Boise City was not big. Jolie figured that out in a matter of minutes. It took her all of 5 minutes to make it across town and another five to find downtown. It had been a while since she'd driven anything bigger than her bike and Warren's giant truck was making her nervous so she parked it in a large open parking lot and headed out to sweep the shops on foot.
She stopped in at a couple of boutique type shops that catered to the richer and more conservative crowd before finding a cluster of quaint second hand stores.
The first was heavy on children's items and she only purchased a soft knit beanie, scarf and mittens combo. The second store was much more to her liking. An older woman sat behind the counter and raised an eye from her romance novel as Jolie entered. Everything was high quality, clean and well organized. The whole shop smelled of lavender and chamomile.
She located a rack of sweaters and pulled several to try on as well as a couple pair of jeans and a pair of sturdy brown snow boots. It turned out that she liked them all so she gathered the items and made her way to the cash register.
"Looks like you made out well." The woman commented as she folded and range up each item.
"I did. It's surprising. I can't usually find a pair of jeans to fit me but I found two here."
"You are rather tall and slender" She acknowledged."I'm glad it worked out. You aren't from around here are you?"
Jolie bristled a little at the woman's forwardness but reminded herself that it wasn't an attack by any means. "No I'm not. I wrecked my motorcycle outside of town and now I'm stuck her for a while as its being fixed."
The answer seemed to appease the woman's curiosity and Jolie decided she liked her. "I'm thinking about just spending the winter here. Do you know anyone hiring?"
"What are you looking for?"
"I was a dispatcher for several years so I'm good at multitasking and answering phones. I waited tables a bit in high school. Anything that fits into that skill set really." The woman gave her a hard stare as she handed her her bag and her change.
"Have you ever worked retail?"
"No ma'am."
"Are you honest?"
"Yes ma'am."
"I need a body Wednesday through Saturday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. I pay $11.25 an hour. No benefits. I can start you this Wednesday. Thursday we'll be closed for the holiday and you'll be back on Friday."
"That would be great." Jolie was floored by the offer. "My name is Jolie Bradbury and I really appreciate this chance." She extended her hand took the older woman's slender one in hers.
"I'm Estelle Waters. I own this place but I'm too old to run it all week and my help decided to have a baby." She was a small woman with long blonde hair pulled back into a braid. However small, Estelle Waters had a big presence and Jolie couldn't really imagine anyone butting up against her. "Be prompt and honest and we'll get along just fine."
The two women talked a few minutes more. Jolie left her the necessary information and agreed to meet the woman at 8 a.m. in three days time.
She walked down the sidewalk swinging her bag happily hoping that the rest of her arrangements would turn out to be as easy.
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Jolie found a coffee shop with free Wi-i and settled into an overstuffed chair with a large latte and her laptop. The local classified gave her three good leads on apartments but only 1 answered their phone. She scheduled an appointment to see a small studio walkup apartment the next day. A little more research on Google gave her a better idea of where in the world she had landed.
YOU ARE READING
SHELTER
RomanceAs far as Jolie was concerned, all hope was lost. She bought a bike and headed off into the sunset to wander alone. When she wrecks outside a tiny Oklahoma town, it turns her whole world upside down. Maybe all hope isn't lost?
