She was blasting the Wicked sound track today, louder than usual so she could belt along with Idina Menzel. This kind of heat always made business slow, but today was ridiculous. Maybe people were finally done with the weather, and everyone had gone to the beach. When ‘Defying Gravity’ came on, she cranked it a few notches higher, then stepped out onto the floor to rearrange the rack of golf shirts by size and style. Just as she got to the chorus, a man cleared his throat behind her. Emily jumped and shrieked and nearly knocked all the shirts off the rack. Her face went from cool to blazing in half a second. She steadied the rack and called over her shoulder, loudly enough to be heard over the music. ‘I’m so sorry—’ Then she stopped short. Michael Merrick stood there. She stared at him, unable to move. He made a circular motion with his hand.
