Page 66 of Hunted, Season Three

“Technically, they’re a party, and I can be sad or even cry if I want to.”Grabbing the pen off the counter is mindlessly done.“Lesley said so.”

An undeniably clueless expression crosses her face.“Who’s Lesley?”

“Lesley Gore.”One push allows the writing utensil to be put to use.“The singer of that song.”

“What song?”

Not twitching a glare is impossible.“I think you and Kid have some sort of daily bet about making me feel old.”

“You’re not old.”She turns the page in the magazine.“And you’re definitely not too old to be a princess at your own wedding.”Posie tapping her latest discovery receives my stare regardless of the pen scribbling across my inner forearm.“Look.At.This.Tiaraaaa!”

Unsure of what I find more unappealing – the gaudy hair piece or the lacy covered eighty-foot train draped along the stairs the model is posing on – leads me to good-naturedly goading, “Shouldn’t you be working?”

“Iamworking,” sassily corrects the person I have no doubt I could ask to be in my wedding party if we have one.

Will ask?

Should ask?

Yup.

I absolutely need to discuss it with my two loves who are also working at the moment.

“I amworkingon helping you get in the wedding spirit and avoiding the depressing snooze of a sales day due to the winter storm that’s theoretically gonna hit tonight.”

“You don’t think it will?”

“I think this one has pockets and that’s so fun!”This time she holds the magazine up to her chest.“Plus,it’s a two piece, so you can pee whenever!”

Snickering is attached to a small headshake.

“Did you never dream about this shit when you were a kid?”She plops the object back onto the counter.“Play dress up?”Her bare feet get pulled into her seat.“Pretend you were a Disney Princess, put a bowtie on the dog to be your prince, and then get married in your backyard?”

“Isn’t that bestiality?”

“I didn’t saybangthe dog, Bunny!”A gentle push of my knee is delivered by a set of her toes.“I said marry!”

“First comes love…then comes marriage…then comes-”

“Ohmygod!” croaks Posie again on a second shove.“Shut up!”

Laughs echoing around the empty shop easily precede me inquiring, “You gonna close up early today too?”Scribbling the lyrics brought up earlier effortlessly persists.“I know that’s what everyone else in town is planning.”

“Likely.”She turns a page.Another.“I mean I’ve only had two people besides you come into the shop today and one was Paolo.”

“Just to say hi?”

“And to bring me a treat from the grocery store.He’s staying at my place for a few nights, and I don’t have like shit to eat, so he said he’d grab us a few things.”

“That’s sweet.”

“Right?!”More girlish blushing occurs.“Such a keeper.”

After a short lull, I curiously prod, “So, who was the other?”

“Some Hollywood housewife reject that complained about the ‘smell in here’ so loudly that I had to crack the back door open to get her to shut the fuck up.”

A displeased grunt is given.“Did she at leastbuysomething?”

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