Shoe Strings

stretch.   Before the article in Atlanta Wears , their publicity had consisted of a few
well-placed PR pieces in small local papers.  
    “Famous what?” Shelly asked.
    Lita tried to explain.   “I’m a shoe designer.   I
suppose Melinda here has heard of my shoes.”
    “Heard of them?   I worship them.”   She picked
up a slide and placed it on her outstretched hand.   “They’re works of art.”
    Shelly shrugged and clucked her tongue.   “Pretty, but I swear, Melinda, you’ve
got to stop that screeching.”
    “Sorry.”   Melinda
placed the shoe reverently back on the floor as Shelly walked back to Kerri
Ann.   “But I can’t believe you’re
here, in Sequoyah Falls.”
    “I’m on vacation.”   Lita never expected anyone to recognize her shoes, especially in
Sequoyah Falls.   “How do you know
about my shoes anyway?”
    “My sister moved to Atlanta to study fashion design.”   The girl removed Lita’s polish and
applied cuticle cream.   “She discovered
your store about a year ago.   She’s
going to just die when I tell her I met you.”
    “You’ll have to give me her name so I can keep an eye out
for her when she comes in.”
    “Ooohh,” Melinda screamed.   She whispered, “Sorry,” over her
shoulder when Shelly glared.   “That
would make her day.”
    Lita sat contentedly, having her feet massaged in the warm
water and her new color applied.   Melinda’s praise reminded Lita why she worked so hard to build the
business.
    “Do you own any of my shoes?” she asked as her nails dried
and she waited for Shelly to finish with Kerri Ann.
    “Oh, gosh no.”   Melinda ducked her head to clean the footbath.   “They’re sure pretty and all, but I
can’t afford a pair.”   Her eyes
flicked up to Lita’s before she went on.   “Besides, my boyfriend, Derrick, he’s not much taller than me and he
doesn’t like it when I wear heels.”
    Another plus for expanding, Lita thought.   Keeping her operation small meant
forcing the customer to pay high prices for the one-of-a-kind shoes.   Mass marketing would lower the cost and
allow people like Melinda to run to the local mall and wear her brand without
forking over a week’s worth of pay.   If she and Sophie hadn’t struck gold with their company, she’d never
have been able to afford them either.   She sighed as the weight of her decision came pounding back.   She couldn’t hide in the mountains
forever.
    When Kerri Ann cleared her throat and Lita looked up, she
had to shake her head in amazement.   “Well, well, well…look at you.”   Kerri Ann looked amazing.   Shelly had cut soft layers in Kerri Ann’s straight hair leaving a fall
of long wispy bangs to hang mysteriously over one of her green eyes.  
    “I thought I’d have to punch up her color a bit, but once I
got the layers in, it really took on a life of its own.”   Shelly rustled the ends with her hand.
    “Shelly, you’re a genius.   How do you feel?” Lita asked Kerri Ann.
    Kerri Ann shrugged her shoulder and tried to hide the smile
that wanted to form on her lips.   “The same, I guess.”
    She hobbled up from the chair and reached up to clasp Kerri
Ann’s shoulders, turning her round to face the mirror.   “You look beautiful.   I love the layers and the bangs.   It looks like you’re ready for fun,
Kerri Ann.”
    She let her smile bloom.   “I don’t really know what I’m ready for,
but I do like it.”   She lightly
touched the ends of her hair with her fingers.   “I’m glad you talked me into it.”   Kerri Ann turned to face Lita and a
crease grew between her brows.   “My
God, you’re short without those heels on.”
    So much for a special moment between new friends.   “Nothing I can do about my height, but
wear heels.   Thank goodness I love
them.”
    “Don’t look now, but it’s your turn.”   Kerri Ann shoved Lita toward the chair
where Shelly was sweeping up her blond remains.   “Have fun, shorty.”
    Lita didn’t know why she felt connected to Kerri Ann.   Did she recognize a woman whose dreams
seemed buried under her daily responsibilities?   Did she see her own vulnerabilities and
insecurities mirrored in Kerri Ann’s sarcastic facade?   Or did it all circle back to Cal, and
ultimately Jesse, and her affinity for the family who’d enchanted her with
stories of the past, a past in which Kerri Ann played a vital role?  
    An hour later they sauntered up Main Street, Kerri Ann with
a