Chocolaty Contest, Excerpt #4.

Anytime Darlin’

January 29, 1980

Devlin shivered behind the dumpster. She hugged her legs tighter as the wind howled down the alley, blowing grit into her eyes and sending trash flying. Every bone, every muscle, every joint in her body ached. She needed food, she needed warm clothes, and she needed shelter. She toyed with the idea of simply falling asleep. It would be so much easier to give up, but as her mother used to say, “Everything wants to live.”

Groaning, Devlin pushed herself to her feet and considered her plan. If it worked, she’d have a coat, a pair of gloves, and maybe a warmer hat. Then she could think about stealing some food. If it didn’t work, she’d end up in a warm detention facility where they’d feed her. Devlin figured it was a win-win situation.

She’d used a rock to break the single bulb above the back entrance, and when the cleaning crew pulled up half an hour later, Devlin had been hiding in the shadows. The crew consisted of three men and a woman. The woman complained that she was afraid to walk back and forth to the van in the dark, so they’d propped the access door open with a stool. A square of light spilled out of the door, illuminating the side of the van.

Devlin edged around the vehicle and peered cautiously into the doorway, searching for any sign of movement. Though she could hear the dim sound of a floor polisher, she didn’t see anyone near the open door. Hugging the wall, she slid into the store, treading softly in her ragged tennis shoes, keeping to the shadows. Suddenly, Devlin was enveloped by warmth and she lingered in a dark corner beneath a heating vent. Closing her eyes for just a moment, Devlin surrendered to her fatigue. She’d been in the alley for two days, with only newspapers and cardboard boxes for cover. The warm air felt so good.

The corner where Devlin crouched was screened by stacks of merchandise waiting to be shelved. Since she was unlikely to be spotted by the cleaning crew, Devlin decided that a nap wouldn’t hurt. If she got locked in the store, it would be okay, she could sneak out the back tomorrow when they opened up. And once the cleaning crew left, she’d have the store to herself. She wondered briefly if the store had security cameras, but then decided it wouldn’t matter because she’d be gone before anyone looked at the tapes. Studying the merchandise nearby, Devlin chose an oversized stuffed bear from a storage shelf and sprawled across it on the linoleum floor. Within minutes, she fell asleep.

***Answer this question and leave your email addy along with your answer. Feel free to answer questions from any post and I’d love it if you’d tweet this contest!

What did Devlin grab from the storage shelf to sleep on?

Winners of chocolaty goodness will be announced on Valentine’s Day!

I may be over at Ciara Knight’s place on Friday, talking about my most recent release, Come Back to Me. Check it out!

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