Sudden Independents - By Ted Hill Page 0,33

do, too.”

Scout checked the outside temperature on the digital display of the small Toyota pickup as he coasted to a stop in front of Ginger’s house. Three hours had slipped by and the temperature only rose two degrees, from thirty-four to thirty-six. The gas gauge hung near empty. Scout was glad he’d made it back to Independents without a long walk freezing his butt off. He would fill up at the auto depot where they kept their fuel reserves in a giant tanker truck, but first he wanted to spread a little joy.

Scout sprang from the pickup like a snake in a can, excited by what he had found for Ginger and the anticipation of her reception. A foot-pedal sewing machine in pristine condition rested in the truck bed, revealing the care and love of the previous owner. Scout also found enough needles, bobbins, thread and material to supply Ginger with her own private shop.

As he unloaded the truck’s contents to the porch, Samuel walked up and leaned against the tailgate.

“What’s up? Need any help?”

“Sure, grab that pile,” Scout said, holding bolts of fabric in shades of blue, red, and green.

Samuel hopped into the bed with the creaking complaint of worn shocks and lifted his own spectrum of colored materials. “Shouldn’t this go over to the sewing shop?”

“I figured I’d give the sewing stuff to the person doing all the sewing. Anyways, this is a gift for Ginger. They got plenty of this stuff at the shop.”

“Not you, too.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Samuel smiled like a fat Tomcat climbing out of a garbage can. “There’s been a lot of interest in Ginger, lately. I understand, of course. She’s the sweetest girl in town, not to mention her curvy assets.”

Scout shrugged. “I just wanted to do something nice for her since she’s helped Vanessa with little David. You don’t have to worry about me if you got something going on with her.”

Samuel laughed. “Can you keep a secret?”

“What kind?”

“The kind that gets my butt kicked if it goes any further than you and me.”

“Oh yeah, I’m good at keeping those kind.”

Samuel squinted hard at Scout, and then he lowered his voice. “Jimmy has this huge crush on Ginger, but he’s too shy to do anything about it. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get the two together for a while now.”

Scout grinned. “Let me handle it. I’m a natural matchmaker. How do you think Vanessa and Mark finally hooked up?”

“I thought Mark asked her out,” Samuel said, hoisting a better grip on the material.

“Please. He was scared to death, and Vanessa was no better. She kept telling me how cute he was and how much she was in love with him ’til I thought I would puke my guts out.”

“What did you do?”

Scout knocked loudly on the door and quickly regained his grip on the pile. He winked at Samuel as Ginger opened the door to her yellow house, washing them in a floral fragrance of warm air.

“Hey, Ginger,” Scout said. “I found you a bunch of sewing stuff. And you’re never going to guess who has the biggest crush on you.”

Samuel’s pile slipped from his hands and hit the porch. He stumbled off backwards and fell on the ground where he silently fumed in Scout’s direction.

“Oh my goodness! Are you okay?” Ginger asked.

Samuel jumped up and brushed off his butt. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Look at all this stuff,” Ginger said, bending down to help Samuel gather his pile. “Why didn’t you take it over to the shop?”

“You guys have enough over there already. This way, you can sew whatever you want without Molly being up in your business.”

Scout walked in and laid his pile on a large table. Potted flowers in various states of bloom lined shelves that usually received direct sunlight from the high southern windows, except on cloudy days like today. The invigorating smell permeated the house, causing Scout to feel like a little kid again. His mom loved flowers, too, and Ginger’s house always cheered him up. Flames crackled sparks over the wood in the fireplace, making the place warm and cozy.

Samuel staggered into the house and laid his pile on the table with Ginger’s help. He smiled at her nervously.

“Help me bring in the rest, Samuel,” Scout said.

“Sure.” He looked back at Ginger. “Is Catherine around?”

“She’s still in bed. She likes to stay up late. Why?”

“Jimmy asked me to check. I’ll explain when I’m done helping Scout.” Samuel caught Scout’s attention with a