Salem's Lot

12

1:00 P.M.

Susan Norton stepped into Babs’ Beauty Boutique, smiled at Babs Griffen (Hal and Jack’s eldest sister), and said, ‘Thank goodness you could take me on such short notice.’

‘No problem in the middle of the week,’ Babs said, turning on the fan. ‘My, ain’t it close? It’ll thunderstorm this afternoon.’

Susan looked at the sky, which was an unblemished blue. ‘Do you think so?’

‘Yeah. How do you want it, hon?’

‘Natural,’ Susan said, thinking of Ben Mears. ‘Like I hadn’t even been near this place.’

‘Hon,’ Babs said, closing in on her with a sigh, ‘that’s what they all say.’

The sigh wafted the odor of Juicy Fruit gum, and Babs asked Susan if she had seen that some folks were opening up a new furniture store in the old Village Washtub. Expensive stuff by the look of it, but wouldn’t it be nice if they had a nice little hurricane lamp to match the one she had in her apartment and getting away from home and living in town was the smartest move she’d ever made and hadn’t it been a nice summer? It seemed a shame it ever had to end.