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Until that morning, Sadie hadn't really noticed the clock on the wall.
But glancing at it for what seemed like the hundredth time that afternoon, she had to admit it was pretty nice. It had a thick wooden frame, polished to a glossy finish, and the hands were elegant twists of metal against the white face.
Beside her, Holly Blue groaned. Her coworker hunched over the counter, straw-blonde hair spilling out from the hood of her massive black jumper. Sadie had never seen her without it, or the beanie she wore underneath. Holly Blue claimed she was always cold, but Sadie suspected it was so she could listen to true crime podcasts on work time.
"If I see you look at the clock again, I'm gonna lose it," Holly Blue said. "Just go."
Sadie rolled her eyes. "As if I could just walk out. Jeannine would blow a fuse."
Which, she admitted to herself, would be quite fun to watch — if she knew it wouldn't be directed at her.
"I already said I'd cover for you," Holly Blue pointed out.
She made it sound so easy. Sadie considered it, then shook her head. Rent was due soon, and she needed the next few shifts if she wanted to scrape together enough to pay it.
"I can't risk it," she said, sighing. She was in hot water with Jeannine already; better she didn't push her luck. "I need this job."
"Well." Holly Blue drained the last of her coffee. "At least try to be less miserable about it. You're stressing me out."
Sadie had to laugh. As if her coworker had anything to stress about. Sadie watched her amble over to the coffee machine and refill her reusable cup, deliberately ignorant of the NO STORE FOOD OR BEVERAGES TO BE CONSUMED BY EMPLOYEES OUTSIDE COMPANY BREAKS sign taped to it.
Maybe she was worrying too much, she mused. Her shift ended in an hour. She could probably sneak out twenty minutes early, which was more than enough time to meet Savannah Lane. She snuck a glance at her phone, at the last message in their quick chat history.
I'll be at the station until 5pm, Savannah had written. Don't be late.
Holly Blue wandered back to the register. She tilted her head, peering closely at Sadie's hands. She'd been stretching them again, tensing her fingers so her hands stretched taut, fingers splayed. Sadie found it relaxing if she did it over and over again in quick succession, like little jolts of energy to her hands to distract her from the nervous churn in her stomach.
Everyone else, she'd learned, found it weird. Sadie stopped abruptly when she caught Holly Blue staring, already preparing to snap back a defensive remark. But her coworker just leaned over and tapped the ring on her middle finger.
