It was hard to run in heeled boots, especially after her excited, young daughter.
"Evie, don't run with a lollipop in your mouth!" Sharon called out to her. Evie stopped, turned, and smiled brightly at her mom, her blonde bob of curls sticking out from the stocking cap she had on her head. Sharon caught up to her daughter and pointed a finger at her.
"I've told you this before, and with all of the ice here," she gestured to the sidewalk, "you could slip and fall."
"Sorry, Mama," the little girl of seven said, but the grin on her face didn't tell a story of being sorry, nor did her taking a huge lick from her lollipop as she said it. Sharon sighed and pointed back inside. She was distracted by the chuckle she heard and looked up to find a tall, rather distinguished looking man chuckling at her.
"What?" Sharon snapped, and as she said it, she realized it did sound curt and unkind. She hissed quietly, realizing that she'd left the city and needed to leave her "city attitude" behind as well.
He raised his hand in defense, "Sorry to intrude or eavesdrop or whatever you want to call it," he gestured with his hand in the air. He gave her a nod, "I couldn't help but laugh at the situation. She didn't seem sorry at all for whatever you just scolded her for doing. It was just cute, funny, to me," he shrugged. "My apologies, and I wasn't laughing at you, just at a kid being a kid."
"Oh, well," she said as she schooled herself. Sharon nodded to her daughter, "Perhaps you are correct in your assessment. It didn't seem heartfelt, did it, her apology?"
"No," he chuckled again, sticking out his hand in greeting, "Name is Andy. Sorry again to intrude. Do you need some help here?" Andy gestured to the storefront where they were standing. "I work here."
"Oh," she said in a surprised tone as she raised her eyebrows. She offered her hand to his to return his greeting, "Sharon, and no, I don't. I mean, I've already made my purchase," she said, gesturing to her bag. His eyes followed her gesture, and he nodded.
"Okay, great," he said with a small smile. "I assume we had what you need."
"Ahh, yes," she said, holding up the plain brown bag in gesture. "New lock set. I'm all set."
"Are you from around here?" Andy asked. "Sorry, small town and all, so I just know most people, and I know we haven't met."
She studied him a moment, trying to determine his motives. Sharon had lived and worked in a large city for years, and she was wary of well, most anybody. She'd been warned over and over by friends, colleagues, even her realtor, that life in a small town would be a major change, and if she was going to enjoy the move, she needed to readjust things and prepare to slow down her life.
"New," Sharon said with a quick nod. "We'll just get going."
"Well, ahh, nice to meet you, Sharon," he said slowly, emphasizing her name, almost to make sure he'd gotten it right. She understood and nodded, reaffirming he did, indeed, have the right name. "If you need anything else, we're the only hardware store around. None of those big box stores for 30 miles."
"Yes," she said with a rather forced smile, "that's what I was told inside by one of your colleagues. I'll keep that in mind, but this will do for now." She looked down to her daughter, "Come along, Evie."
"See you around, Sharon and well, apparently, Evie," Andy said with a small wave at the two as they started to walk away. Sharon turned briefly at the mention of their names and gave him a small nod and then turned back to focus on where she was going.
She was new in town, and even though this was a small town, she was still learning her way around it.
"How'd he know my name, Mama?" Evie asked, looking up at her mom with wide eyes. Sharon looked over at her daughter and let out a small sigh that turned to a sad smile. Oh, her daughter looked so much like a man she desperately wanted to forget. She patted Evie on the back.
"I guess he's good at listening," she shrugged. He must have heard me say your name. Now, let's get back to our new house and get things all settled."