Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
Dear Followers,
Check out these cute sweaters! They will be perfect to help us transition into fall and winter weather. Pair them with jeans, leggings, or dress pants for a stylish look. The gray color is on a super sale—grab them before they’re gone!
Sincerely,
The Frugal Fashionista
The reminder alarm on my phone goes off, startling me out of my study groove. Sunday afternoon lunch is one of the few times we can eat together as a family, and it means a lot to my mom.
So I shut my laptop, stretch, and head out to the kitchen to help my mom prepare the meal. Sarah and Jace are in the middle of Candyland, and he hops up from the living room to tackle my legs.
“Aunt Nattie!” He beams up at me, his dark eyes twinkling. “I missed you so much!”
I boop his nose. “I was only studying for two hours!”
Sarah’s off on Sunday afternoons, so she likes to be with Jace. But he’s used to me or my mom picking him up from daycare and spending afternoons and evenings with him, so sometimes he doesn’t handle it well when we aren’t available. I try to study when he’s in bed, but after traveling for work, I really needed to make progress today. I should read another journal article before my shift at The Silver Spoon. But I let him pull me across the shag carpet.
“Play with me!”
Sarah looks up from the game and mouths, “Save me,” and I wince.
“Only if we can switch to Chutes and Ladders instead. And if your mom goes and helps Nana.”
He’s obsessed with Candyland, but I’m burnt out. It’s been more than a year of playing it non-stop.
Jace narrows his eyes, and Sarah unfolds herself. “I’d take that deal, buddy.”
“Two games?” he asks, holding up his fingers.
“You drive a hard bargain. But okay.”
Sarah wanders into the kitchen and begins pulling things out of the refrigerator. She’s an amazing cook and can throw together a gourmet meal with the most random assortment of ingredients. I’m always impressed. In another life, she could have been a chef.
As Jace puts away Candyland and gets Chutes and Ladders out of the hall closet, I look around. “Where’s Nana?”
“In here!” Her muffled voice comes from the utility room between the garage and the kitchen. “I have a laundry question for you.”
“Be right back,” I tell Jace. “You know I want to be the little girl with pigtails.”
Bypassing whatever Sarah is doing in the kitchen, I pop my head into the laundry room to see what my mom needs.
Her forehead wrinkled, she holds up Hunter’s gray hoodie.“Is this yours? I’ve never seen it before.”
I remember what it smelled like—expensive man cologne and Hunter—and I want to snatch it out of her hands.
Instead, I frown. “You are busy enough. I don’t expect you to do my laundry.”
My mom shrugs. “Eh, I was already doing a load. No big deal.” Then she holds the sweatshirt up against her frame, stretching out an arm to demonstrate how massive it is. “It looks a little large for you, though.”
“One of the hockey players let me borrow it, Mom. I spilled coffee and—”
“Oh, how sweet. I’ll wash it so you can return it.”
It was nice of him, and so unexpected. Everything about Hunter was unexpected yesterday. I’m still trying to reconcile his thoughtfulness on the bus with the guy who yelled at me for stealing his necklace and wouldn’t help a friend in need at the bar. I don’t know what to think about it or how to act around him next week.
“Hey, pretty ladies.” My dad shuffles in and wraps his arms around my mom, giving her a kiss on the cheek. And I can see it on her face—she just melts a little. Everything softens, her stiff shoulders relax, and she smiles at him. How are they still so in love?
Then he ruffles my hair. “How was your big overnight?”
I lean against the doorframe. “It was good. Weird being away, but my job is actually pretty cool. I like the social media stuff.”
A wrinkle appears between my mom’s eyes. “You won’t drop out of college and become an influencer, right?”
“Mom.” I roll my eyes. “I don’t think you know what an influencer is. And no, just because I work for the Social Media Team now does not mean I want to do it as a career.” Not like I could do that if I dropped out—I’d need a college degree to get a full-time position in Kayla’s department.
It would be a fun job. Exhilarating to figure out why some posts get more likes than others and challenging to set the message and direction. But I know why my mom is worried. It’s not because the career wouldn’t fit my strengths. But it’s too unstable, too unpredictable. Not a dependable enough income stream.
Which is fine. Accounting is practical and a high-paying white-collar field. I’m not ashamed to admit that those things factored into my decision. So I pat her arm.
“I’m going to get a great full-time job and help contribute more soon. I’ve sent out resumes and I should have some interviews soon. Nothing for you to stress about.”
Giving me a tremulous smile, she steps away from my dad and faces us both. We are over the max number of people that fit in the laundry room by about two, but with a four-year-old, I take uninterrupted adult conversations where I can get them.
“Speaking of jobs and contributing, I wanted to tell you both that I found something steadier than catering with Cara.” My dad stiffens. It’s hard that he can’t work, and that she’s taken on so much extra. “I’m going to drive for GrubHub.”
I blink. That’s what other college students do, not my mom.
“I can set my own hours, do as much or as little as I want in a night. I can take Jace with me.” She turns to me. “I know it means I need the car, but maybe you can take the bus to and from campus more? Or I can pick you up sometimes?”
“Yeah.” I nod. I’ll never hold my mom back from working her ass off to take care of our family. I refuse to be another one of her burdens. I wish I could do more so she could take a break. Next year, when I have a full-time accountant salary, I’ll make sure she can finally rest. “It’s a great idea, Mom.”
My dad frowns, his forehead wrinkled. “But Julie, is it safe?”
“Absolutely!” She explains the process to him until finally he nods and kisses her forehead. I watch them, and a twinge of envy ripples through me. I hope a man looks at me with that kind of love someday.
After I’ve gotten my well-paying job and provided for my family, of course. They come first. Until then, I don’t have a spare moment to even think about a boyfriend.