Nine

Hudson

The next morning, I was up early and ready to go to work. Pulling on the jeans I brought with me, I realized now what a bad choice they were. Everything I wore was for looks not durability, and after looking at the clothes I'd worn yesterday I chose the clothes I hoped would work better. I hurried out to the kitchen and was thankful when I caught the smell of fresh coffee.

"Morning, ready to be bossed around by Jack all day?" Mom asked as she poured me a cup of coffee. "Figured you'd need that."

"Thank you, and hopefully. He's definitely not shy." Taking a sip of the strong brew did wonders. "I need to drive back home and get some different clothes. What I brought doesn't really work in the hardware store."

"Don't worry, I've got you covered," Dad said and handed me a stack of folded shirts.

"What are these?" I asked and unfolded the one on top. "Nuts and Bolts Hardware."

"Those are my old uniform shirts. Since I won't be working there anymore, I thought maybe you could use them."

"These are great, thanks." I slipped off the shirt I'd chosen and put on one of he'd given me. It was a little big, but it felt great, and it would work so much better.

"You're welcome. It's a little big but not too bad," Dad said with a grin.

"Not bad at all," I said and took a big drink of my coffee.

"Did you want something to eat?" Mom asked.

"Nope. I'm going to stop at the bakery and get some donuts for the store." They looked at each other before turning to me with identical grins. "What?"

"You start giving away stuff and you're going to have half the town hanging out at the front of the store," Dad said and chuckled.

I shrugged and drank the rest of my coffee before rinsing the cup and putting it in the dishwasher. "I need to get to know them all anyway." After a little more advice, I drove off toward the bakery I'd noticed yesterday. I pulled into a parking space out front and sat for a moment watching the two guys who were hard at work inside. It was a small place but seemed nice and was definitely popular. A steady stream of locals was in and out while I sat there. "Don't Go Bakin' My Heart," I mumbled, repeating the name that was emblazoned on the window out front.

Walking right up to the counter I ignored the line and looked at the different pastries and desserts in the display case. Now I understood why so many people were here. This wasn't just your average donut shop.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" one of the men working said when the line was cleared.

"Good morning, I wanted to get a box of pastries to share at the hardware store," I replied, and he grinned before shooting the other guy a look.

"We were wondering who was working there yesterday. I'm Percy and this is Ben." He held his hand out and I shook it. He was shorter than me, but the amount of confidence coming off him made up for what he lacked in height. "How about if I make up a variety box?"

"That would be great. There's no way I could choose, it all looks delicious."

"Well thank you," Percy said as he chose pastry after pastry and tucked them neatly into a bakery box. "Is Jonas finally going to retire?"

"I think he might," I said. It was strange knowing I'd grown up here but since I hadn't lived here for so long not one person seemed to recognize me. Once Percy had it all packed up, he set it on the counter by the cash register. "Did you want something else?"

"Yes, I'll take a large coffee, and do you happen to know what Jack drinks?" I was getting one for myself, might as well bring him something too. I was never one to pass up caffeine and I hoped he was the same. Not that he needed the energy.

Once again, a look passed between Percy and Ben before Ben got busy making a frozen concoction that looked more like a milkshake than a coffee. "Here you go, he got one earlier, but I know he'll appreciate it," Ben said and put both coffees in a carrier. After paying I walked back to my car, and only after I got everything settled did I realize how close I was to Nuts and Bolts.

"I could have walked there from here," I said to myself before starting my car and driving the very short distance to the parking lot behind the store. I gathered everything up and walked to the back door. It was at that exact moment I remembered I didn't have a key. "Fuck!"

"Hey, did you need some help?" Jack said as he opened the door after obviously hearing me. "What's in that box?"

I walked past him into the store and right up to the front before setting everything down on the counter. "I thought we could offer everyone that comes in a snack ."

His brows knitted together as he looked from the box, to me, and back again. "So they're free?" he asked.

"Yes. Anyone who wants can help themselves. Maybe we can make room at the end of this display case." I walked over and pushed aside the display for something to do with plumbing and realized he was right behind me.

"You know if you give them a reason to stay they will. Believe me when I say there are some people you do not want to hang around here all day," Jack said and looked at the coffee I'd bought him. "Oh, is that for me?"

"Yes, I hope it's the right thing. I asked them what you usually got."

"Oh, Percy knows. Thank you that was really nice," he said and took a sip.

"Do you think it's a bad idea to offer customers pastries?" I asked, not really understanding why it would be.

He thought about it a moment before taking another sip of his coffee. "I think it's a nice gesture and we can try it and see how it goes. But if Mr. Atkins ends up sitting here all day, you will be the one talking to him." His tone didn't change but it was easy to see he was serious.

"O-kay. I guess we'll see how it goes." I had no clue who he was talking about and hopefully I didn't find out.

"Nice shirt," he said and hid his smile behind his drink. "I was wondering when Jonas was going to bust those out again."

"Yeah, he had a whole stack of them." I looked down at the simple design and smiled. "It's better than what I brought with me."

"Oh, it's perfect for work no doubt. He tried to make me wear one for at least a full year before he gave up," Jack said.

"You don't really like being told what to do," I said. It wasn't a question it was a fact.

"Not really, but I love working here so I'm willing to do whatever it takes." He gave me the same critical look he'd given me yesterday. Full of doubt and suspicion.

"That's not going to change. But I do need to tell you what my parents and I talked about."

He swallowed hard and set his coffee on the counter before crossing his arms. "Go ahead then," he said, and physically braced for what I was about to tell him.