As much as Amalia tried to ignore the early morning conversation with Bryan, it was futile to fight nervous anticipation throughout the day. She incorrectly counted change for Mabel Newton, an old spinster who chastised her inability to pay proper attention to customers. When blood seeped through the small cracks in Amalia"s skin from the counter"s splintered edges, Amalia"s father had to tell her three times to stop rapping her knuckles before she listened.
After a customer paid for his cans of wood stain and sealant, Amalia noticed it was time for the picnic. “Is it okay to leave for the lake now, Daddy?” She squeezed his hand before stepping away to find her belongings. “I locked the till in the safe and prepared the new one for Monday morning. I cleaned the coffee pot and updated the
