Only one more day to go before the town was flooded with tourists and passerby who are curious enough to find out what the fan fare is about. Which also meant I had only one more day to empty the shop. I glanced at the Chevy I had and the van that came in the other day. Brian had just left to get the parts I ordered so it didn't make sense going any further with that one. I popped open the hood and went back to the drivers side to start the engine again watching the dash board, the tank was almost on empty. I went back to the hood and checked the oil tank. The van had a million and one problem to start out with. I shook my head walking back to the office, to even think they wanted the junk back the same day. I grabbed the paper that the blond had signed and called the number she left. I could try my best to get it up and running in a few days but that 's if the only problem is only the million I already found out. The phone rang out three times without and answer and I redialed leaning against the desk.
"Hello! Hello!"
Heavy, rapid breathing reached over the phone into my ear as if she had ran a marathon to pick it up.
"Phillisa?"
" No, it's kendall" she replied her voice a little calmer than before.
Who the hell was kendall? I glanced at the paper again checking to ensure I didn't utter the wrong name. Sure enough, the name written in the paper: Phillisa mack.
"Hello?" She said noting that I was yet to say another word.
I ignored her trying to remember what I had heard her call Ziploc that day when they arrived. Kay, Kelly, no, Kenzy. Right. Damn weird name to begin with.
"Is Kenzy near by?"
" Yeah, this is her"
Shit.
"Its Andrew from the autoshop. Listen I'm going to need a few parts for your van. There's a shop few blocks down so you shouldn't have a problem getting it here"
"Uh, don't you buy the parts on your own? I can reimburse the money when your finish"
"I don't offer that" in truth I could pick up the parts on my own but I didn't want to leave the shop and Brian was already out. She wasn't doing a thing and from the conversation with her best friend this morning even if she was trying to do something, she was experiencing writers block. In essence she wasn't busy and I needed a scapegoat for all that work.
"Where's philly?" She demanded.
" Who? "
"Dammit" she mumbled. "How am I gonna get all that? you're working on the van"
" I'm sure you'll figure it out" I said hanging up.
Half an hour later Ziploc walked into the shop dressed in blue jeans and a sleeved aeropostale blouse, hands stuck in pockets looking like a tom boy with her short hair bearly reaching beyond her ear. She glanced around the shop momentarily before walking up to where I stood wiping down the bike I had only minutes ago repaired.
"I'm really sorry but I don't know how I'll get those parts without a vehicle and I'm kinda sure I won't be able to carry them all in my hands" she chuckled saying it as she held up her hands.
"Its fine, I'll take you to the shop" I said discarding the rag and headed to the bathroom.
"Really?" She asked surprised.
"Yeah" I said sarcastically. "That way you can find it on your own next time and won't bother me"
She gazed through the window while we drove into town. I could tell that she wasn't a talker just by the way she avoided every eye contact whatsoever. When we walked into the store she lingered behind. I tried keeping the door open for her but she walked so slowly from the truck to the store it felt like eternity would past before she made it. I needed a few things myself, since I was already here, I'd be better than having to come back another time.
"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.
I shook my head. I had watched her mouth the entire time and when her words finally formed, thirty thousand was not what I expected to hear.
"Sorry" I replied. "I was expecting to hear thirty or three. Not thousand"
She looked away her cheeks turning slightly red and I knew she was blushing.
"Yeah, it is hard to believe sometimes"
"And yet you haven't gone on tour? "
She looked at me surprised at my words and opened her mouth to speak but another voice chipped in of a higher pitch.
"Andrew! "
The atmosphere immediately darkened hearing Heather's voice and I knew from the change of expression on ziploc's face that our light conversation had ended. Her head turned in recognition of Heather as she stopped next to her.
"And who are you?" Asked Heather who had somehow decided to adopt a defensive attitude .
"I'm just a customer" replied Ziploc softly. Almost too soft for me to hear.
"Oh" replied Heather relieved. She smiled giving Kenzy a one over before holding up her atrocity. "I brought lunch again. I know I'm late sorry, I didn't mean for you to stay hungry"
I frowned and Kenzy made one last glance at me before disappearing.
"Thanks" I replied gingerly to heather.
She smiled unphased as per usual.
"Did you miss me last week?" She whispered holding on to my arm.
"I didn't even notice you were gone" I replied grabbing a line to measure the oil in the tank.
" you always say things you don't mean"
I never say things I don't mean. She leaned into my person touching my hair and my skin crawled. Shrugging her off I stood up.
"You're irritating me, leave. I already got what you came here to give"
She blinked at my scowling face then blew a kiss before leaving. God, she could be a pain in the ass.
"Remember you promised to take a look at my barbecue before the festival ends on Sunday" she shouted back.
Great, another problem. I'd have to come up with someway of getting Brian to agree to that somehow. I walked into the office needing to fill my stomach and somehow tune out the awful visual of Heather blowing me a kiss. My stomach churned just recalling the damn thing.
"I thought you weren't hungry" said Brian looking up. "Great more lunch"
He quickly confiscated Heather's concoction from my hands and unfurled the plastic wrap.
"I was just telling Phillisa we were gonna have a hard time splitting what we had in four to adequately still everyone's rumbling stomachs" he explained cutting the box covers in half as Blondie handed me a bottle of Orange juice with a smile. " so you guys can have what we brought and we'll have this"
I was fine as long as Heather poison wasn't touching my lips.
"Can you give this to Kenzy?" Phillisa asked handing me the other half of the box plate. " Oh, please tell her it wasn't from that woman"
I raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Why?"
She took a deep breath. "She won't eat it if she thinks it's from her" she replied. "Its hard to explain"
No. Not really. I understood more than she knew. I searched the entire shop and Ziploc wasn't anywhere in sight, at the moment of almost giving up, partly because I was beyond starving and my body was now using whatever fat I had stored for energy which shouldn't be much but also because it was a complete waste of my time. She sat on a stool looking out the road, distracted with her own thoughts.
"Here" I said handing her the plate. She stared at the food then looked up at me and then looked away.
"No thanks"
Annoyed I placed it into her hands and when she looked up ready to protest I simply cut her off.
"Its not from that woman" I repeated. "Your friend brought it"
"Oh" she replied. "Thank you"
"So this is where you disappeared to?" I asked walking away.
" I didn't want to disturb you and your girlfriend "
I stopped mid walk. Girlfriend? Heather? Hell no!
"She's not my girlfriend" I said
She snickered a little. " does she know that? Because that was full blown jealousy a moment ago"
"She's not my girlfriend" I repeated.
"So does that mean your available? "
What? I shook my head. She really was different.
"No. I'm very much UN-available"
"Are you sure?" She called after me.
" yes Ziploc I'm sure". I whispered.