Last July

Chapter fifteen

"Hey andrew" said Bill leaving the counter. "Fancy seeing you here, Brian was just here a few hours ago"

"Yeah" I replied.

"Did he forget something?"

" No, I just needed some other things" I replied looking over at Ziploc who was busy oogling everything as if they came from another planet. She touch everything so carefully as if she expected the tools to snap at her at any moment. I rolled my eyes.

"Looker isn't she?" Said Bill tracing my gaze. " kinda young though wouldn't you say?"

"I don't know" I replied grabbing a screw driver and a jack. "I hadn't taken notice"

"Right, right" he said tapping me on the shoulder. "You might want to watch out for this one miss. He doesn't look it but he's a real snake"

Ziploc gave him a pasted smile and glanced at me then back at bill. I couldn't believe he actually said that out aloud. F***

"She's just a customer bill" I said taking my items to the counter and handed him the paper with the rest of what I needed. "And I can more than assure both you and her that she doesn't have anything to worry about. The sooner I get her out of my hair, the better"

She didn't utter a word while she helped me take the boxes into the shop just moved at her usual snail pace behind me. I glanced at the clock walking back out of the office.

2:39pm. I was starving. Ziploc didn't seem as if she had any intention of leaving soon and I needed to have lunch alone so I could try to contact gale again. Relief washed me when I saw Brian's car pull up and he and Blondie walked into the shop.

"Hey" he called waving. "We've got lunch"

I nodded as they both disappeared into office. I went back to the van taking the tools with me when Ziploc walked up.

"Is it real?"

I thought we already had this conversation.

"I already told you"

"No" she shook her head. "You said you hoped so. That wasn't a yes. What is it anyway, a snake?"

" Yes it's real, and no it's not a snake it's a dragon"

"What's the difference? Snake, Dragon both have a tail"

"So everything that has a tail is a snake then?" I asked slightly amused at her logic.

She blinked. "Why would you get something like that?"

"You ask a lot of questions don't you?"

Kenzy smiled slightly . "I think it's healthy to have a curious appetite" she replied. "I'm a writer, if I don't ask questions how am I going to understand anything?"

So she really was a writer as her friend had said.

"So you're going to use my intellect to fuel your writing?" I asked. " there's a side charge for using my knowledge "

She folded her hands. "In that case everyone should sue everyone then"

" Funny, I've never read any of your work before" Never even heard of her either, "can't have sold very many books then".

I glanced at her distracting myself from my work. Her lip twitched as her hazel eyes made contact with mine.

"Well, I've only sold thirty thousand. So...."

I bust into uncontrollable laughter, surprising even myself with the strange eruption.

"What did I say that was so funny?" She asked looking confused.