The bottle shop clerk calls out

You’re halfway across the road, plastic bags of drinks in each hand, when you hear someone calling out behind you.

“Hey! Wait up!”

You turn around. The girl from behind the counter at the bottle shop is jogging toward you, a folded bill in her hand. She looks about twenty, with shoulder-length blonde hair and a slim but curvy figure. She’s wearing a tight black tank top that shows off a decent amount of cleavage and a pair of short denim shorts.

“Sorry,” she says when she reaches you, slightly out of breath. “I gave you the wrong change. You overpaid by ten bucks.”

You follow her back inside the shop. She goes behind the counter and opens the register while you set the bags down.

“Appreciate it,” you say, leaning against the counter. “Most places wouldn’t bother chasing someone down for that.”

She smiles as she counts out the money. “Yeah, well… my boss would kill me if the till was short. Plus you seemed nice.”

You take the chance to push the flirting a little.

“Nice, huh?” you say with a grin. “That’s good to hear. I’ve had kind of a weird couple of days. Wasn’t exactly planning on being stuck in town.”

She hands you the cash and leans on the counter across from you, giving you a better view of her chest in that tight tank top.

“What happened?” she asks, genuinely curious.

You keep it casual. “Car trouble. Blew a tire out on the highway. Ended up staying the night at the Henderson farm while I waited for the tow truck. Now the mechanic found more damage, so I’m stuck here for a few days.”

The girl’s eyebrows lift slightly.

“The Henderson farm?” she says. “Old Mr. Henderson’s a regular here. Comes in every few days for beer and whatever else he needs. Sometimes he’s a little overdue, but he always shows up eventually.” She smirks. “Every now and then he sends his daughter in instead. She’s… quiet. Pretty, though.”

She doesn’t say Loretta’s name, but the way she talks makes it clear she knows exactly who you’re talking about.

You chat for another minute or two. She’s friendly, and the flirting flows easily — a few smiles, a couple of lingering looks at each other. Nothing heavy, but definitely some chemistry.

Eventually she glances at the clock on the wall.

“I should probably get back to work before my boss notices I’ve been gone too long,” she says with a small laugh. “Enjoy your night.”

You thank her again and head back outside with the drinks.

It’s getting close to six now. Time to head back to the diner and meet Kristen.