Hearts Of Fire
Chapter 7: Thoughts
Ace enjoyed the feel of the cooler night breeze as he drove back to town. He drove slower than usual, thoughts of the time he'd spent with Emerald playing over in his mind. She was so unusual, so undeniably different from every other girl he'd ever known. There was a maturity to her, as if she'd lived through a hundred lifetimes already; a coolness that could keep others locked at a distance from her along with a sincere and generous warmth that could pop up unexpectedly. She was so very smart and so obviously dangerous, so incredibly beautiful and so full of violent rage.
Though the air was cool, Ace's body grew warm as he thought of her physical being. She was so fucking beautiful, and she acted as if she didn't even know it. Whether she'd been in the old work clothes she had being wearing when he'd first arrived, her arms and hands greasy and face smudged, or in the light purple outfit she'd changed into, hands and arms freshly scrubbed, no trace of her toil evident, she was equally attractive to him. That long, thick black hair hanging low down her back; those plush lips that were a soft rose-pink, made to be kissed; her incredible eyes of brilliant emerald, sparkling with good humor, or crackling with fire. The feel of her silken skin…He'd been surprised when she'd slid her jeans down to show him her wound (had she been wearing lacy pink underwear?!) and had been unable to stop himself from reaching out to touch her. He'd been even more surprised when she hadn't pulled away from him, allowing his touch. The feel of her skin had been mesmerizing; never had he felt anything so soft, so perfectly smooth as that stretch of skin covering her hip leading up to her waist where his hand had come to a rest. She was so small yet so clearly a woman with the most divine curves. None of the girls Ace had been with had ever been so fine. He'd taken them and used them for his purpose. He supposed they'd all had something attractive about them at the time, but none had even been close to inspiring the physical desire in him that Emerald did. None had inspired loyalty in him. None had made him feel as if he'd needed or wanted to work for their affections. As he got closer to town, Ace found himself doing that very thing. He wanted more of Emerald. He wanted to keep her in his town, wanted her to trust him, wanted her to talk to him, to confide in him. He wanted her to want him in the same ways. And if anything more should develop, well, he didn't think he would be disappointed in that either. He found himself more than willing to put in work for her.
He cruised down Main Street and thought briefly of popping into Irby's, but just as quickly the idea left his mind. He didn't want a drink (that was another thing he'd noted about the girl-she could handle her liquor) and he wasn't in the mood for any of his gang. He wanted to go home. Just go home, get into bed, crack open one of the books Emerald had loaned him, and maybe, just maybe, have a pleasant dream that involved her green eyes and soft skin.
Emerald's eyes opened early the next morning, just as the sun was rising. She stretched pleasurably and turned on her side to watch the light coming through the curtains become slowly brighter. A small grin grew on her face as she thought of yesterday and the time she had spent with Ace Merrill. They were still a little wary around each other, but she'd felt something else a little deeper. Almost an odd sense of kinship on its first shaky legs.
"Oh, Em. Knock it off. That's not what you're here for. You don't need to get distracted by the town's baddest 'bad boy'." she thought. Stretching again, she rolled over to the edge of the bed and hung her head over the side to glance underneath. The canvas bag was still there where she'd stashed it upon moving in. "We need to find a better hiding place for you." she said out loud. Sitting up and flipping her long hair back over her head, Em thought out her day. She showered and dressed then made herself a big breakfast, taking it outside to the front porch to enjoy. Listening to early-morning birdsong and the cows down the road softly mooing to each other as they headed out to pasture gave her sense of peace for the coming day, and she ate with gusto. After finishing her meal and cleaning up she walked through the house slowly, her eyes moving over floors and ceilings. Not seeing what she was looking for, she walked back through to the back porch and turned in a slow circle, coming to a stop as her eyes rested on the old chest freezer up against one wall. Walking over to it, she listened to it's quiet hum and then unlatched the door, lifting it open. It was clean and empty, perfect for what she needed. Emerald went back to her bedroom and retrieved the canvas bag from beneath her bed, then took it to the freezer and tossed it inside, closing the heavy top door tightly. She examined the latch and thought briefly of placing a chain and padlock on it but decided that might draw attention. Why would anyone padlock their deep-freeze, she thought. Better to just leave it. But she would make it look a little more "unimportant". Em rummaged through the various cabinets and cupboards in the kitchen then returned to the freezer. She placed a few folded paper bags on top of the lid carefully arranging them to look as if they had been casually tossed there and placed an empty coffee cup and a couple of dish towels alongside it. A carefully crafted display of disarray. It would discourage anyone from casually opening the freezer, she thought, not that she expected to have many people in her home.
Satisfied with her work, she then ventured to the backyard where she picked up the pieces of the plyboard she and Ace had shot at the previous day. There was little of it left, the 12-gauge having done her damage, and Em drug it over to the firepit, breaking the remnants apart with her feet and piling them up. As she worked, she caught herself thinking again of Ace, wondering if he was at work yet and what he was doing. In an effort to keep him from intruding into her thoughts, she jumped into her truck and instead of heading for town, turned in the opposite direction down the gravel road. As she passed the farm down the road, a woman hanging laundry turned to wave at her and before she thought too much about it, Emerald had wheeled her truck into the driveway. Best to put out a friendly hand first, she thought. It was secluded out this direction and besides, the old couple she was renting from had said this family was good people. It might be handy to have someone to keep an eye on things if she ever had to be away for some reason.
The woman was in her 40's, Emerald guessed, sturdily built, blonde with a beautiful genuine smile on her face as she walked toward the truck. A little tow-headed boy, barefoot and in overalls, toddled along behind her.
Em stepped down from the truck, a smile on her face as well, holding out her hand as the two women came together.
"Hi there, neighbor!" the woman said, squeezing Em's hand and shaking it enthusiastically. "I'm Robin Sanders. I'm so glad you stopped!"
Emerald's smile became bigger as the natural friendliness of the woman came across. "Hi. I'm Emerald Stevens. I'm pleased to meet you. I'm renting the Johnson place up the road."
"Of course! I'd have recognized you anywhere-you look just the way Marv described you-a tiny thing and pretty as a peach! My Lord, girl, what's got you hiding way out here in the middle of nowhere when you should be in Hollywood or in one of my fashion magazines that my husband doesn't know I buy?"
Em couldn't help but chuckle at the woman's enthusiasm.
"I'm just looking for a little peace and quiet for now; seeing the Johnson's ad was like a dream come true. And thank you for the compliment, but you should really see me after a day of cleaning or working in the yard." she replied. "Who's this?" Emerald asked with a grin, tilting her head at the small boy who was peeking out around his mother's skirt shyly.
"Well you'll get plenty of peace out here, unless the cattle get out and then you'll hear Joe yellin' plenty and all the words won't be exactly Christian, if you take my meaning." Robin winked solemnly causing Em to chuckle again. "And this is Timothy; he's our youngest. We've got a girl, Ellen, who's away at her cousin's for a couple of weeks, and Joe Jr. left for college last fall; he comes home for a weekend when he can." Robin had picked the little boy up and he now peered at Emerald from his mother's arms.
"Hello, Timothy. I'm Em. How are you?" Emerald gave the boy a smile and a wave. He looked at her for a moment then reached out to her with chubby little arms.
"M..M..M..M.." he chortled, smiling the biggest smile he could possibly give. His mother looked at him with wide eyes as he continued to reach for Emerald.
"Well, would you look at that! I never! He won't go to a soul, hardly, except his sister or his father!"
Em reached out for the boy who practically leaped into her arms, immediately throwing his arms tightly around her neck and burying his head into her shoulder.
"M..M..M..M.." he repeated, giggling.
"That's right, little man, you got it." she smiled while Robin looked on approvingly.
"You've got a way with little boys, and probably with the bigger ones, too." Robin laughed. "Oh my stars! Look at me, rattling on keeping you out here in the driveway! Come in and have some iced tea, won't you?"
Emerald was a little uneasy at the prospect of being nailed down in conversation about anything personal, and that might surely happen if she stayed, but this woman was being so friendly and the little boy was charming her completely by holding onto each side of her face and looking intently into her eyes that she couldn't help but say, "If you're sure it won't put you out. I don't want to keep you from your laundry."
"Oh, Hon. Please, keep me from the laundry. Please. C'mon in." Robin said jokingly as she turned to lead the way into the house, talking all the way. "You'll have to excuse the mess, but I don't usually catch my tail until sometime around Saturday evening. I wish you could meet Joe but he's out in the back forty somewhere checking the fences; he'll be sorry he missed you. Now if Timmy gets too heavy you just set him right down; he can be a load sometimes."
Emerald grinned at the woman's never-ceasing chatter as she was led into the large kitchen at the back of the house. Robin pulled out a chair for her at the table and soon was pouring her a large glass of sweet tea. To Em's relief, she was asked no personal questions. The woman only asked of her comfort in her new home and gave her tips on which stores to visit for what deals and offered her anything she wanted from the huge garden out behind the house. Emerald in turn promised to pick up any new fashion magazines she saw when she was in town, to help with the cattle if they ever got out, and to bring the family a batch of fresh baked éclairs the next time she made them. She apologized for any noise that might have disturbed them from the prior days target shooting as well.
"Joe said he heard you pop off a few rounds; said it sounded like you had a good enough armory up there to protect yourself with." Robin said. "It's a good thing, a young woman knowing how to defend herself, especially out here. Thank heavens, we've never had anything to worry about besides a couple of coyotes, but we'll rest easier knowing you're protected. That doesn't mean you don't call or run on up here anytime you need anything, or just to say hello. You're always welcome, and besides, you seem to have made a fast friend." she said, nodding at the little boy who had fallen asleep with his head on Em's shoulder. "Joe's just not gonna believe it when I tell him about this."
"If you ever need anyone to watch him, just let me know. I'd be happy to." Emerald was surprised to hear herself say. Robin took the boy gently from her and laid him down in the other room while Em finished her tea. The two then walked out to the driveway and Robin threw her arms around Emerald.
"Now, I'm serious. You need anything, you call or come. I'm so happy you stopped by!" Robin exclaimed. Emerald returned the sentiment and hopped in her truck, waving as she pulled away.
As she cruised randomly, she made mental notes of what back roads led where and where her home lay in position to each. Finally, growing bored, she returned home and settled herself in her rocker on the front porch with the book she'd tried to read the night before and soon found herself immersed in it.
Ace had arrived at work with a smile on his face which had thrown Pop off from the beginning. His nephew was never disrespectful to him, but the boy was serious and brooding with a frown on his face more often than not. This morning, however, he had greeted Pop with a "Mornin" and a smile. Pop greeted him back, thinking maybe the boy had gotten lucky on a date the night before or some such thing.
"I brought lunch for us." Ace said, holding up the paper bag containing Em's sandwiches before stowing it in the soda cooler in the lobby.
"What'd ya make?" Pop asked curiously.
"I didn't. It's meatloaf sandwiches compliments of Emerald Stevens." Ace replied, the smile still on his face.
Pop furrowed his brow for a moment then asked in astonishment, "You mean that pretty little thing with the green eyes that was in here yesterday mornin'?"
"Yep. That's her." Ace answered while he pulled his coveralls on over his clothing.
Pop let out a low whistle. "Now boy, I know you work fast with the ladies, but that girl is…well…she's nice, John. I've never told you what to do before, but maybe you should let her alone."
Ace looked at his uncle, amused. "Hey, Old Man, I'm your blood; aren't you supposed to be stickin' up for me? Sayin' how she's not good enough for me instead of the other way around?"
Pop hesitated just a fraction of a second before laughing. "Is that true? Is that what you think? She's not good enough for you?"
Ace returned the laugh. "Hell no. She's so far outta my league I can't even see the field she's playin' on. I'm just hopin' for a guest pass to sit in the stands some day." At his remark, the two snickered like naughty schoolboys.
"Well, hell. Good luck then, son. If ya ever get there, bring me back some popcorn, will ya?" Pop teased.
Ace snorted and headed to the back bay to begin his day's work. He was thankful for his uncle and how supportive he'd been to Ace and his mother, even though he was brother to Ace's long-gone father. Ace knew Pop wasn't the most upstanding member of society; he'd spent a little time in Shawshank in his earlier years for stealing cars, knowledge of that illegal enterprise and several others passed on to his ever-interested nephew. Ace had absorbed everything he'd been taught and expanded on it over the years, though keeping his activities outside of Castle Rock.
Ace's mind wandered as he worked, coming again and again to the black-haired beauty who'd entered his world. He wondered what she was doing at this very moment, what she'd be doing this evening. He so wanted to be in her company, to see the smile that lit up her face when she was genuinely happy, to hear the laughter that issued from angel's lips, to exchange witticisms with her…He didn't want to push too much too soon, though. She'd made it clear that her behavior depended on his. Ace sighed heavily, then grinned. He'd be patient, he'd be good. The potential gain was well worth the wait.
The morning passed surprisingly quickly, and Ace and Pop sat sharing the sandwiches Emerald had prepared for them at the front counter. To Ace's delight, the taste was just as good cold as it had been fresh from the oven the previous night and Pop was singing Emerald's praises after the first bite, teasing Ace that he was going to court the girl himself.
After work, Ace headed home. Ordinarily, he would be amped for the usual Saturday night at Irby's but found himself not that excited at all by the prospect of the same old routine of booze, pool, and girls hanging off of him and his gang. As he paused at the stop sign to turn and head out of town toward his house, the group of four boys walking down the sidewalk caught his eye. It was Eyeball's little brother with LaChance, Tessio, and Duchamp. He might have been tempted to rev his car as if he were going to mow them down or at least yell a few derogatory comments their way, but for a low voice in his head saying, "They're just kids; can't you just give them a fucking break?" A flash of green eyes snapping with fire went through his mind at the same time.
"Oh fuck." Chris said quietly. "Don't anybody look. It's Ace at the stop sign." Gordy looked straight ahead, as did Vern and Teddy. "If he comes for us, everybody take off different directions and we'll meet up at the park. He can't get us all." The boys verbalized understanding as the four kept walking the direction they had been, which was the intersection where Ace sat in his convertible, the engine rumbling low. To their amazement he turned the corner and drove right past them, not even giving them so much as a glance. The boys warily looked behind them when he had passed, and felt relieved when he accelerated, the car surging on.
"What the hell?!" Gordy exclaimed. "He didn't even flip us the bird or anything!"
"Maybe he didn't see us." Vern volunteered, the other boys immediately jeering at him.
"Oh, he saw us all right. He looked right at us when he was sittin' at the sign!" Teddy burst out with.
"Maybe we just got lucky. Maybe he's just not in the mood to bother us." Vern spoke up again.
"Has Ace Merrill ever once not been in the mood to bother us?" Chris replied. "The only thing worse than havin' him pickin' on us is not knowing why he's not."
The boys continued on their way to the park, Chris and Gordy occasionally taking a look behind them to make sure Ace hadn't abandoned his car and was silently sneaking up on them. After a while, their unease lessened, but the odd event wasn't forgotten by any of them.
Ace cruised home feeling a little conflicted. He had not bothered the boys as he had said he would not, but at the same time it just felt so against his nature to not torment them. His reputation hadn't been earned by being nice. It had been earned by being ruthless, tough, and just plain mean. There was something intriguing at stake though. He sighed as he kicked off his boots and threw himself on the couch. God, couldn't he get the girl out of his mind for five minutes? He chuckled to himself out loud and jumped up again, pulling a Coke from the fridge and nabbing the book he'd started reading last night from his bedside table. He soon found himself on the couch again, feet up, lost in the story.
A few hours had passed and Ace barely registered the sound of Vince's car pulling into the driveway followed by several male voices mixed in conversation and the shuffle of feet on the porch.
"Hey Ace, you in there?" Eyeball's voice came through the screen door as it was opened.
Ace raised his eyes from the book, looking up and over his head as the boys trooped into the living room.
"Yeah, I'm here. What're you guys up to?" he replied, laying the open book on his chest.
"Nothin' yet. Just checkin' on you. Nobody saw you yesterday and you didn't show up at Irb's last night. We thought maybe somebody kidnapped ya or somethin'." Eyeball answered.
"What the fuck are you doin'? Readin' a book?" Charlie interrupted, drawing a scowl from Ace.
"Yeah. I'm readin' a book. You should try it sometime, numbnuts. Might help you get a job someday instead of moochin' off your mom." Ace shot back, drawing laughter from the others. He knew most of the guys except for Rich didn't get his love for reading and he got tired of their ribbing once in a while. Charlie had the good sense to shut up and plopped down on the floor, crossing his legs. Billy and Vince took seats in chairs and Eyeball, the only one with the confidence to do it, moved to where Ace's feet rested and picked them up, shoving them sideways and sitting down. Ace sighed lightly and sat up, closing the book and placing it on the coffee table before him as he slid over on the couch.
"So where were ya last night? I thought ya might've been workin' late but you weren't at the shop and ya weren't here." Eyeball questioned. Ace pulled a cigarette out of the pack laying on the table and lit it leisurely. He really didn't want to share anything about Emerald with his boys. He wanted to keep her as his own special secret, at least for a while.
"I had somethin' I had to do." Ace replied curtly.
"Oh yeah? What?" Billy piped up.
After looking at the boy for a moment Ace said, "I had a meeting with someone." He drew on his cigarette and then tipping his head back, he blew the smoke up toward the ceiling, unaware of the tiniest of grins that was on his lips when he brought his head back down. Eyeball was observant, however. He'd known Ace the longest; they'd been friends since grade school. That little grin was one that Rich knew well.
"So, what's her name?" Eyeball snickered. He couldn't help but tease Ace.
Ace frowned briefly then reached out and punched Eyeball lightly in the arm.
"No one you know, asshole."
"Aw, c'mon…did someone get a little piece last night?" Rich teased, punching Ace back.
"Shut it. It's not like that." Ace said, his voice low and defensive, giving Rich a harder punch.
"Ewww; kinda touchy about it, aren't ya?" Rich kept going, popping Ace's arm again.
"Fuckin' drop it, Eyeball." Ace warned, giving Rich a punch that made him withdraw quickly and rub his arm.
"Okay, okay! Jesus." he said. "Lighten up. You wanna go shoot some pool and down a couple beers?"
Ace hesitated for a moment. All he really wanted to do was finish the book. He was close to the end and it had been great so far. Billy and Charlie were throwing in their encouragement for him to come along and finally Ace consented.
"I gotta shower first. You guys go ahead and I'll meet you there in a little while."
"I'll wait and ride in with you." Eyeball said to Ace, who nodded agreement.
"You three go on and get a good table." Ace commanded with a look at Billy, Charlie, and Vince.
"Sure. See you in a while." Vince said as he stood and walked to the door. "C'mon, guys." Billy and Charlie followed him out, talking amongst themselves and shoving each other lightheartedly.
"This any good?" Rich asked, picking up the book Ace had been reading.
"Yeah. It's really good. Be careful with it; it's borrowed." Ace replied, glancing briefly at Eyeball as he headed to the stairs. A short time later, he came back down, feeling a little refreshed and the young men jumped in his car and headed into town.
The two were discussing a car boost they had been planning for a while and for the second time, Eyeball felt Ace's attention drift from the conversation when he had to repeat himself.
"What is up with you, man?" Eyeball asked in frustration. "You're never distracted like this."
"Nothin'. I'm fine." Ace replied shortly.
"You can bullshit everybody else, but not me, Ace. What's up? Somethin' or somebody's on your mind." Eyeball said, lighting a smoke.
Ace sighed to himself. It was true; his mind had been drifting to Emerald again. What would she think if she knew of his side enterprise? Somehow, given her comments regarding some guys she'd dated being too "good", he didn't think she'd care. A lot of her was still a mystery; one that he was looking forward to unraveling. He caught himself and reassured Rich.
"Look, I'm fine. Just thinkin' over the details of this. You sure that you and Vince can handle it? That T-Bird'll get a nice chunk of money, but you know how tight the cops are over in Lewiston. You'll only have one crack at it and if you're timing's off even by a few minutes they'll be on you."
"I know, I know. But Jesus, Ace. How much easier could it be? The guy leaves the keys in it. Vince has watched him almost every Wednesday for the last two months while his mom's visitin' his grandpa in that old-age place. He always parks, puts the keys above the visor, and goes in for two hours exactly. Then he goes out, pulls the visor down, the keys drop, and he leaves. It'll be a piece of cake. He's gonna drive me over there early, come back, and then ride back to Lewiston with his mom in the afternoon like normal. I'll hang out somewhere near the place and watch for Vince and his mom to show up, watch for the T-Bird from outside while Vince is watchin' from inside. He's gonna signal me through the lobby window if it's all clear. I grab the car and head back here to our rendezvous spot. You'll be waitin' and we'll get it over to your guy in Welchville. Vince watches any commotion and rides back with his mom. It's perfect!" Eyeball ended on an excited tone.
Ace was quiet a moment. He trusted Rich the most out of any of his boys but didn't like to participate in anything that he hadn't personally scouted out. And it did seem too good to be true.
"Give it a go, then. But you'd better drive over there yourself at least once and get a feel for the streets and the road. Scout out a place to dump the car if you need to run. Know how far away from the cop shop that old-age home is. There's more to it than just jumpin' in and drivin' away, Rich. You know that." Ace answered, his keen mind having already ran through potential complications.
"I know. We can talk to Vince about it tonight; plan a trip over to scope it out. You can go too."
"It'll have to be tomorrow then. You know I close the shop on Mondays and Tuesdays and there's a bunch of work Pop's got scheduled." Ace replied. "So no gettin' too fucked up tonight. You need your head clear when we go over. I'll drive."
"Sounds good. I don't wanna hang out too long at Irby's anyway. Patty's been actin' like we're a thing now after last weekend. She's called the house a hundred times. Even stopped Chris the other day when he was in gettin' a few groceries. The little fucker thinks it's funny." Eyeball said in a low voice.
Ace glanced over at his friend. "You mean it's not?" he teased.
Eyeball looked at him sullenly. "Fuck you, Ace. I'm gonna tune the little shit up if he doesn't knock it off."
Ace's eyebrow arched and he glanced at Rich again. "You remember what I said about those kids? Remember I meant your brother too. Lay off him for a while, Rich."
"Yeah, I remember. But seriously, what the hell, Ace? Why does it matter all of a sudden? And especially when you give the little fucks more shit than all of us?" Rich questioned with a frown.
"It just does." Ace replied with a sharp edge to his voice. "I ain't gonna argue about it. Just do as you're told and don't question me about it again."
Eyeball looked over at Ace. They were friends but he knew that particular tone of voice. Ace was serious about this for some reason; serious enough to pull rank on him, and he didn't need to get on his bad side. The two had come to blows only a few times over the course of their friendship, but when they had, Rich had found himself on the losing side and in a heap of pain. Ace was downright savage when he'd been triggered and held nothing back whether he fought with fists or blade, and prior friendship be damned. There was definitely something new going on with his friend, but Eyeball was clueless as to what it was and Ace didn't seem in the mood to share it.
Soon, Ace was parking his car in front of Irby's and the two were joining the rest of the gang enjoying cold beer and pool.
Em closed her book and laid it on the porch railing before standing and stretching. Her muscles appreciated the effort, as she had spent quite a few hours curled in the porch rocker absorbed in the story. Stepping off the porch and gazing at the early evening sky, she smiled lazily. It had been a good day. Meeting her neighbor had certainly been pleasant and though she usually avoided small children, Timothy had been a sweet surprise.
She roamed the yard randomly and soon her eyes came to rest on the shop. Emerald imagined Eleanor calling out to her…"C'mon Em; it's Saturday night, girl…let's go". Chuckling, Emerald spoke out loud. "Yes girl, it is, and we are in little old Castle Rock, Maine, where I'm sure Main Street closes down at 7 p.m." She was quiet a second and then said, "But what the hell. Let's go show you off a little. I could stand a little wind in my hair."
Smiling to herself, Em turned and headed to the house, nabbing her book off the railing and going inside. Briefly wondering if she should make herself something to eat, she quickly decided not. "If I get hungry I can try out the diner." she thought. Em rinsed off quickly in the shower, not bothering to take the time to wash her hair. When she had dried off, she did take the time to run a brush through the long thick mane, pulling it into a low ponytail. As the brush pulled through, her hair crackled and one side of her mouth turned up. Her mother had taken pride in Emerald's beauty, even if Emerald herself could not see it in the mirror. She had taken every opportunity to brush Em's hair, even when Emerald had gotten older. It was a ritual for the two; Emerald sitting on the bench before her mother's vanity table, her mother slowly and gently brushing out the black locks. Sometimes they would talk; oftentimes not, simply enjoying the closeness. She thought she could still feel the warmth of the delicate hand that wielded the brush if she thought hard enough. The half-grin slipped away as Emerald came back to the present. "She's gone and I can't wish her back." she thought, turning from the mirror. Grabbing a jar from the counter, she applied the thick creamy moisturizer that smelled of crushed cherry blossoms over her body taking pleasure in it's light but somewhat sensual scent. After hesitating a moment, she retrieved the bottle of nail polish she had purchased at the dime store and gave her nails a coat, doing her toes as well and giggling at herself when she was done. The dark red had called to her for some reason and as she waved her hands to make the polish dry faster she decided she really liked it. Strolling leisurely to her bedroom, she pulled out lingerie from her drawers, choosing a black lace bra and matching lacy underwear. Her mother again briefly crossed her mind as she fastened the tiny hooks behind her back; she had always impressed that fine undergarments could 'make a lady feel special all through the day, no matter what her activities'. She had insisted on the extravagance for her daughter and Emerald actually did enjoy the softness of silk and the delicateness of the lace and decorative embroidered details. It was one of the few "girly" things about her, she supposed, and she had continued to purchase the delicate things with pleasure.
Turning to her closet, she hesitated briefly. Em had never kept a lavish wardrobe, having very little need for anything but a couple of sundresses and skirts with a few simple tops in addition to her usual everyday capris or jeans. Not being in a "dress mood" this evening, she chose slim black capri pants and a black button-up short sleeved shirt which she tucked in. She then slid a pair of black ballet flats on and snatched a red scarf from a hanger, tying it around her ponytail for a little casual flair. Studying herself in the long mirror that hung on the back of the bedroom door, she felt something was missing, and when it came to her what it was, she moved to the bathroom again. She found the slim tube of lipstick and applied it quickly, making a fake pout at herself and giggling afterwards. The dark red definitely drew attention to the lush pads and she snorted. "What the hell. There's no one to impress, but at least I don't look as frumpy as usual."
Backtracking to her bedroom once again, she removed cash from her drawer and tucked the bills along with her ID into her bra, followed by the brass knuckles that were routine wardrobe accessories. She slipped her switchblade into her front pocket and grabbed her keys, closing the front door behind her and locking it after flipping on the porch light in case she didn't return until dark. Crossing the yard, she unlocked the shop and slid inside, relocking the door behind her, being ever mindful that it was not only her possessions she was responsible for. The shop was full of expensive tools and equipment belonging to Marv Johnson and she would not be remiss in her duty to look after them.
After unhooking the sliding door in front of her car, Em slid it aside with a minor struggle. The door remained heavy and she cursed it aloud. "If Dominic was here, he could open it with one arm." she thought, petulantly frowning as she heaved her shoulder against the door one last time.
"Finally." Em huffed as the door slid the rest of the way. Grinning, she unlocked the driver's side door and slid behind the wheel, putting the key in the ignition and turning it over. The powerful motor roared to life and Emerald smiled at the sound, as she often did. Pulling the car out of the shop, she left it in park and slid out, returning to close the shop door, which thankfully was easier than opening it. With a joyful bounce to her step, she slid behind the wheel of the '57 Chevy again and paused to light a Camel from the pack that rested on the seat. Reaching over, she checked the glovebox and found the full pint of Jack Daniels in it's place. She cracked the sealed lid and took a small shot, enjoying the burn as it slid down her throat, then put it back in it's place. Revving the mighty engine and feeling the power vibrate through the Chevy's body right into her, she slid her hand over the dashboard.
"All right, Eleanor. Let's go see what we can see in Castle Rock on Saturday night, huh girl?" Em said and dropped the shifter into "D".