Page 16 of Afternoon Delight

Meg

Shelby:

You quit your job to sell sex toys?

My daughter’s text arrived as I was opening the store the next morning.

“Really, Roddie?” I muttered under my breath.

Yes.

I’m busy doing that right now.

Long day today. I’ll call tomorrow.

Then I texted Roddie before I finished my opening routine.

Tattletale.

It didn’t really bother me that he’d ratted me out.

I was glad my kids were close enough to share secrets with each other.

I had always wanted a sibling and had worried I’d waited too long between my own children.

Shelby had been starting kindergarten before we began trying for another baby.

It hadn’t happened right away, which added even more space between them.

Still, both of my kids now knew I had quit my job. I would’ve preferred to have a broader plan in place so I didn’t come across as unhinged by my recent divorce, but so be it.

The door jangled. Zak poked his head in. “I’m going for coffee. Want anything?”

“Sure. Thanks. Whatever their drip of the day is, with a splash of cream.” I would be vibrating, but I had a lot to do today.

“You don’t want something fancy? Pumpkin-spiced latte or whatever?”

“I do not want that, and if you ever buy me one of those, I will marry you purely so I can divorce you and take all your money as punishment for not knowing how disgusting that is.”

“Yes to pumpkin spice. Got it.” The door jangled again as he left.

I watched him stride across the road without using the crosswalk, shoulders hunched in his blue puffer jacket, hair tousled by the wind.

Nutbar.

A customer came in, one I privately classified as ‘covert.’ His jacket was zipped to his chin, and he wore a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.

He moved with stiff purpose, grabbing a butt plug and some lube, bringing them straight to the cash desk and setting them down with the kind of bravado every woman used to buy tampons until she stopped giving a flying fuck that the cashier knew her uterus was shedding.

“Good morning. I can give you five percent off with today’s coupon.” I flashed it at him. “It’s our relaunch today.”

“Oh. Great.” His wall of defensiveness crumbled. He broke into a wide smile. “Thanks. You don’t have to bag it. I’m in a hurry.”

“Sure.” I rang it through. He shoved the items into his jacket pockets as he left.

I tried not to wonder what sort of butt-plug emergency he was racing to, but I was quickly distracted when Zak returned with my coffee.

“Thanks.” I came to the door to accept it so he could stay positioned to keep an eye on his own shop’s entrance. “What’s the occasion?”

“Dad always helps with breakfast, but whatever went into my mouth this morning wasn’t coffee.” He made a face, but he wasn’t joking. Beneath the grimace was brooding concern.

“I’m sorry.” I wanted to squeeze his arm.

“Yeah. I can’t tell Zara. She gets upset. I bought you a coffee so I could stand here and bitch to you about it.” He carefully broke the tab on his cup lid and folded it back.

“You already gave me a Penthouse for that.” I nodded toward the basket. “I’ve had offers, by the way. I told them to come by your shop, knock three times, and ask for Zak.”

“ Tinfoil ,” he reminded me with exasperation. “You think I want my dad knowing I’m cutting side deals in vintage porn? I should check on him.” He reached for the door. “But hey, good luck today.”

“Thanks. And seriously, anytime.”

“Thanks.” He nodded and slipped into his own shop.

I thought about him between the small rushes of customers I had through the morning, wishing there was something I could do to help Zak.

Like what? I chided myself. Buy him a toy to cheer him up? He had said he was curious.

I’d spent a lot of time examining the vagina-focused toys and had finally brought home a small vibrator marketed as ‘stealth’ for its near-silent vibration. It delivered solid orgasms. I had no complaints, but it wasn’t changing my life or anything.

Since the store was quiet, I took a closer look at the penis-focused toys.

I’d filled a lot of online orders for super high-end products with Bluetooth controls that could be used via an app for long-distance lovemaking.

Most of what I had on the shelf was mid-range in price and focused on masturbation sleeves and prostate stimulators.

A rimming plug? How did that work?

The door jangled.

“Mom?” Roddie walked in.

For Christ’s sake . I dropped the plug.

“What are you doing here?” My heart was fully outside my chest, running away.

“I texted you.” His gaze swung like a scythe from wall to wall.

I checked my phone and there it was.

Roddie:

Wifi is trash. Going to library.

“How did you get here? Did Grandma drop you?” I looked toward the street.

“No. She had to help someone named Barbara at the thrift store.” He came further into the shop and peered around the shelf to see what it held. “I checked the bus schedule, then got off down the street.”

“Did you text Grandma?” I started to text her.

“Uh-huh. I said I going to the library, but I saw online that the coffee shop across the street has free wifi. I brought my school stuff.” He adjusted his backpack on his shoulder while tilting his head back to see how the sex swing was affixed to the rafter beam.

“I’ve been thinking of upgrading it. The wifi ,” I clarified as Roddie’s gaze crashed down to meet mine. Was I starting to blush? Ugh. “I’ll talk to Grandma tonight.”

“I went by a high school on the bus. If you’re really going to stay until summer, you could drop me there on your way to work and I could walk here after.”

“You want to go to school here?” In Milestone? When I was growing up, my mother hadn’t let me date anyone from this neighborhood. Zak had probably gone to that high school, though. Why did knowing he was from the wrong side of the tracks make me warm to him even more?

“For music and science, so I don’t fall behind. It’s only a semester,” Roddie said absently, still taking in the toys that his grandmother had arranged so painstakingly.

“If you want to walk up to the school and ask whether they’ll let you do that, go ahead, but I can’t go with you today. I have—” I pointed at the customer coming in. “And they like privacy, so you have to leave.”

“’Kay. Can I have some money for the coffee shop?”

I rolled my eyes but found some cash in my purse. “Bring me a scone or something, would you?”