I felt a little awkward tiptoeing out of Pepper’s house the next morning, even though we both knew I had to work and I wasn’t just sneaking off. I had tried to reciprocate her affections, but I think the ghost of Natalie was still too strong. Pepper rebuked my advances, politely, but refused all the same. I decided it was probably a big enough step for her just to let someone into her life and I wasn’t going to argue about it. I still had my glow, I could give Pepper hers another time.
First, though, was a touch up of the henna art I had started on her arm that was beginning to fade. Pepper wandered into the store around ten with Trixie and a sack full of fast food breakfast biscuits. It was a slow morning, and in between helping the one or two customers trickling in, I was putting my con
