Page 40 of Sawyer
She’d hoped a new town would mean people would be nicer. Darling looked like a nicer place. But somehow, the stares they were getting didn’t feel nice.
Paranoid thoughts that they already knew who she was crawled through her mind. But that was silly. What she had been through was six years ago. She didn’t even look like the same person.
Was it her Daddy? Why wouldn't they like her Daddy? Her back snapped straight, and her eyes narrowed. There was no good reason not to like her Daddy. If they were mean to him, she’d hack into their sound system and change all their music to seventies disco music.
She was about to ask him if they could leave when an older woman with silvery white hair stepped up to the counter andsmiled. “Saul, it's so good to see you. It’s been a while. Where have you been hiding? I assume you still take your coffee, black and strong."
“I do, Vivi. I’ve been out of town for a few weeks. This is Lele. It’s good to be back home. And my coffee order hasn’t changed. The stronger the better.”
Giving her hand a squeeze, he led her to the counter and lifted her onto a stool. Why was everyone so fascinated with them? She’d think, being a resort town, they’d be used to seeing new people.
Her heart skipped a beat at the most horrifying thought ever. Trying to look as nonchalant as possible, she glanced behind her to make sure she didn't have toilet paper stuck to the bottom of her shoe trailing after her. Of course, how she would get toilet paper on the bottom of her shoe walking across the sidewalk from the truck to the shop, she had no idea. But still, she checked just in case.
The old woman stared at her harder than anyone else did, as if she were looking straight into her soul. Then somehow her smile grew even warmer. “Welcome to Darling, child. Are you just getting into town?" The woman's eyes shifted to Saul before returning to Lele.
"Yes, ma’am. My Dadd— um, I mean Saul, wanted this to be the first place I saw. He says we have to start with the best, and this place was the best.”
“Best coffee and muffins on the planet," her Daddy confirmed
The woman nodded, extending a hand toward one of the girls standing to her left, who was furiously wiping a spot on the counter in front of her with a dry towel.
“That would be all Tazzy’s doing,” Vivi said. “She does have a creative flair. Now, Lele, I know what your Daddy wants.” She smiled at Lele’s gasp.
“What can I get for you?” Vivi said.
She scanned the menu board. There were so many choices. Too many. “I’ll just have what my D-Daddy’s having.”
Hand covering her heart, Vivi shook her head. “Oh, heavens no, child. You might as well drink motor oil. Tazzy, come fix Saul’s Little girl the frappe of the month. What was it called again?”
When Tazzy didn’t move, the other girl stepped up. “I’ll make it,” she said. “I’m Georgia. It’s nice to meet you, Lele. Let me get that order started for you. But first, how do you feel about the supernatural beings that are living in the Himalayas?”
Before she could think of a suitable response, if there even was one, to Georgia’s question, her Daddy said, “No.”
Georgia scowled at him. “I wasn’t talking to you, Sawy— l. Saul. I was talking to Lele.”
He ignored that and repeated, “No. You are not getting her pulled in on your crazy bucket list mania. She isn’t going on a Yeti expedition in the Himalayan mountains.”
“I might.” The words were out of her mouth before she even knew they were formed. What the heck?
He glared at her. Now, she was no brat, but didn’t every Daddy know not to get into a staring contest with a Little in public? Surely that was in the manual somewhere. If not, it should be because her gaze locked on his. The battle was on.
They stared at each other for three days, well, three minutes at least, but it sure felt longer. Man, her Daddy was good at staring contests. She probably should have guessed a man who was used to crunching numbers and staring at columns of mind-numbing data all day, every day would be hard to beat. It was practically a data analyst’s superpower.
He crossed his arms, so she did the same.
He raised his brows, so she did, too.
He crossed his eyes. She dissolved into laughter.
Without looking at Lele, Tazzy walked up and snatched the coffee pot away from Georgia. “I’ll do it.”
She didn’t sound like she wanted to do it. As a matter of fact, she sounded furious. Like, the ‘not sure I want you to make my drink’ level of fury. Had she met Tazzy before?
No, she’d remember meeting a woman named Tazzy. It was such an unusual name. Not to mention, she had that All-American ginger girl look down to an art.
Saul cleared his throat and scowled at Tazzy, but Tazzy tilted up her chin and scowled back. Had she been his Little at some point? No one had ever been jealous of her before. But if Tazzy had been in a relationship with Saul and they’d broken up, that would explain the animosity the woman was throwing Lele’s way.
Then Tazzy leveled Lele with a look, not of jealousy, but barely concealed contempt. And Lele knew. Somehow, Tazzy knew who Lele was. Or at least what the news had portrayed her as. So, Tazzy thought she knew her and had judged her accordingly.
