Looking for Love
The Twilight world belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play in it.
Chapter 1
Bella pulled into the Gottschalks parking lot in Port Angeles. It sucked having to commute a minimum of forty-five minutes to an hour for a part-time job, but there wasn't anything in Forks anymore, what with the Forks Coffee Shop closing. She turned her truck off and sat for a minute, checking her phone and collecting herself before going inside the store.
She heard a laugh. Glancing up, she saw three people passing, all looking at her truck, and the girl shaking her head. Bella's beloved beast, a homecoming gift from Charlie, never failed to earn snide remarks. The wise cracks about her truck had started in high school and now followed her to her weekend job in Port Angeles. But she needed to save money for college, not to spend money on a car. She'd have to work while she was in school, no matter what. But a little financial cushion would be nice.
She was just glad the Washington Department of Transportation had taken a break from working on the 101 along Lake Crescent for the winter. Fighting four hour road closures for a four hour shift would really bite.
But back to the local employment situation. How could the Forks Coffee Shop close? True, it had been going downhill, with the cooks and wait staff providing a regular floor show by yelling at each other over the diners' heads, but still. It was an Institution. Charlie had been eating there for years, getting the steak on a regular basis and the cherry cobbler on Thursdays. It was supposed to last!
She went inside Gottschalks, walking along the merchandise-packed aisles, passing the perfume counter. The gaudily made-up women dressed in black waiting behind the counter quickly summed her up and dropped their smiles as she passed. They could tell she wouldn't be shopping with them.
She should come in early one day and stop for a makeover. Like really sit there and not be satisfied with whatever they did. Yeah, that was going to show them.
And yeah, like that was going to happen. She sighed and made her way to the stock room. That was her station, unpacking clothes, prepping them by steaming out the wrinkles and adding tags, then moving them onto the floor. Not glamorous like the job selling perfume, but it paid.
She heard a little chatter as she walked into the stockroom, but mostly she heard the blast of machinery, muted in the main store, and felt the cold as the shippers opened the warehouse doors to bring in more boxes.
The supervisor, Mildred Humdinger, nodded as Bella passed her desk. Bella saw Mildred glance at the clock to check the time, but Bella knew she was early. Still, she found herself fighting the impulse to check the clock herself to make sure.
Instead, she waited to check the time when she punched in. Five minutes early, as usual.
She was at her station a minute early. At precisely 7:30, Ms. Humdinger appeared in front of the group. The girls were shown which boxes to open and Bella got started on her allotment. She preferred having something to do, as being busy made the shift pass more quickly.
Four exhausting hours later, the shift was over. As usual, on the way out, the stock girls' bags were checked to make sure they weren't taking merchandise with them. Bella didn't even carry a purse, much less a bag. She kept her cell phone in her pocket.
But she had to wait with the rest of the employees. Soon enough, she was in the parking lot, climbing into her truck and turning the key. The truck grumbled a few times but finally the engine turned on with a roar.
As she flicked on the lights, there was a flash of a figure in front of the truck. Quick as that, he was gone.
Had she dreamt it? It looked like a tall man, with a flash of golden hair.
Not possible. "And with my luck, I'd run him down," she mumbled aloud, as she turned onto the street that would lead her to the 101 and home.
Xxx
He had spotted the girl walking into the department store. He had just been passing through, no real interest in anything and barely hungry, when he was hit by an alluring scent. Something really special. It had been a long time since he had run across one so fragrant. Just a hint of strawberry, probably from a lotion or Chap Stick. He could determine that later.
For now, he would observe, gather some information, and start the games that made the hunt so much more alluring. She looked like a wholesome young girl. Wonder if she had a sweetheart? And if she did, did f her parents know…this could be fun.
Xxx
Whoo-hoo! New story for Valentine's Day. Should be three to four chapters and the last chapter will be posted on Heart Day.
I usually post Halloween stories in October, but last fall, 2017, I just didn't have anything I thought was good enough to post. This one might be more of a Halloween story, and if it's your preference, swap the hearts for jack-o-lanterns in your head as you read.
(And yes, I know Gottschalks is closed. But I couldn't see setting this story at the Port Angeles Walmart…)
Please leave a review. Reviews make my heart go pitter-pat. I will send a preview of the next chapter to all reviewers…