Page 2 of Coming Unraveled
“Beautiful, you finally stopped fighting me.”
Chapter One
“YOU KNOW, YOU ARE allowed to eat a lunch every now and then instead of working through the break,” Everleigh’s technician, Tamara says from her perch on the stool in front of the computer at the pharmacy drop off station.
“As are you, my friend,” she retorts as she scans out another prescription before tossing it in the bin to put away for pick up.
Tamara laughs, her melodic giggle echoing in their large space, before adding, “I snack all day long; where you barely do anything but drink water. I don’t know how you survive.”
“I eat,” Everleigh argues as she packages another medication before turning her attention back towards Tamara who cocks a meticulously tweezed eyebrow in her direction. “Fine, I’ll make sure that I actually eat when we close for lunch, ok? Does that make you happy?”
“Indeed. You can start today. I ordered you a sandwich from The Grill. And if you want to grab me one of your sister’s amazing cupcakes while you’re there I wouldn’t be opposed to it.”
At the mention of a sandwich, one she knows will be absolutely delicious because her sister’s husband Dylan is an amazing chef, an embarrassingly loud grumble sounds from her stomach and her pharmacy technician chuckles behind her hand as she moves to ring up a customer.
“You know, if I leave for lunch I have to lock up the pharmacy and you can’t stay.”
Tamara had come to her about two weeks ago, after graduating from a pharmacy technician program at a local community college in Asheville, looking for a job. It all worked out in Everleigh’s favor because the technician that had previously worked with Doc Nelson, the original owner of the pharmacy, had opted to retire as well. The older man hadn’t been able to adjust to the more technological advances Everleigh planned on creating in their quickly expanding pharmacy. Advances that she is excited to bring to her community such as an advanced computer system, medication therapy management, an automated refill and pick up reminder program, and a robotic dispensing machine to help fill the prescriptions of the hundreds of new patients they had recently acquired. So, Tamara’s seeking of a job came at the perfect time. The young woman is efficient, eager to learn, and has a take no prisoners attitude, all things Everleigh admires about her.
She had already set up the new computer system when she purchased the rights to the business from Doc Nelson and it has made her day to day procedures much easier and she spends fewer hours at the store after closing filling out paperwork.
Doc Nelson had been an amazing mentor, teaching her more in person than the five years in pharmacy school ever had, but now she is excited to do it her own way.
The bell above the door tinkles, alerting her and Tamara to another customer, adding to the five they already have waiting in line. Monday’s were always the busiest since she only had half day operating hours on Saturday and closed shop on Sunday. Something she and Tamara had discussed changing in lieu of all the new people moving to their town and surrounding counties.
Carson, North Carolina is small, a population of about fifteen hundred, and a good mix of age ranges, but that number is steadily increasing. The production plant across town was bringing in a slew of young people, all with medical and prescription insurance, and the baby boomers in the town were all finding themselves retired and on medications they had never needed before. And with talks of an upscale retirement community being built halfway between Carson and Asheville, Everleigh needed to prepare for a high volume of prescriptions being brought to her small pharmacy.
They were looking to hire a new pharmacist and technician to expand their hours and cover more shifts for the current staff.
“How are you doing, Miss Everleigh?” Fred Fitzgerald calls out as he steps into the line.
Fred had been the town Sheriff until her sister Sydney’s ex, Preston Savage, had decided to move to town. Preston had previously been an undercover FBI agent with Sydney’s, now-husband, Dylan, and when his cover had been blown he decided to make Carson his home. Fred saw the opportunity to retire and with Dylan using his chef skills to run The Grill with his wife, Preston stepped up to fulfill the role. As much as Sydney wanted to hate the man for everything he had put Sydney through early in their relationship, he seemed to be truly happy that she was with Dylan, and that is all that mattered to Everleigh. She learned to stay out of people’s business if she didn’t want hers dug into.
Looking up from the computer where she had zoned out, Everleigh responds kindly that she is doing well.
“Have you seen that the new doctor is back in town? I heard he came back from visiting his grandmother. Sad thing that is.”
Everleigh startles, dropping the bottle of medication in her hand, the tiny pills falling and scattering across the floor. Fred always seems to be in the know, it was considered both a blessing and curse in their town.
“Where…” she begins, her mouth immediately growing parched. She licks her lips attempting to calm the increasing beat of her heart thundering in her ears. “Where did you hear that?”
“Oh, well, I was seeing Dr. Chamberlain this morning for my heart appointment. Ya know, that boy keeps telling me I need to slow down some, but I ain’t meant for slowing down.” Everleigh stares hard at the older man, silently requesting that he get back to the subject at hand. “Oh yes, well, Dr. Chamberlain said that his babies had a checkup this afternoon with Dr. McCafferty, so I took a little stroll on my way here and saw his pretty red car parked in the lot.”
Shit, she murmurs internally as she bends to begin picking up the pills she spilled everywhere.
“You ok there, Dr. Connelly?” he asks as he turns his body some to look at her from around her counter.
Smiling brightly, Everleigh looks up and pretends that she is ok when deep inside her gut churns.
He’s back and he’ll find something she left for him while he was gone. Something she didn’t have the courage to give him in person. She had a hard time being in his presence, her mind seeming to leave her body and she finds herself controlled by her heart. And she hates it. The last time she led with her heart she found herself in deep trouble. The kind of trouble that wakes you in your sleep drenched in a cold sweat.
“I’m fine, Mr. Fitzgerald. Just mentally taking note of each of these tablets so I can adjust my inventory.”
Everleigh hopes that her overly cheerful voice is enough to sway the husband of the town’s President of the Lady Busy Bees, a group known for their charitable work and gossip skills. If he just so much as has an inkling of her fibbing, then the entire town will know about it in less than two minutes.
Luckily, as his eyes begin to narrow in her direction Tamara calls him to the register, giving her a moment to take a deep breath and calm herself. She keeps her head down towards the ancient hardwood floors, picking up the tiny peach colored pills until she hears Tamara send him off.
“Have a good day, Mr. Fitzgerald.”
