Tuesday morning, Elise got an unexpected call from Nan Roberts. She was in her bedroom, listening to WKIT 100.3 on the radio, a rock station out of Bangor when a knock on the door interrupted her mid-sentence of The Wanderer. Elise almost didn't hear it.

On the second knock, she turned down the volume and hurried to open the door, giving her grandmother an apologetic look. She was still wearing a straw sun hat, having been outside since dawn in the garden; the roses had been planted, but the peonies and tulips had yet to be.

"I'm sorry. Was the music too loud?"

Nana Francine snorted.

"Not at all, hon. But would it hurt you kids to listen to a little gospel or country?"

The teen was a lot like her father. He loved rock; it drove Nana mad when he was younger, always blaring his tunes as loud as the radio would go.

Elise chuckled. Country and gospel were not quite her bag. She tucked a lace of blonde hair behind her ear and raised a curious brow. Nana got the hint.

"You have a call in the kitchen. Nan Roberts."

It was yesterday when Elise put in her application for the luncheonette. She was more surprised that Myra had done as she had asked. It was hard to believe that Ace's former lover had vouched for her, but perhaps she had. Elise knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Good news I hope," she mentioned enthusiastically. "I'll be down in just a minute."

Nana left her to her own devices and returned downstairs for a drink. She had been thirsting for one before she heard the brring - brring of the kitchen telephone.

In the meantime, Elise turned her radio off and sprinted down the stairs. Her bare feet slapped loudly on the hardwood floor as she made her way into the kitchen, taking a moment to clear her throat and the nervousness she felt, then rested the baby blue receiver against her ear.

"Mrs. Roberts. Sorry for making you wait."

"It's no problem, hon. Elise, right? I saw your application on my desk."

Elise hummed in agreement.

"Yes, ma'am. I saw the help wanted sign on the door and was quick to put one in. Is the position still open?"

"Sure is," Nan replied. The line grew quiet for a moment. There was a faint sound of shuffling like the moving of papers, and then Nan hummed. "It says here you have some dining experience, four months worth."

Waitressing was not new to Elise, it was not her first rodeo so to speak. She worked briefly in a diner in Derry before the move. It was not her first choice of job, but at the time Elise wanted nothing more than to get out of the house. She started in January, then four months later, her parents uprooted her and moved to Castle Rock.

"Yes, ma'am. I worked part-time cleaning the Aladdin Theater before that, but was mostly paid under the table."

Had Mrs. Cole known, she would have been ticked off. She was the ticket booth operator, an ill-tempered woman with unusually large specs. In addition to being paid under the table, Elise could also watch any movie she wanted, free of charge. It was an alright job, but she preferred working with people; the reason she chose to work in a diner.

She hoped that Nan would find her affable personality a benefit. And she did.

"Can you come on down and shadow for the remainder of the shift? Fair warning, we're in the middle of a lunch rush." Nan warned.

Elise didn't mind. She was ecstatic.

"I'll get dressed and be there soon."

Nan chuckled. The call ended shortly, and Elise sprinted back upstairs, nearly running into her momma, who had been hiding in her room from Nana.

"Where are you going in such a rush?" Madeline asked.

"To the diner in town. I think I might have gotten a job!" She had to shout the last bit, having run into her room to change.

A light gray button-down and jeans was what she chose to wear. Elise knew that there was a uniform involved, but she had yet to receive one so the outfit she had on would do. It was unpleasantly hot out and the light color would be beneficial.

To top off her look, she put her hair up in a messy bun and tied a floral polyester hair scarf around it. Then she left her room.

Madeline met her at the door as she slid on a pair of white Skips.

"I'll drive you into town - anything to get out of this damn house."

Elise raised a suspicious brow.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Get in the car." Madeline spoke, sharp as a whip. She didn't like to be looked at in such a way, as though she was being judged, by a teenager no less.

Elise pressed her lips thin and sauntered out the front door. Madeline could, at last, breathe easy but only for a moment as Nana gave her the same judgemental stare as she passed by the garden.

About damn time you got out of the house, she imagined her saying. Straighten your act.

She got into the Buick, started it, and then pulled out of the driveway.

The drive to Main Street was tense and quiet. Elise stared out the window with no interest in mind. She was blank, bouncing her foot to no rhythm. It felt like an eternity, wading through molasses before the Buick pulled into the lot at noon with a shriek.

The silence between them was unnerving. It reminded Elise of the drive from Derry. Thank goodness the radio was on; her knight in shining armor. She spoke only when she was asked a question.

Are you hungry? Do you need to use the bathroom?

It was gnarly. And that was putting it nicely. How else was she meant to feel? Especially since it was her mother who nearly tore her family apart.

That was neither here nor now. Elise had a job to think about.

"Thanks," she uttered. She didn't wait for a response - she didn't assume she would get one - and stepped out of the car.

As she stepped onto the sidewalk, her mother pulled out of the lot and drove toward the mom-and-pop store. Elise lost sight of her as she turned right. She took an uneasy breath, then walked inside.

Immediately the chatter of the diner turned her to stone. There were so many patrons for a Tuesday. Even the stools near the counter were taken. Elise did not know anyone, not even the waitress running around like a banshee between the counter and the booths.

Nan was not kidding.

"Elise. That you?" Nan Roberts asked. Speak of the devil. She stood near the Employees Only entrance near the counter, an early middle-aged woman with her hair pulled back in a polka dot scarf. Once Elise nodded, she grinned. "Thank God. Come on back here."

Elise sauntered behind the counter and followed Nan through the kitchen which was heavy with the smell of grease and dish soap, to an office no bigger than the walk-in freezer. She tossed the blonde a navy-colored apron and a paper menu that would be easily folded.

"You're gonna shadow Liza until the shift is over. Learn all you can, then I'll talk to you before I send you home," she explained.

Elise understood. Though to be honest, she figured the reason Nan asked her to come down was less about shadowing and more about taking the load off her and Liza. It was fine. She shook her head in understanding.

Leading her back out into the dining area, Nan left her to attend to the patrons at the counter. Liza was refilling a mug with coffee, so Elise approached her and tapped her shoulder.

Liza turned and looked at her, then with a big smile she handed Elise the steaming mug. The blonde took it with a raised brow.

"Um…hi."

"I'm Liza," she retorted. She was young in the face, with green eyes and brunette hair that stuck to her forehead from perspiration. "Elise right? Nan told me about you. Nice to meet you."

Motioning for Elise to follow, Liza instructed her to give the coffee to a lone man named Rudy near the door. He gave her a polite smile as she sat the mug down on the table with a click, asking if he needed anything else. He answered her with a no, and she returned to Liza's side.

"You've done this before. Groovy."

Elise nodded. "Sure have."

Her answer made Liza smile.

"That sure makes teaching you a lot easier."

Elise certainly hoped so.

For the next two hours, she followed Liza around, listening intently as the voluble brunette explained the routine to her. It was similar to her previous job, in which she took orders and then brought them back to the table; the only difference was the menu. Liza gave her tips to help her remember it and introduced her to the kitchen staff, Jeffrey and Bobbie Alden. She was even allowed to wait two tables on her own at the end of the shift and keep the $30 tip.

As Liza finished up with a customer, Elise went back to the office. She was met with a look of pride from Nan.

"You did good out there, hon. I'd be dumb as a box of rocks not to hire you."

Elise was ecstatic.

"Thank you so much."

Nan grinned. "You and Liza seemed to get along well enough. I'd like you to come in during the mornings."

Mornings were no problem. Elise preferred them. Early to rise, early to get her work done. The afternoon then would be hers to do whatever she wanted.

"That's perfect."

Nan was pleased to hear.

"Good deal. I'll be seeing you in the morning."

Elise said her goodbyes and turned to leave but Nan quickly called out to her.

"You mind doing me a solid before you leave? Have you ever met Pop Merrill?"

Pop Merrill.

"Pop owns the emporium," Nana had mentioned with a bite. "He, like most of the Merrill family, is a menace to society. I'd advise you not to get roped in with them. I don't like to talk badly about people but if you see a Merrill coming, it would be best if you turned cheek and ran."

Elise frowned.

"I've heard of him."

"He makes to-go orders regularly around lunchtime but the man is a bit indolent, God help him. The richest person in the Rock. I normally take his order to the emporium, but the afternoon shift manager, Tammy, is gonna be a bit late."

Elise could see what she was trying to say. As much as she didn't want to, she nodded.

"I can take the order for you."

Nan grinned and rested her hand on Elise's shoulder.

"I'd appreciate it, hon. Don't let Pop try to heckle you into buying nothing. Whatever tip he gives, you can keep."

The silver lining at least.

Elise sauntered out of the office and to Jeffery at the grill. He was older than Bobbie by thirteen months, a teen with a businessman haircut hidden beneath a black hair net.

"Pop's order?" He asked with a raised brow.

Elise shook her head. Nan did say he was a regular.

With the order done, Jeffery put the greasy burger with everything on it into a Dart foam container with a side of fries and coleslaw, then passed it on to Elise to bag it up. She left the diner at 10 past 2 and sauntered up the sidewalk in the direction her mother went. The Emporium Galorium was a square flat-top building with a repair shop attached to it. Almost ancient in appearance, like it had been around for a long time. Its English bond brickwork needed repair, and was cracked in some areas.

Elise walked in, ignoring the chime of the bell above the door, and took a curious look around. She had never been inside a junk store before, but she had to admit, whoever coined the term was not kidding. Her father's garage in Derry had nothing on this. There were more house phones, portable TVs, and clocks - so many clocks - than she could count. Did they even work?

At the front counter, the glass was transparent. Elise saw an assortment of polished jewelry resting on velvet displays. She was in awe at the various colors and designs. A kaleidoscope lay before her.

"Those don't suit a girl like you," Pop Merrill claimed. His sudden appearance behind Elise made her jerk in fear.

She raised a brow, but all Pop did was hum. His blue eyes gauged her a moment before he walked behind the counter.

"What I mean to say is, you're a little too young to be thinkin' about marriage," Pop furthered.

He wasn't wrong.

"I was just looking," Elise admitted. "Never hurts."

"Then you're in the right shop," he stated with a grin.

Elise was a little confused. She expected Pop to be…well older. He was a man in his mid-forties with dirty blond hair streaked in gray. A pair of reading glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, but he didn't seem to need them much to see. Why did everyone who knew him call him Pop?

Elise remembered the take-out container and lifted the bag.

"Nan sent me."

"I can tell from your apron…and the whole room smells like grease now," Pop retorted.

How nice. Elise gave an awkward laugh. She watched him with uninterest as he took out the receipt, sliding his glasses up his nose as he read it.

"You new here? You have to be."

Elise raised a brow.

"What I mean to say is, I know everyone in this town and I've never seen you around before," he explained.

"I recently moved in with my grandmother, Francine on Willow Street."

Pop was next to raise a brow, peeking at her a moment with sparking blue eyes.

"Nana? She have plans to come offa that property?"

"I…don't know, Mr. Merrill," Elise answered.

What interest did Pop have in Nana's house? It was a charming piece of property, but she didn't think it had any value in the market. Her grandparents had lived in that 2 story A-frame for a long time.

Pop took a faded brown wallet from his back pocket and opened it. He handed her a crumpled dollar.

"Keep the change."

Elise tightened her jaw. Five cents. Was he serious?

"Thank you, Mr. Merrill." Her tone was sharp no matter how hard she tried to mask it.

"Call me Pop. And if Nana is lookin' to sell, you tell her I'm interested." Pop grinned, a notion that reminded Elise of a crooked salesman, hankering to own her soul.

She forced a smile and hurried out of the Emporium Galorium. Never did she want to talk to Pop Merrill again. Indolent was an understatement. He was also a cheapskate. Elise felt bad for anyone doing business with him.

Returning his money to Nan, and his generous tip to the tip jar near the register, Elise opted to go home. As she crossed the street, in front of the diner, a familiar Ford Classic came speeding down Main from the nearest street. Elise tried to act inconspicuous but her eyes locked with Aces'. He pulled to the curb in front of her, as though she was a person he was looking for.

"Afternoon, darling. What brings you out?" Ace asked with a grin. His blue eyes sparkled as he looked at her, eyes that reminded her of greedy old Pop Merrill.

Elise slid her hair behind her ear and averted her eyes to a crack in the sidewalk.

"Heading home actually. I got a call from Nan and have been shadowing since noon."

Ace hummed. So Myra came through. He was impressed.

"Need a ride?"

"I smell like grease - or at least Pop claims." Elise declined. She didn't want to mess up his seats regardless.

A storm brewed in his eyes.

"You and me both, darling. I just got off work."

He was a mechanic, Elise recalled him saying. But that didn't change her mind.

"I don't mind walking. I really don't want to stain–"

"Elise." His stern voice took her off guard. She felt like she was being reprimanded for making excuses. His brow smoothed. "I don't mind, darling. If you want a ride, I'm offering."

Elise hummed, a tiny bit unsure. But in the end, she agreed.

"Thank you, Ace."

The sparkle in his eyes reappeared and he waited for her to get in, but instead of heading toward Willow Street, he turned onto Pleasant Road. Elise raised a curious brow, but Ace merely grinned.

"You wanna see the lake? In Derry, you had a quarry, right?"

He wasn't wrong.

"You remembered that?" She chuckled.

"Yeah, I did." Ace was humored.

Dense, towering cumulonimbus clouds hung above them. Elise watched them roll by as the car drove down the blacktop. She was at peace. Her curious eyes turned to Ace when he shouted over the vocals of Skeeter Davis on the radio; he lived nearby, a mile or so before the train tracks.

As he talked, she listened until Castle Lake came into view. Ace then pulled the Ford through a forest of pines and parked where Elise could see the water. She waited until the whir of the engine died down before she hurried with excitement to the front of the car. It reminded her of the quarry in Derry, of her favorite memories.

Ace stood by her side.

"It's cool, yeah."

Elise chuckled and shook her head. Yeah, it was.

"Thank you."

For a moment, they stood in silence, listening to the sounds of nature; the chirp of the birds, and the whistle of the wind. Until Ace leaned into the car and turned up the radio. Stand By Me by Ben E. King began to play.

He offered his hand to Elise, raising a brow. A brief moment passed then she realized what he was doing. Like in a romance movie, he was asking her to dance.

When was the last time she even danced? Prom at Derry High - wasn't it? With Timothy Davis, an athlete. Her heart raced. No matter how she looked at it, Ace was wooing her. But was she on the make? Elise took his hand.

Ace led her back a few centimeters, then brought her close, sliding his arms around her and resting them against her upper back. Elise felt faint; her face was warm, and her hands were a bit clammy. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and then leaned her head against his arm.

Ace smelled like an automobile, like grease and motor oil with a faint hint of cigarette smoke. The scent suited him. It was a testament to who Ace was, an obvious red flag. He was bad for Elise.

And yet, his warmth and attention were intoxicating. Elise relaxed into him.

A wet sensation suddenly landed on her hand, then another on the back of her neck. Elise shivered. Was it about to rain? Like a faucet, the sky opened up.

"Well shit," she heard Ace cuss.

Elise squeaked as the cool rain sank into her clothes. She stepped back from Ace and did her best to cover her head as he hustled to put back on the hood. A few curses later, Elise joined him in the car. The hair that had fallen from her bun was stuck to her neck and face. She felt like a drowned rat.

"Bummer," Ace uttered. His white shirt was stuck to his sturdy frame.

Elise laughed at his disheveled appearance, she couldn't help it. Her outburst earned her an amused look from the blond.

"You wanna walk home?"

Elise snorted. She daringly leaned over the emergency break and leaned on his shoulder. Ace grinned and brought her beneath his arm.

"I'll behave," Elise uttered.

An intense air of satisfaction overcame him.

"Attagirl."