Coal Black Blues Read Online Free

quaint, or different, was home. If Caroline changed her mind, returning to Virginia wouldn’t be an option. She would have to find a new beginning somewhere else in a place strange and lonely.
    This is better. Coaltown provided familiarity and family and Neil.
    Caroline shoved the thought away. She’d rather not think about him or allow dreams to build because they would eventually crash. Too many years apart, too many life events had occurred to make a return to what they once shared possible, let alone plausible. The Midway Store and her grandparents’ old house were all she had remaining. I have to succeed here. I have to because I’m out of options.
    She came from tough mountain stock, miners, farmers, and people who’d made it through a hardscrabble life. Caroline inhaled a deep breath, got off her ass, and headed into the dingy bathroom to wash away her tears. In the dim light, she studied her reflection for a moment, then shrugged. It doesn’t matter what I look like. It matters what I do.
    Updating the restrooms had to be a priority, she decided, but only after she got the place cleaned and in shape, then stocked and open for business. A glance at the clock behind the cash register confirmed it wasn’t quite seven AM. Caroline had the day at hand and nothing else to do so she decided to get busy. She found one of her uncle’s old flannel shirts in the dinky office and put it on to protect her blouse. Then she tied a bandana from the store over her hair and grabbed a broom.
    Her frontal attack on the spider infested storeroom removed all the webs and sent spiders scuttling for cover. She stomped a few beneath her shoes, shuddering with disgust and resolved to find some hedge apples. Granny had sworn by them, vowed they kept spiders and other insects at bay. By eleven AM, the storeroom floor sparkled and she’d made progress out in the shop. Clean shelves and coolers were now ready to hold stock.
    Coming up for air, Caroline paused, sweat trailing down her face. She longed for a cool drink and something to eat, but neither could be found at the store. Unless she wanted to drive to the house or to another shop, she’d have to stay hungry. With an effort, Caroline plopped onto the stool behind the counter. She collected her wandering thoughts and made a mental list of what else needed to be done.
    Call the supplier and a pest control company. Scrub the bathrooms again. Then go find something to eat before I keel over and then sleep for about twelve hours. Eyes closed, she leaned against the counter with her elbows and although she meant to resist, she drifted toward sleep.
    “Carrie.”
    Neil’s familiar voice cut into her consciousness. She roused, certain she had dozed her way into a dream. “What is it?”
    “I brought your dinner,” he said, using the term colloquially. In DC, for most of the modern world, dinner would be an evening meal, but in old-fashioned mountain talk, it meant the food served at midday. “I figured you’d be working and forget to eat.”
    And he had been correct. She parted her lips to deny it but her stomach rumbled so she gave up. “You’re right. I’m hungry.”
    “Then let’s eat.”
    His presence loomed huge in the room and sucked away most of the air until she had trouble breathing. After the many years apart, despite their brief yet volatile encounter, Neil didn’t seem real. He had been the dream she kept, the memory she pressed and pasted into her heart. Facing the reality proved to be harder than she ever imagined.
    They feasted on fried chicken, the skin crisp, the white meat tender and succulent. Neil had paired it with potato salad and small ears of corn, each skewered on a stick. “It’s delicious,” Caroline said as she ripped into her first piece with gusto. “Where did you get it?”
    “Supermarket, in town.”
    Town meant Charleston, the state capital city. Every other burg in between was as small as Coaltown or close in size. “Didn’t you work