Chapter 22
“How’s it going?” Suzanne rushed to Meg as she and Sam walked in and closed the door behind them. She reached for their coats and hats. “You two look a little worn down.”
“This can’t be an easy thing to do. Are you meeting with success?” James said.
Meg looked up at Sam as he shook his head. “I don’t think Meg would disagree that this is much more difficult than either of us anticipated.”
She nodded as Suzanne came back into the room, coats and hats deposited in the office. “I can’t even imagine what it must be like,” Suzanne said, taking Meg’s hands.
“You wouldn’t believe the little things that can trip you up. How was I supposed to know orange juice was his favorite?” She laughed and tugged at the collar of her dress.
“And how was I to know she needed to know that?” They exchanged a glance and burst out laughing, Suzanne and James laughing along with them.
“And now you’re on to the next phase. How long do we have before she comes?”
“One of us will fetch her in about an hour. Maybe we need to practice a little bit.” Sam looked around the mercantile, his eyes wide.
James clapped him on the back. “Don’t worry. She won’t be here for very long, will she? Meg can show her around, and you can tend to customers. In the time before she comes, I can show you the simplest way to use the cash register. Just set things aside, and I can take care of the bookkeeping later, when she leaves and we come back.”
“At least it’ll only be an hour or so. I think maybe we’ll survive.” Sam squeezed Meg’s elbow and mouthed the words, ‘thank you’.
Meg smiled at the spark she felt and the gratitude she saw in Sam’s eyes. She still held out hope that this would all work out, and that Sam would see that they were destined to be together, the perfect couple.
For the next hour, Sam shadowed James and Suzanne showed Meg all of the items that Sam’s mother might be interested in. It was one of the largest mercantiles in Tombstone, and Meg was impressed at the things there that she’d never even noticed, from shovels to lanterns and baby clothing.
“I’ll try to do the best job I can,” Meg said as she tugged at the hem of her sleeve. “I’m a little nervous after my earlier mistakes. I never know when I’m going to make one.”
“Just say as little as possible about Sam, and focus on the merchandise. Tell her how well things are going. I’m hoping that there are very few customers while you’re here.”
Meg’s stomach dropped and she felt her hands perspire. She hadn’t thought for one minute that customers who knew her or Sam or both of them might come in. Her chest tightened at what she was now thinking might be imminent disaster.
“I think it’s time to go fetch Mother,” Sam said, sounding like a man heading to the gallows.
“Oh, perk up. You need to be confident about this or she’ll surely sense it.” Suzanne handed her coat to James and he helped her on with it. “We’ll be next door at the Occidental, and will be watching for when she leaves. Sadie’s saving us a table right by the window.” She bent over and pecked Meg’s cheek, giving her a reassuring smile. “Everything will be fine. You’ll see.”
Meg sighed with gratitude as she closed the door behind the three of them, Sam heading home to walk over with his mother. She strolled the store, familiarizing herself as well as she could with the other types of merchandise that Suzanne hadn’t shown her—picks, axes, mining supplies. She hoped that Sam knew something about those kinds of things, because she sure didn’t.
She looked up quickly when the bell on the door tinkled and smiled as Mrs. Allen entered, her eyes wide and smile broad. Sam followed her in and held up his crossed fingers from behind his mother and winked at Meg.
“Oh, this is marvelous!” Mrs. Allen twirled in a circle as she admired the store. “You’ve done a fabulous job. It’s so big!”
Sam cleared his throat as he helped Mrs. Allen off with her coat and hung it up in the office. “Thank you, Mother. I’m pleased that you like it.”
“I am, as well.” Meg clasped Mrs. Allen’s hand and said, “We have no customers at the moment. Would you like a tour?”
“Absolutely. I want to see every little thing. I hope you don’t mind, but I plan to make a few purchases. There are some things I need.”
Sam frowned at his mother. “That’s not necessary, Mother. We can get you anything you need. You’re our guest.”
Mrs. Allen held up a finger of her gloved hand and shushed Sam. “I know you are a grown man, but I can support your efforts, can’t I? I send anyone I know who needs a doctor to your brother, and so I should like to support you as well.”