Page 50 of Suncatcher

“Make me an offer.”

Pearl considered. “I’ll be right back.”

She hurried to her door and up the stairs to her room. She knew Gail would rather trade than get a dollar. She always had.

Pearl rummaged through the drawer in her dressing table and pulled out the five abalone buttons she’d purchased on her last trip to Plainsburgh. She’d bought them thinking to replace the ones on her duster jacket, but her current wooden ones worked just fine. She threw three back in the drawer and pocketed two.

When she returned to the street, Gail was already closing up the back of her wagon. She was always like that, a passing breeze, hardly staying long enough to make a deal. Pearl lengthened her strides and thrust the buttons at her.

Gail peered down at the offer, brushing one finger over them. Something like disappointment pinched her face, but she nodded. “Done.”

Pearl dropped the buttons in a shallow dish and grabbed her faded bag, the closing wagon side nearly crushing her hand.

She stepped back as Gail picked up the two handles at the front of her cart and started careening away. “Until next time.”

Pearl climbed up onto Molly’s porch and watched her rattle her way down the street.

“A bit of an odd one,” Molly commented, also watching the wanderer leave.

“Aren’t we all a bit odd?”

Molly sighed. “I suppose. You need food?”

“Nah, I’m meeting my ma. Thanks, though.” Pearl leaned down and pressed a quick, chaste kiss to Molly’s cheek.

“Wait, you never told me the stupid thing you did.”

Pearl shrugged, already off the porch and halfway across the street to the saloon. “Never mind.”

She passed through the swinging doors and nodded to Spencer on her way to the back corner table. Not long after, Sheriff Oak entered and joined her.

“You missed Gail,” Pearl said in greeting.

“So I heard.” The sheriff sank back into her chair. “You were out late last night.”

“And?”

“You got a new woman? It’s not Rosie, is it?”

Pearl shot her a sideways glare. “No, it’s not Rosie.”

If her mother only knew. A sliver of guilt wedged its way under her skin, until she thought of Driz again. Her hand reached for her throat, playing with the chain.

“What’s that?” Sheriff Oak asked, a small smirk on her face.

“Nothing.” Pearl quickly dropped the chain, but the sheriff reached out and caught it, tugging until the pendant fell free of Pearl’s collar.

All amusement and color drained from her face. “Where’d you get this?”

The hairs on Pearl’s neck stood on end. “Why?”

“Where?”

“Don’t remember,” Pearl lied.

The sheriff stared another moment. Then she stood abruptly, knocking her chair over. She didn’t acknowledge Spencer as he approached with two steaming bowls. She just walked out the doors.

Pearl jumped up, muttering a quick apology to Spencer, and chased her mother out into the early evening.