Niki glanced around the room. “You’re not a drug addict. No way you’re a drug addict.”
“You sound very sure.”
“I’d be able to tell.” She sounded confident. “You look clear-eyed and healthy. Your house is clean, and you’re out of bed and facing the day already.”
“I try to keep up with things.” Sharon felt vaguely proud. “Still, for all you know, it could be a front. I might have a whole secret life.”
“No.” Niki shook her head, making her silver earrings sway. “You’re definitely not a drug addict. I’ve seen lots of them. I would know.”
Chapter Seven
The strip mall was two miles from Sharon’s house. When Niki announced she’d be walking there, Sharon said, “Don’t be silly. It’s way too cold today. I can drive you.”
Niki fidgeted, seeming to weigh both options. Finally, she said, “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure. It’s really not a problem. Besides, I have nothing better to do.” Saying the words aloud took her by surprise. Did she really have nothing better to do? On one hand, Sharon’s days were full. Depending on the season, she loved to be outdoors, either working in the yard or shoveling snow. She was never bored. The library and grocery store were frequent destinations, and her calendar was full of appointments: hair, dentist, routine medical checkups, lunches with friends, church on Sunday. Keeping her house clean and the laundry done were priorities for her, as she hated dirt and disorder. Taking care of all these small things meant she was always on the move: shaking the cat’s food bowl to give it the appearance of fullness, wiping down counters, dusting the glass birds that had been her mother’s prized knickknacks. She made a point not to sit down until after dinner, and only then to read a book or watch the news. The usual rewards for a productive day. Honestly, though, none of her activities were critical. All of it was unimportant compared to helping a young person find her way in the world.
As they got into the car, she asked Niki, “Do you have a driver’s license?”
Niki pulled the seat belt across her body and connected the two parts with one sharp click. “Yep. Amy taught me to drive and then took me for my test. I passed on my first try.” She turned toward Sharon, grinning. “I haven’t driven much since then because I don’t have a car, but it’s good to have a driver’s license for identification.”
“You’ll get a car eventually,” Sharon said. “It all takes time.” As she drove through her community, she pointed out landmarks to Niki—the library, the post office, the gas station.
They went a few more blocks and turned, and Niki pointed. “Amy’s high school!”
“That’s right.”
Niki tapped on the glass. “She hated high school and skipped study hall and took summer classes so she could graduate a year early.”
“You seem to know a lot about my daughter.”
“We spent a lot of time together.” Long pause. “She talked a lot about you too.”
“Oh.” Sharon raised her eyebrows. Amy hadn’t told her much about Nikita, citing privacy issues, but apparently it hadn’t worked the other way around. “All good things, I hope.”
“All good,” Niki assured her. “Not one bad thing.”
Sharon pulled into the strip mall parking lot and surveyed the stores. A few upscale fashion boutiques, a jewelry store, a florist, a nutrition store, a gift shop, and a karate school. On one end stood a Walgreens. “Walgreens might be a good start,” she suggested. “Every time I go in there, someone new is at the register.” She pulled the car into a space close to the middle of the shopping center.
Niki shook her head. “Nah. Too corporate. I don’t want to work for a big machine. Plus, they’d probably just tell me to apply online.”
“Isn’t that how most places operate nowadays? Seems like everything is online.”
“Yeah, sort of, but I’ve found that with the smaller places they like to see you in person first, so I usually go in and make a case for myself. Then my application stands out.” She unclipped her seat belt and turned to Sharon. “You sure you don’t mind waiting?”
“Not at all. I have a book in my purse. Take all the time you need.” She watched as Niki left the car and strode toward the storefronts, confidently heading into the florist shop.
In an effort to support local businesses, Sharon had been inside most of these stores at least once, but she’d found them mainly geared toward clientele with more disposable income than she’d have in her entire lifetime. Honestly, she had no idea how they stayed in business. She’d asked that very question of Amy once, and she’d replied, “There are any number of ways. Money laundering. Selling weapons out of the back room. Slave labor.” The list of possibilities, she’d told her mother, was endless. Corruption was creative. If Sharon didn’t know better, she’d have thought Amy was kidding. But she knew her daughter; Amy had a jaded view of the world, although she certainly wouldn’t call it that. Her daughter saw it the other way around. She thought her mother viewed the world through a rose-colored lens. Sharon-vision, she called it. Sharon was, Amy once said, charmingly naïve to the ugly side of people. Not a compliment, but at least she’d called her charming.
Sharon got her book out of her purse but didn’t open it, watching the door to the florist shop instead. When Niki came out, she had a grim expression, as if she’d gotten disappointing news, but it didn’t slow her down. Decisively, she turned and went into the gift shop. She had no winter coat on, something Sharon had noticed when they were at home, but she hadn’t questioned it. Based on what she’d seen of the girl’s possessions, the only outerwear she owned was a hoodie. Sharon didn’t think bringing up the subject was a good idea. At least not today. They were still finding their way with each other, but at some point, this lack would have to be addressed. Niki couldn’t continue to go out in January without some kind of jacket. Besides being uncomfortable, it was also dangerous.
Niki wasn’t in Nancy’s Fancy Gifts for very long, something that wasn’t surprising. Sharon would have guessed it wasn’t her kind of place, since it was filled with collectible figurines, mirrors with gilded frames, and artistic wall hangings. On the lower end of the price scale was an assortment of greeting cards, but even those were at least ten dollars. Sharon knew this because when the place had first opened, she’d stopped in just to check it out. She’d immediately felt uncomfortable, something the sales clerk had seemed to pick up on, as she began hovering over her as if Sharon were a kid likely to break something. No, this wouldn’t be the right job for Niki.
Within seconds of leaving that store, Niki confidently darted into the one next to it. She wasn’t one to give up, that was for sure.
The sun was coming in through the windshield, keeping Sharon warm enough even without the engine running. She watched as Niki went from business to business, ending up at the nutrition store. When she didn’t come out after fifteen minutes, Sharon cracked open her book and began to read.
She was so immersed in the story that it was a shock when Niki finally opened the door and got back into her seat. “Sorry it took so long,” she said breathlessly, slamming the door shut. “But guess what?” Her voice was tinged with excitement.