Chapter Four
Jessie
“How did training the new guy go?” Clint asked.
I set my coffee on the desk and planted a hand on my hip. “Fine. He actually had experience before getting the job here, imagine that.”
He flinched and looked at his shoes. “I get why you hate that I’m here, Jessie.” Something about the way he said my name made my shoulders drop.
“It’s my job to worry about safety. I just don’t want anyone getting hurt. You can’t stroll around a construction site like you’re on your way to the water cooler.”
He leaned against the desk, drawing my eye to his long jean-clad legs.
At least he managed to dress like he belonged.
Today, he had on a pair of blue jeans and what looked like a soft cotton t-shirt.
Without all of that high-vis gear, my eyes wandered from pecs to biceps to… and I’m staring at his crotch.
Traitorous eyes.
I cleared my throat, reminding myself he was the enemy.
“I get that.” He ran a hand over the back of his neck.
“I did do the safety orientation, besides, water cooler? Is the only thing you know about office jobs from TV shows?” He smirked.
The move showcased the dimples in his cheeks and I decided that, whether I had to be civil or not, the name Dimples was sticking.
What was he smiling about anyway? I guess I would be that happy too if I could just wander onto a work site and take a job at the top.
“Don’t try to joke around with me. This is my livelihood, and you’re threatening it. Worse, you aren’t even qualified for it. I earned my way here. I’m not going to end up on the streets because of you.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re obviously a hard worker, Jessie. You don’t have to be threatened by me.”
“I can’t afford to take that chance,” I said, my heart pounding in my chest.
“This situation is stressful. I get it–”
“You don’t know what it’s like,” I shot back.
“You’ve been down on your luck for what, a week?
I was born into it, dirty, cold, and hungry.
I could have ended up in the gutter, and no one would have cared.
I worked my ass off. I went without. I sacrificed.
Now I’m finally in a place where I can almost breathe.
I’m not going to be pushed out for some privileged pretty boy who hasn’t done a day of work in his life. ”
Without my permission, memories of my childhood flooded my head. Shoes too tight, but no money for new ones. The haze of my mom’s cigarettes in the air. Coming home from school to an empty trailer. Trying to find something to feed my sister when the cupboards were bare.
He studied me for a moment, then dropped his gaze. “You’re right. I hear you. I’ve had more handouts in the last month than you’ve had in your entire life. But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from each other. For whatever jobs come down the line.”
The fact that he was willing to be humble was a relief but also kind of infuriating. Easy for him to bend when he hadn’t had to break down walls the way I had.
I didn’t trust him.
I couldn’t afford to.
He was the enemy, whether he seemed friendly on the outside or not. He didn’t need to know that though. I could polish off my manners and play nice with Dimples if that’s what it took. Being mean to the manager’s pet wouldn’t earn me any points.
I stuck out my hand. “Fine, I’ll agree to a truce. We won’t get shit done if we spend all day arguing.”
He took my hand and shook it, the warmth of his palm seeping into mine.
******
“Savannah, is that you?”
“No, Mom, it’s me.”
“Oh, Jessie. Just the girl I wanted to see.”
Fuck.
I loved my mom, I really did, but when she was actively looking for me, it was rarely good news. I started doing math in my head of how much money I had to spare, knowing that’s what she’d ask for. Not directly, of course. Just hint at it until I felt guilty enough to fork it over.
“The TV is just showing static. Can you look at it for me, hun?”
I glanced towards the TV in her familiar living room.
It had been the same since I was a kid. An old floral print couch in shades of brown and yellow that had long since lost its bounce.
Dark wood coffee table with nicks and dents on every leg, and the faint smell of tobacco smoke.
“Did you pay your cable bill?” I grabbed the remote and clicked the power button to confirm what I already knew.
She furrowed her brow. “I thought I did.” She put on a pair of reading glasses and started shuffling through envelopes on the table.
I took a deep breath. My mom was a smart woman, but she liked to play the part of helpless to get me to deal with things.
I’d ended up taking on the role of provider.
She never did it herself, and neither did any of the long string of boyfriends to walk through the front door.
She could stand on her own two feet. I just needed to stop stepping in any time there was a hint of trouble.
I was working on it.
Part of my financial issue was definitely Dimples threatening my newly won promotion, but paying bills that weren’t mine didn’t help. I’d always had a hard time saying no to my mom.
“Why don’t you call the cable company tomorrow and ask them about it?”
She started wringing her hands and I knew what was coming. “Do you think you–”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket as if I’d gotten a text. “Darn, I was hoping to visit, but I have to deal with a work thing.”
She frowned, but I swallowed down the instinct to grab the likely unpaid bill off her table and straighten it out myself.
“Talk to you later, Mom. Love you.” Okay, so I was a coward when it came to my mom. Still, I hadn’t done what she’d wanted and that was a start.