Chapter 8 [Five Minutes Earlier]
Martha slowed the truck on its way down Main Street. Most days, she'd look around for friends and neighbors. Acknowledgement and Good Will prompted Horn's Toot or Hand's Wave toward said folks. Then, she'd sell flowers to Nell and get something from the Talon for the ride back. Maybe said Profit would go into Extra Special Meal or Treat.
On most days…definitely not that day….
Worry still ate at her. She pulled into the usual spot in front of Nell's store. She sucked in a deep breath. Nell had to notice Lana's state of mind. She knew Nell didn't approve of Clark being around Lana. She also detected Jealousy in the florist's eyes around her. I wish she'd let it go. Jonathan married me. It's been years. Let's hope we can keep this professional. I can go in. We can do business. I come out. I can focus on our problem once again. She climbed out of the truck's cab and walked around to the tailgate. She hefted the first Tulip box toward the door. She managed to ease her way into the shop. Ears heard Chime go off. She looked all around.
Stock seemed sparse. Refrigerator held half of its normal range of assortments. Balloon area remained empty. Whereas Nell normally had a dozen vases, only two rather pedestrian choices presented themselves to customers. Dust Bunnies danced in Sol's afternoon light.
This isn't like Nell. What's going on? Her ears picked up on Nell's voice coming from the back. She must be phoning in a stock order. I would hope so. People still like flowers at this time of year. Her eyes alighted on Tulips in their box.
Nell put her cell phone back in her pocket. Deep Breath composed her and restored Professionalism's Expression to her face. She hustled back out onto the floor. "Hi! Thanks for waiting. What…can…?" Manner soured at the sight of Martha. While Tolerance allowed her to deal with the Interloper in her Personal World. Patience evaporated faster than Ice on Summer Sidewalk. "Martha." She narrowed her eyes. She tapped her finger on Counter's hard surface. Eyes took in Tulip box. Nostrils released Indignity's Sniff. She rubbed her forehead.
Uh oh. Martha steeled herself. Even wrapped up in Situation's drama, Assessment watched Nell stiffen. Anticipation once again understood Potential Backlash. "Good afternoon, Nell. I had a last batch of flowers. I thought we could talk about them and…."
"Talk about them and what? Lana? Clark?" Nell shook her head. "Sorry, Martha, not today. I don't want to even look at those tulips much less consider buying them!" Her frown curled in on itself. She marched over to the door. There, she flipped the sign to "CLOSED" and locked the door.
"What's going on?" Martha watched Nell walk toward her. "I was going to talk to you about Clark and Lana as well. I know how things must be…." She took a step back from the store's owner.
"You know?" Nell rolled her eyes. Sarcasm's laughter cackled from her. "Oh I'm sure you think you know." She slapped the counter. "Do you know Lana's been crying for the last two days at home? She won't talk about what Pete Ross and you spoke about. She didn't even want to go to school! And when was the last time she didn't want to be in there!" She pointed toward the wall and Talon beyond. "What your son did went way past the line! First, he kisses her in the Talon. Then, he took her into the Wild Coyote! They're both under age! Well, at least Lana didn't try to get served anything. She tried to get Clark to leave. He just had to embarrass her with that other girl! Then, he made that scene!" Another sniff puffed from her nose. "I knew there was something about him that wasn't quite right, Martha! You need to get that boy some help!"
Martha had prepared to deal with Nell's inner tempest. She tried to let those words flow over her back. "Clark was sick! Yes, he was delusional! Fine! Jonathan and I are dealing with it. He said some things to Jonathan and me that he regrets very much. I know he's tried to apologize to Lana."
Nell coughed. "Another apology? Martha, don't you think that gets old? Clark's always apologizing. He never changes! This is just another example."
Annoyance reddened Martha's face. She wanted to stick the fact that Clark had saved Lana's life in Nell's face. "As I just said, Nell, Jonathan and I are dealing with it. Lana apparently wasn't aware that she did the same thing to Clark during the Nicodemus outbreak last year. She knows now. And she's upset Clark didn't tell her at the time. He didn't say anything to us or her because he respected her feelings. He took detention that time from Principal Kwan without being told to. Do you know he went to Mr. Gibbons this morning on his own? I don't know what came of that. At least, he wanted to talk with the Principal on these things."
"Clark does keep a lot of secrets. What's so important, Martha? Why can't he come clean with Lana?" Exasperation threw Nell's hands up in the air. "What makes him think he's any better than anyone else? How can she trust him if he can't be honest? How can I trust him around Lana if he can't act decently?"
"Now wait a minute! Nell, for the last time, Clark was sick! He is normally the most well-behaved young man in town. All right, he is a teenager. He's given to impulsive behavior! What he did was wrong. He knows that. That is eating him alive, Nell. There's nothing else to say except that we are sorry about Lana." Martha picked up her crate. She stalked out of the shop toward her truck. I know she's upset about Lana. Does she think we don't care about Lana? I don't care how she feels about Clark and me. She needs to get ahold of herself. She slid the tulip crate back into the truck and slammed the tailgate shut. Her eyes drifted toward the Talon.
Coffee and Conversation might get to the bottom of things….