Free Waiting for Daybreak by Kathryn Cushman Page B

question?”
    “Ask at your own risk.”
    “Did that actually come from your closet, or did you borrow it from someone?”
    “My closet, unfortunately. My mother gave it to me for high school graduation, she just knew it was the perfect ensemble to wear to job interviews.” Dawn looked down and grabbed a fistful of skirt at the side seam. “Personally, I wouldn’t want to work for anyone who would hire a person wearing something this boring, but you did say the most conservative thing in my closet, and this is it. Now, I’m going to listen to the refills so I can hide in the back. I’d die if any of my friends came into the store today and saw me in this.”
    By the time noon arrived, everything in the pharmacy had been rearranged at least twice. Clarissa had grown increasingly agitated and short-tempered, obsessively staring at the door. Paige tried offering a word of comfort here and there but nothing seemed to get through. Finally, Lee Richardson walked in, followed by a distinguished-looking man in a gray suit.
    “Here he is now,” Clarissa hissed. She looked from Paige to Dawn, took a deep breath, and smoothed her hair. “Best foot forward, everyone.”
    The two men walked through the front end of the store aisle by aisle, talking the whole time, pointing at things, gesturing. Every now and then, snatches of phrases like “profit margin,” “lower overhead,” and “liability” could be heard, with an occasional bit of laughter.
    A steady flow of customers kept Paige too occupied to worry much about what they were doing. When they finally stepped up into the dispensing area, they ignored Paige and Clarissa altogether and continued their tour as if no one else was even there.
    “This is a terrific layout.” Milton Parrish’s voice came from the back of the pharmacy.
    “Clarissa is the one who designed it all. She told me what she wanted done, I just followed orders.” There was a moment of quiet before he continued, “Tell you what, Milton, the girl’s got a keen eye for efficiency. We could use her in the construction business if she ever gets tired of pharmacy.” There was no mistaking the pride in Lee Richardson’s voice.
    Paige looked at Clarissa, who was typing at the computer. Her face remained serious, but her eyes began to sparkle.
    Paige concealed a thumbs-up from the men’s view, and Clarissa actually smiled at her.
    “This place is well done, no doubt about it,” Milton Parrish said. “Let’s just pull up a couple of chairs, sit back, and watch awhile. I always seem to learn the most that way.”
    “Sounds good to me.”
    Clarissa turned toward Paige and opened her eyes wide. Panic time.
    Paige picked up a pen and wrote, It’s going to be fine, slid it across for Clarissa to see, then tossed it in the trash before working on the next prescription in line. And then the next. And the next.
    After what seemed like hours, the men finally stood up and walked into the back room.
    Paige grasped Clarissa’s wrist and squeezed. “The pharmacy’s been busy all day, the patients have all been happy, Mr. Parrish is impressed with your layout. Sounds like things are looking good for you.”
    Clarissa looked at her. “I . . . hope so.”
    The store’s front door opened. An obese young woman in too-small clothes entered the store, a sticky-faced baby on her hip. The woman never lifted her eyes above the bottom row of shelves.
    “Oh, no. Look what’s coming. This is just what we need right now.” Clarissa looked at the door to the back room. “Get her out of here as fast as you can.”
    Paige met the woman at the counter. She looked at the prescription and cooed at the baby. “You must be Jonas. Don’t worry, we’ll have you feeling better in no time. And it’ll taste good, too.” She nodded to the mother. “It’ll be just a few minutes. Please, take a seat.”
    “Be right back.” Clarissa disappeared into the bathroom with a hairbrush in her hand.
    Paige measured distilled