Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 86158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
“That’ll be four bucks even,” I said evenly as I leaned down in the window again.
“Keep the change,” he said cockily, handing me a five.
Whoa, big spender. Internally I rolled my eyes, but outwardly I smiled and thanked him, handing over his coffee.
“You change your mind, you know where I’ll be,” he said, his fingers trying to brush mine as we exchanged the cup.
I just nodded. He’d told me all about the jewelry store where he was working security.
“Yeah,” I muttered as he drove away. “I know exactly where you won’t be—the police station, you fucking douche.”
When the guys at the club found out he’d been harassing my best friend, they’d put an immediate end to it. A few quiet words placed in the right ears and Officer Asshole had become civilian asshole pretty damn quick. His confidence had deflated when he’d lost the badge and Kara hadn’t seen him once since then. Unfortunately for me, he must recognize my car because he’d started stopping by every day I was working, no matter which shift I was on.
The rest of my shift was so easy, I worked it on autopilot. A few friends and family came through, mostly because they also recognized my car and wanted to chat, but other than that I didn’t do much business. That was going to have to change if I wanted to increase profits enough to open the new cart.
At twelve forty on the dot, Mary whipped into the parking spot next to mine.
“You’re late,” I snapped as I threw open the door.
“Doesn’t my shift start at twelve thirty?” she asked innocently, walking toward me slowly.
“It started at noon,” I replied flatly. “Even if it started at twelve thirty you’d still be late.”
“Ten minutes,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “I’m here, you can go.”
I grit my teeth and grab my bag, slinging it over my shoulder. It was going to be a pleasure to fire her ass when I bought the cart.
“Bye,” she called cheerily as I walked toward my car.
I pulled my phone out as soon as I’d closed myself inside.
“Hey sister,” my older sister Cecilia answered.
“What are you doing right now?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she replied with a laugh. “Kids are at Lily’s, Mark’s working, and I don’t have any appointments today.”
“I’m coming over,” I said, turning on the car.
“Cool.”
“You should make us lunch.”
“Well, aren’t you needy today,” she said. “What if I’ve already eaten?”
“Then make me lunch,” I said with a huff. “I need to bitch, but I’m also starving. I might be hangry and the bitching won’t be necessary after I eat.”
“Oh fine,” she said in mock irritation. “I’ll make you lunch.”
It only took a few minutes to get over to my sister’s. She and Mark had bought the property right next to my parents and even though I liked having some space between me and Farrah, I was a little jealous that they were so close. The kids roamed free between the two properties and sometimes it just felt like one giant compound.
“I made you a sandwich,” Cecilia called from the porch. “And some chips. Anything more than that and you’ll have to cook it yourself. It’s my day off.”
“That’s perfect,” I said as I climbed the steps.
She was sitting on an Adirondack chair and waved me to the matching one.
“Let’s hang out here,” she said with a sigh. “Listen to that silence.”
“The construction noise carries, huh?” I asked with a laugh.
“I cannot wait for them to finish,” she said as I grabbed my plate of food from the tiny table between us. “I don’t know how mom and dad can stand it.”
“Are you kidding?” I asked, glancing at her. “Mom’s so stoked I’m surprised she’s not spending her days in a lawn chair watching them work.”
Cecilia laughed. “I’m glad she’s so excited. I don’t know what I would’ve done if we’d lost this place.”
“You guys got lucky as hell the fire didn’t come this way.”
“I know,” she said. “Only the death house got destroyed.”
“Don’t let mom hear you call it that,” I mumbled, taking a bite of my sandwich.
“I won’t,” she replied. “But I’m glad they’re starting with something new. The whole back yard area is going to pretty much be a part of the house now. It won’t even be recognizable back there.”
“Our memories of the old place are different,” I said with a shrug.
There had been a shooting at my parents’ house the summer before I was born. My mom had actually been pregnant with me when it all went down. People had died. My older siblings had lived through it and dealt with the fallout, but I hadn’t. I’d been too small to even realize the toll it had taken on our family. When I was finally old enough to actually understand what had happened, time had softened the edges of their trauma a little.