Page 56 of Soft Flannel Hank
Esther was relieved to find that Hank’s fridge, while older, did have an ice maker in the freezer. She grabbed a few pieces in her hand and dropped them into each glass, wincing as she thought about it. “My hands are clean, I promise.”
“You don’t scare me, Esther. And neither do your germs,” Jory said with a laugh that sounded warm and resonant, like a string instrument sliding into tune.
“It’s more comfortable in here, I guess,” Esther said, leading Jory into the den and immediately wishing she hadn’t. There was the recliner.The reclinerwhere Hank had singlehandedly dismantled her completely and then put her back together.
Fortunately the couch was large enough for both of them. Esther sat at the end closest to the recliner and tucked her legs up to sit cross-legged. Jory sat at the other end, tucking both her feet to the side in a position that Esther’s former yoga teacher had referred to as “sitting like a mermaid.”
“So,” Esther said.
“So,” Jory replied.
Esther heard the clock in the hall ticking. The heat kicking on and blowing through the register, the metal rattling just slightly as it started.
“How are you?” Jory asked.
Esther paused. It was the simplest question. One you posed to cashiers and clerks as well as your best friend, though the degree to which you listened to their answer varied widely. But Esther couldn’t help but feel like Jory genuinely wanted an honest answer.
“Miserable.”
Jory gave her a little smile, her green eyes narrowing slightly. “I believe that’s true.”
“What do you do, Jory?” Esther asked. Jory raised an eyebrow, but if she had an opinion on Esther’s clumsy change of subject, she let it go.
“I own a little vintage shop in town.”
“I didn’t think World’s End was big enough to support something like that.”
“It’s not, really,” Jory laughed. “But my store’s got a reputation for being the place to go to find exactly what you’re looking for. People come from all over. And I’ve got a website. I ship across the country.”
“Do you travel a lot for that?” Esther asked.
Jory nodded. “That’s how I stock my store. I travel to thrift shops and estate sales and sort through them for the gems that people don’t know are gems. I found some things on my last trip to New Orleans that I think would lookstunningon a witch like you.”
Esther choked on her water. Jory looked placidly back.
“I’m sorry. Was that a secret?”
“I guess not,” Esther said with a cough. “It’s not like you’re human, right?”
“Right,” Jory said with a half smile.
The silence stretched long between them and with it, a burgeoning familiarity. After Esther stopped coughing, she could acknowledge that the awkwardness had slid out of the room. Jory was new to her, but Jory felt familiar nonetheless.
“So I told you I’m miserable. How are you?”
Jory laughed, a sudden bark that made Esther smile. “Miserable. Absolutely miserable.”
Before she knew it, the clock in the hall chimed seven o’clock. Jory had been there for more than four hours, and Esther honestly couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt the comforting energy frequency that accompanied friendship. She’d been alone for a very long time, and even before that, she had been hesitant to let many people get too close. She was a wide-open book with her stories and self, but allowing people to roost within her life was something altogether different.
But she felt a connection to Jory that made it seem like she’d known her for far longer than she had. Estherwantedher to come close, to stay close, to be a friend. She wanted to have someone in her phone that she could text her every passing thought besides Shannon. She’d allowed herself to fantasize this morning that she might find that with Hank too, but….
It was still quiet upstairs. No doors opening. No walking around. No television sounds.
“Well, what do you have planned tonight?” Jory asked, draining her fifth glass of water.
Esther sighed. “Nothing. I’ll probably take some food up to the room where I’m staying so that he can actually use his house.”
Jory cocked her head to the side.
