Chapter 10
FRANKIE
After Jasmine and Marie dropped me off, I spent my last night in the trailer.
I should have felt sentimental, but I felt nothing for this decrepit home.
No, it wasn’t a home. Dad bailed before I could even remember him.
Mom died from a drug overdose when I was twelve.
Marcus had cared enough about me to become my guardian so I didn’t go into the foster care system, but that was it.
He’d been twenty at the time and had been far from parental.
I’d shopped for my own groceries with money he used to leave for me on the chipped counter, then the money I made from waitressing when I turned fifteen. I pretty much raised myself.
Being kicked out of the trailer only meant I’d failed and I thought of that while I used all the hot water to scrub away all the hair product and makeup.
I didn’t have too much time to think about the stupidity of what I’d done because Jerky Jack had pounded on the door the next morning to kick me out.
While I had the six hundred dollars I’d made from the night before’s sex-on-the-table, I wasn’t giving my landlord a dime. It wasn’t close to all I owed him after Marcus shafted us both and even if I handed it over, I’d still be kicked out.
I probably could’ve asked Marie or Jasmine if I could crash with them, but their trailers were crammed full of family already.
I, in a weak moment, gave him the middle finger as I left and knew I was never going to be able to come back. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had someone in the place by lunch. Empty trailer, empty pockets.
I’d never been so thankful to work at a hotel because after my shift I showered and slept in a room that hadn’t been cleaned.
I left at dawn before any of the housekeepers arrived and made it to Wilder Auto Repairs by seven, eating a yogurt and banana I grabbed from the breakfast buffet in the lobby.
I gave myself a little pep talk in the rearview mirror after I parked at the side of the building.
Out on the street, I saw the sign for Wilder Auto Repair and tried to calm the butterflies that felt like they’d turned into piranhas in my stomach.
“You might not have a place to live, but you’ve got a job.
Six hundred dollars in your pocket. Things are turning around. ”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but I needed all the positive affirmations I could get. I just had to hang on until payday.
I entered the shop right at seven. The scent of coffee hit me along with the sharpness of motor oil and new tires. Somehow, those familiar smells made me think things were only getting better when the door between the mechanic bays and the waiting room opened and a guy in gray coveralls walked in.
My mouth fell open and I couldn’t believe it.
It was him, Shep, from Saturday night. The guy I’d had sex with. Proof was his name printed on his chest. And the ache that lingered in my pussy from him being deep inside me.
His eyes widened as he froze at the sight of me.
“Cherry,” he murmured, with a smile. He glanced out the front window as if looking for my car that might need work. “What are you doing here?”
I tucked my thumbs in my jean pockets, equally embarrassed and pleased with the nickname he called me. “I’m your new employee.”
He frowned.
“Guy’s name is Frankie.”
“Yeah. I’m Frankie Waller.”