was different than it had been the whole time I'd worked here, but it was different in a good way. Hudson asked my opinion and seemed to consider it. No one had ever acted like any of my ideas were good. Mostly they thought they were weird, or just ignored them. Jonas was the only person who didn't do that. He listened and if he liked my suggestion, he used it. But he never ignored me.

Hudson was the same, he took the time to listen and consider my words. Even when I was being an asshole, which was pretty much all the time. After we did the best we could do with the fishing section until we changed it, it was time for lunch.

"Why don't you go ahead and take your lunch break, then I'll just get something to eat here. What do you usually do for lunch?" Hudson asked.

"I just get a sandwich at the grocery store and eat it in the back room," I said.

"I'll buy if you'll fly," Hudson said, but I had no clue what he was talking about and the look on my face must have told him as much. "If you go get it, I'll pay."

"Oh, sure, that sounds good. What do you want?" I asked.

"Do they still have Italian subs?" he asked.

"Yes, that's their most popular sandwich, or at least that's what it says on the menu board," I said.

"I'll take it, here." He took out his wallet and handed me his debit card which felt weird.

"Don't you have cash?"

"No, but it's fine," he said and walked back to look at the tool section again before walking past to the nails and screws.

I walked out the door before he could find another job before we had a chance to eat. I had gotten too used to doing whatever I wanted when I wanted, and even though I liked being busy rather than standing around trying to find something to do, I wasn't used to this. The grocery store was just across the street, so I jogged over and took a moment to enjoy the air conditioning when I walked in.

"Afternoon, Jack," Glenna said from where she stood at the cash register.

"Afternoon, Glenna," I said and grabbed a small basket to put everything in. I walked straight to the meat counter and was glad no one else was waiting.

"Hey, Jack, the usual?" Greg the butcher asked, leaning against the meat counter and peering over the top.

"Yes, and also an Italian sub."

"Everything on it?" he asked. Hudson hadn't said anything about that so I figured if there was something he didn't want on it, he could take it off. "Jack?"

"Oh sorry, yes everything." While he was making the sandwiches I grabbed a bag of chips to share and two sodas, and by the time I finished, Greg had the two sandwiches waiting for me. "Thanks, Greg," I said and tucked them into the basket while he was cleaning up the counter he'd used.

"Sure thing, Jack," he said with a backward wave over his shoulder. I walked over to the register and waited while Glenna rang up a couple of customers ahead of me.

"Getting lunch for the new guy?" she asked, and looked at the card I handed her.

"Well, he's actually paying," I said, not wanting her to think I was using his card without his permission. Glenna was a nice lady, but she also had a bad opinion of a lot of the locals, mostly based on gossip she heard while working at the register.

"I'm not really supposed to do this, but we'll see if it goes through," she said, and when it went through with no issue, she gave me a smug look. "Looks like it's fine. If there's an issue we know where to find you."

"Yes, you do," I said and smiled as sweet as I could because I knew it pissed her off more than if I called her out on hoping it wasn't approved. "By the way, Hudson Carter is going to be taking over Nuts and Bolts since Jonas is ready to retire. Just thought I'd tell you before the gossip hounds around town had a chance to make something of it that it isn't true."

Her eyes widened in excitement as she listened. "Oh really? I hadn't noticed," she lied. "I thought that was someone looking to buy it from Jonas."

"It's his son. He hasn't lived here for years," I said with a smirk, letting her know I knew more than she did and knowing that would piss her off for some weird reason.

"Good to know, thank you, Jack. Have a good day," she said and handed me my bag with a saccharine grin. She'd be spreading the news all day and by closing time most of Foggy Basin would know that Hudson was going to be here for a while. I glanced at the hardware store from where I stood across the street and imagined it with the big rocking chairs out front, and also realized how bad the front window needed cleaning.

"Another job to add to the list," I said as I crossed the street and walked back into the store. "Lunch is served," I announced and was a little happy to see there were no customers in the store at that moment. Hudson came from the back carrying a box of papers that he plopped down on the counter before I had time to set our lunch down.

"These papers are from the fifties when my grandfather owned the place. How is it possible this stuff is still here?" he asked with a shake of his head.

"Think how much fun it'll be to look through it," I said and laughed because I knew for a fact it was not going to be fun. His eyes met mine and he didn't have to say that he thought the exact same thing, it was written all over his face.

"We need a shredder, a really big shredder."

I handed him his card and he tucked it back into his wallet before looking inside the bag. "I got us chips and drinks too."

"Oh, good idea, thanks, Jack," he said. "Want to eat in the office?"

"Sure, I'd rather not have one of the townsfolk judge my lunch while buying worms and fishhooks."

"Good point," Hudson said and carried the bag back to the office. For a moment I stood and watched him and thought about how much things were going change, but instead of dread, I was excited, and couldn't wait to see what he came up with next.