Randall stared at the girl standing in front of the bulletin board. Looks like hell, he thought. Better not steal anything.
Her cheeks were pink, maybe just from the heat or maybe from sun burn. She kept her baseball hat on, the brim hiding her eyes.
âGonna buy somethinâ?â Randall asked, leaning against the counter. The girl turned--jerked, more like--and opened her mouth in surprise. She smiled a little.
âYes, can--can I get some water?â she asked. Randall nodded.
âYeah, got half a gallon for twelve carbons,â he said. She sighed, nodded, and dug out her wallet.
âYou from round here?â Randall asked, plucking a twenty from her hand.
âNo...â
âThought not,â he said. âLooks like yer from someplace nice, though.â
âWhat makes you say that?â
âYou stand up straight, you got pretty teeth--â Randall put the half gallon on the counter and gave her change back. âAnd ya havenât stolen anythinâ yet.â He smiled a little and she grinned back.
âThatâs awfully nice! Thank you,â she said. She paused a bit, rested an elbow on the counter. âYou know that flyer on the bulletin board--the one about Honey Garden?â
âUh-huh! You headinâ there?â
She swallowed. âOh--maybe. I was just wondering how far away it is.â
âAh, well....âs about...â He scratched his chin. âProbably âbout an hourâs walk down the road, since you donât got any wheels that I see.â
She perked up. âThat close, huh? Great! Thank you!â
She grabbed the water, flashed him another smile. âGoodbye!â
âBye, now!â Randall watched her go. He sighed, leaned against the counter, and counted down the hours until closing time.