Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 90564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“They are not going to run you off the road. They’re just being assholes.”
He put his emergency flashers on and pressed back in his seat. “You poked the honey hive going over to their table today, and now the bear is after us.”
“Stop being so dramatic.” I grabbed his inhaler from his lap and shoved it in his face. “Puff on that and calm down.”
After a couple of miles, Wolf’s truck slowed and took a hard turn into one of the gas stations. Kyle visibly relaxed with a relieved sigh. “I’m paying him tomorrow.”
“You are not.”
The dead, brown lawns suddenly became green and perfectly trimmed when we crossed the invisible border into Barrington. Everything here looked brighter, shinier, more alive. And not an asshole or saggy ball in sight.
Kyle dropped me off at work and pulled away.
The thick scent of smoked hickory and the twang of country music wafted through the doors when I stepped into The Squealing Hog. That smell made me nauseous. Probably because it reminded me of the Barrington assholes who ate here.
I shouldered through people waiting to be seated, and my gaze landed on a little girl at the hostess stand. Blond ringlets fell down the back of her pink princess dress. I did a double take as she dug through the peppermint jar. She looked just like my little sister. I hadn’t seen Gracie for over a month, and I surmised it was just my heart being wishful, right until she turned around.
“Sissa!” Smiling, she tossed a handful of candy back in the jar and rushed over to me.
I dropped to a crouch and caught her, tightening my hold when she threw her arms around my neck. “Jellybean.” I knew she’d be ripped away from me at any moment. I wasn’t supposed to see her outside of authorized visitation, and between my leaving the system and Gracie being moved, I hadn’t been able to get it approved yet.
I tried to dislodge the lump in my throat as I cupped her innocent face. “I like your dress.”
Beaming, she lifted the pink skirt and swished it back and forth. “Miss Emma got it for me.”
“Miss Emma?”
Nodding, Gracie pointed at the woman lingering a few feet away. Her pressed dress and salon-fresh bob screamed of money—Barrington money.
“Gracie, sweetheart,” she said as she stepped forward. “We’ve got to go so we aren’t late for the dentist.” She knelt down, tucking one of Gracie’s ringlets behind her ear as her gaze lifted to me. “Who’s your friend.”
“My sister.”
I waited for her judgment, for her to pull Gracie away from the diseased Dayton trash, but instead, she smiled. “Lola? Gracie talks about you all the time. It’s so lovely to meet you.” She held out her hand. “I’m Emma Lancaster. Gracie’s new foster mom.”
I took her hand, wanting to hate her. She had my little sister, and I didn’t. But Gracie looked so happy in her princess dress. Mom never bought us anything like that… Mom never took us to a dentist, either.
A sympathetic expression fell over Emma’s face. “I’m really sorry to rush, but we’re running late.”
I didn’t want to let Gracie go. I knew I likely wouldn’t see her anytime soon, but this was how it was for us. Pulled apart by an unfair system. “Bye, Jellybean.” I stroked over her baby soft hair. “I love you.”
Her lower lip wobbled. “Love you, too.”
Emma took her hand, and I turned around, unable to watch her walk away. I hated my mom for doing this to us. Gracie deserved better.
After I pulled myself together, I went to the wait station and clocked in. There was no point in wallowing in things I couldn’t change.
“She looks just like you.” Chad, one of the other servers, stepped up beside me.
I’d never actually spoken to him, but I knew he was Barrington. That was enough.
“I should have known you’re Gracie’s sister.”
How did he know anything about my sister? “What?” I spun to face him.
“Emma’s my mom.”
Of course. Same blond hair. Same blue eyes. And that made him Gracie’s foster brother. I instantly resented him.
I grabbed a handful of napkins and shoved them into my apron. “And you’re the guy she’s living with.” Instead of me.
He at least had the decency to look guilty about that. “I’m sorry, I know—”
“You don’t know.”
He couldn’t possibly know what it was for me to raise my baby sister. To watch her being taken away and have no power to stop it. I’d lost her and Hendrix, everyone I loved, in one fell swoop. He didn’t know.
I didn’t want to discuss the shitshow that was my life with him. I just wanted to get my tips, get through my shift, and get out of this place. My phone buzzed in my apron pocket as I walked off, and I checked it.