Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Kinsley
For the first time in my life, I woke up feeling free.
Free from the bondage that kept me tied to Berkshire.
I lay in bed and thought about everything that I had to do.
I pulled a pad of paper and pen out of the drawer in the nightstand and began to write down my goals and my tasks.
I’d always found that if I had everything in my head written down, I could complete each to-do item easily and without stress.
Go to the bank and open an account.
Go to the phone store and buy a new phone.
Look for an apartment.
Look for a job.
Look for a car.
Go to the beach and let the water sweep over my feet.
I tore the paper from the pad and put it inside my purse. After I showered and got dressed, I opened the curtains to let the beautiful California sun into my room. A smile swept over my face as I stood there and stared at the palm trees that gracefully danced as the light wind took its lead.
I left my room, walked across the street to a coffee house, and grabbed a coffee and a scone to kick off my day.
I walked a couple of blocks, found a phone store, and bought myself a brand-new iPhone and a new number.
Because I was a new customer to the provider, I only had to pay forty dollars for the phone.
Things were already starting to look up.
I pulled Reece’s card from my purse and dialed his number.
“Reece here,” he answered.
“Hi, Reece, it’s Kinsley.”
“Kinsley, my girl. How was your first night in California?”
“It was good. Thanks. You said to call you if I needed a cab. Well, I need a cab. Are you available?”
“I’m just dropping off someone now. Are you at the motel?”
“Yes.”
“I can be there in about twenty minutes. Hang tight.”
“Thanks, Reece.”
I ended the call, walked back to the motel, sipped my coffee, and ate my scone while I waited for him. It had been twenty minutes on the dot when he pulled up.
“Where to, Kinsley?” He smiled.
“Well, I need to buy a car. Are the dealerships open on Saturdays?”
“Yep. They’re open until two o’clock, so you have plenty of time. There’s a used car dealership not too far from here. Wanna check it out?”
“Yeah, I do.” I nodded.
I glanced at his dashboard and saw a picture of a beautiful woman with long dark hair and three children, all boys—a picture I didn’t notice yesterday.
“Is that your family?” I asked as I pointed to the picture.
“They sure are.” He proudly grinned. “That’s my wife Nadia and our boys, Samuel, Jacob, and Luke.”
“Names from the Bible.” I smiled.
“Yes. That’s right. They are my world. Samuel is ten, Jacob is eight, and Luke is four. We planned on stopping after Jacob, but God had other plans for us.”
“They’re beautiful.”
“Thanks. What about you? Do you have any family?” he asked.
“Not really. I have a mom back in Indiana. That’s about it.”
Reece could hear the somberness in my voice, and as much as he wanted to know why I suddenly hopped on a plane and moved here, he didn’t ask. He was a nice guy: early forties with short black hair, brown eyes, and a good attitude about life.
“Hey, Reece, can I ask you something?”
“Sure, Kinsley. You can ask me anything.”
“Why do you drive a cab?”
He let out a laugh and looked at me through his rearview mirror.
“I drive a cab because it’s in my blood. It’s my company. My father handed it over to me when he retired. Plus, I love people. Everyone has a different story to tell, but we’re all the same in the end.”
“Nice.” I smiled.
He pulled into the used car lot and walked around with me while I looked at cars.
“Hello there.” A jolly older man approached us. “Looking for a car?”
“I am. My name is Kinsley.” I held out my hand.
“Nice to meet you, Kinsley. I’m Bill. So, tell me what you’re looking for?”
“Anything that is reliable and will cost me no more than four thousand dollars out the door.”
“Okay. I have just the car for you.” He grinned. “Follow me.”
He led us over to a silver Ford Focus.
“This here is a Focus. It’s the cheapest car I have on the lot and probably one of the most reliable. It has a hundred and eight thousand miles on it. But don’t let that scare you.” He put up his hand. “Under the hood is all pretty much new parts. It runs like a charm.”
“How much?” I arched my brow at him.
“This one is fifty-five hundred, but since you seem like such a sweet girl, I’ll give it to you for five grand. As I said, it’s the cheapest car I have.”
“And as I said, no more than four grand out the door. Did I mention I was paying for the car in cash?” I cocked my head innocently at him.
“Cash? Do you have four grand with you now?” His brow raised.
“Yes.” I grinned.
“Congratulations on your new vehicle, Kinsley.” The corners of his mouth curved into a wide smile. “Step inside my office, and we can complete the paperwork.”
I hugged Reece and thanked him for being so kind.
“Thank you for everything, Reece. This truly is the city of Angels.” I smiled.
“You’re welcome, Kinsley. Now that you have a car don’t be a stranger. I’d like to have you over for a barbeque to meet my wife and kids.”
“I’d love that.”
“I’ll text you, okay?”
“Okay.” I smiled.
After signing the papers, Bill handed me the keys to my car.
I climbed inside and ran my hand over the soft black cloth seats with a smile on my face.
Pulling out the paper from my purse, I checked off three items on my list. The bank would have to wait until Monday since they closed at noon, and it was already one thirty.
I punched in the address to the motel into google maps and followed the directions back, missing a turn and ending up in downtown Los Angeles.
I was starving, so I decided to grab a bite to eat before attempting to find my way back to the motel.
After pulling into a parking space, I got out of my car and walked along the street, stumbling across a restaurant called Cabbage Patch.
It sounded interesting, so I stepped inside and ordered a BLTA sandwich and an order of fries.
While I was eating, I finished setting up my phone, and as I connected my new email address to it, I received one from the temp agency I applied to last night, asking me to call them as soon as possible.
“Team One staffing agency. How can I help you?” A friendly voice answered.
“Hi, this is Kinsley Davis. I just received an email asking me to call you as soon as possible.”
“Just one moment, Miss Davis. Let me see who is handling your application. That would be Miss Johnson. Hold, please, and I’ll put you through to her.”
“Miss Davis, this is Charlotte Johnson speaking. Thank you for your prompt response. Is it possible for you to come in for an interview right now?”
“Umm. I’m out at the moment, and I’m afraid I’m not dressed appropriately for an interview.”
“Well, what are you wearing?” she asked.
“A maxi dress,” I replied.
“Good enough for me. How soon can you get here?”
“I don’t know. Where are you located?”
“2999 Overland Avenue, Suite 212, Los Angeles.”
I hurried and typed the address into google maps while she rattled it off to me.
“According to my GPS, I can be there in fifteen minutes,” I spoke.
“Perfect. I’ll be waiting.”
I hurried and finished the last of my sandwich, climbed into my car, and carefully followed the directions to the Team One office. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Pulling into a parking space, I climbed out and walked through the large glass double doors.
“Miss Davis?” A dark-haired older woman smiled at me.
“Yes?”
“I’m Charlotte Johnson. Follow me up to my office.”
Once we reached her office, I took the seat across from her desk as she took hers behind it.
“I was impressed with your resume, and we would like you as part of Team One. We have a job available for you to start on Monday if you’re interested.”
“I’m very interested. Thank you. I didn’t think temp agencies worked over the weekends.”
“Normally, we don’t. But when we have very important clients, we do anything we can to accommodate them.
I will text you the office building address you’ll be working at.
The job will only be available for about eight weeks.
When your time is close to expiring at your job, we will work hard to place you somewhere else. ”
“Okay. Don’t you need to interview me? Ask me my skills or any questions?”
“No. No. Trust me. Just by looking at you, I can already tell you’re perfect for the job.”
“Oh. Well, thank you.”
“All of our other temps who would be perfect as well are already placed elsewhere, so we are kind of in a pickle, and we can’t afford to upset our client.”