Right (60) by Toycoon
"Listen, you two, I got a little apartment behind the shop. It's not much but you're welcome to stay there as long as you like." Jack's eyes followed Katie as she went around the shop, straightening up the displays, unlocking the front door and flipping the sign on it around to read, 'open'. She stopped near the counter with the small cash register on it. "Come on boys, I'll show you." Katie turned and crooking her finger, she beckoned Jack and Ennis to follow. Jack smiled and obeyed. Ennis grabbed his hat and his cup of coffee and caught up to them. Katie disappeared behind the beaded curtains at the back of the store.
On the other side of the doorway, they were standing in the fanciest, single apartment either of the two men had ever seen. The walls were painted various shades of mauve and purple, with ivory lace curtains hanging in the small window facing the alley. The floor was polished, blond wood with a small oriental rug laying in the center. In the opposite corner of the room was a large brass bed flanked by dark wood end tables, one with a large tiffany lamp on it. Ennis and Jack looked around the room then back at each other. How could they refuse Katie's generous offer to stay in such a nice place?
Katie picked up a pink dish towel, dabbed her mouth then wiped her hands. She took another sip of her coffee. 'Well, what do you think, guys? I did up myself," she said proudly flailing her arms, "It's cute, huh?" "Sheee-it, it sure is!" blurted out, Jack grinning from ear to ear. "Well, you think about it," said Katie, looking somewhat strangely at Jack. "I'm gonna pick up sweet rolls over at the bakery. Jack, would you be a doll and keep an eye out on the shop?" She kissed her finger then stretched out her hand and placed her finger on Jack's lower lip. She flung her sweater onto her shoulders and buttoned the top button, framing her impressive cleavage perfectly. "When I come back, I wanna hear everything. I wanna know what you boys were doing out there so dang early in the morning, you hear." With that she bumped open the back door with her hip, flipped her auburn mane and strolled out. The screen door slammed three times before finally stopping.
"Jack, we cain't stay here. Yer daddy's gonna find us if we stay in town. Everybody's gonna find out about us!" said Ennis very concerned, taking Jack by the shoulders and shaking him a little. "Don't ya see? Ennis, it's perfect! My daddy won't never thinka looking fer us here! Guys like us... in a place this this? Besides, he don't hardly ever come into town anyway. He ain't been here in months." Jack hung his hands on Ennis' arms, closed his eyes and leaned in for a quick kiss. They were startled by the sound of loud chimes at the front door and the creak of the door opening. Jack and Ennis walked slowly towards the doorway and together, they peered in. A pretty blond woman wearing a turquoise skirt and sweater set stood near the front door. She ran her hand daintily over a silk scarf and glanced around the store. Jack spoke up. "Hello there, ma'am. Katie went out fer a coupl'a minutes. She'll be right back." The young woman was at first flustered to hear a man's deep voice in the quaint shop but was instantly taken with Jack's handsome looks. Jack was mesmerized by the attractive young woman as well. "I'm Jack. I'm a friend' a Katie's. This here is my buddy, Ennis. We was ... uh, just passing through." Ennis nodded his head and touched the brim of his hat. Amused by the dichotomy of such rugged men in the very feminine boutique, she twittered and held out her graceful hand. " I'm Raquel. Pleased to meet you. Katie didn't tell me she'd hired any help, especially cowboy help." Raquel looked both of the men over thoroughly and concentrating on Ennis, smoothed back her bobbed hair. " Hmm, I'm here to pick up the silk peignoir I bought last week." She unsnapped her bag, pulled out the pink sales receipt and handed it to Jack. "Here you are, darlin'." She smiled then turned back to look at Ennis across the room, standing next to a mannequin form draped with a lavender lace robe embellished in long purple feathers. Jack stepped into the back room to look for her parcel on the layaway shelf.
Just then Katie burst in the door, sounding the chimes and causing the scarves on display to wave in the breeze. She was carrying a small bakery box with a string tied around it in one hand and a pale blue sheet of paper in the other. "Rocky, honey, how are you?!" She kissed Raquel on the cheek, breezed past her to the counter, laid the flyer down then plopped the bakery box on top of it. She turned back towards Raquel and squeezed her hand. "I see you met my hired hands, Jack and Ennis. Aren't they something?!"
"They sure are," Raquel agreed. "Where on Earth did you find them?" "My 'cowboys'...?" Katie confided, "I picked them up by the side of the road. Can you believe it?!" They giggled for several minutes then Katie pulled open the drawer. She took out a silver pair of scissors and snipped the string on the bakery box. She pulled the flyer from under the box and read it silently. "Raquel, were you planning on going to the Winter Dance this Saturday?" 'No, I couldn't get a date," she replied mournfully. "Yeah, neither could I." A few moments went by then Katie's eyes twinkled like amber. "Girl, I just got an idea..."
Jack came back in to the room carrying a rectangular box with a red bow. "Here you are, Raquel. Here's yer box," he said, setting the package on the counter. "Oh hey there, Katie." "Hi there, Jack. Here's the sweet rolls I promised you boys." She flipped open the box and waved her hands over the contents. "Say Jack, we were wondering what you two handsome cowboys were doing next Saturday." "Umm, nothing, I reckon," said Jack, taking a cinnamon roll dripping with icing from the box. "Great! Then you and Ennis can take me and Raquel to the Winter Dance on Saturday." She held up the pale blue flyer and put it in front of Jack's face. Jack grinned sheepishly as he read it's contents and then turned to Ennis. "Well, buddy, ah guess we're going to the Winter Dance with these lovely ladies."