Chapter Ten
“What’s the plan for today?” Lacey asked as she shoveled in her Marshmallow Mateys.
“First, we’re going to hit the gym.” Jenna hated admitting it, but Roadkill was right about how sore she’d be today. She hadn’t wanted to get out of bed. Even now, after a hot shower that helped more than she’d imagined it would, she knew she couldn’t do another workout like yesterday.
“The gym?” Lacey whined. “But. Why?”
“Yep. We need to be healthy. I don’t want you ever to hear the nasty shit I do, and it might be easier for me if I’d learned young, so I’m going to give you the advantage I didn’t have.
We’re both going to start going. I signed up for a membership the other day.
Today I’m going to take you in and show you how to use the machines. ”
“You’re not working out?”
“I did a big workout yesterday and I’m sore. But I made arrangements to have the guy there so he can make sure you’re learning to do things right. The last thing either of us needs is to get hurt.”
Lacey stuck her lower lip out for a few seconds then resumed eating.
An hour later, they were both dressed in leggings and comfortable t-shirts as Jenna herded her sister out of the house and out to the car.
“You’re in an awful big hurry. Are you sure there’s not more pulling you to the gym than making sure we both stay healthy?” Her sister glanced at her from the corner of her eye.
Jenna just shook her head and didn’t bother saying anything. Did she like being around Roadkill? Yeah, she did. Though she couldn’t say why. And it was too soon to think too much about it anyway. Instead, she made sure Lacey buckled her seatbelt then started the car and headed to Savage Iron.
“Can I talk to you for just a minute?” Roadkill asked as Jenna sent Lacey to the shower.
Jenna frowned but nodded. She hadn’t worked up a sweat, so she didn’t need to shower. “I’m going to stay out here. Come on out when you’re done,” she said to her sister then, when she’d disappeared into the locker room, turned to Roadkill. “What is it?”
He bit his lip, making her wonder what he was thinking and why he seemed nervous about it.
“Would you mind stepping back here into my office?” He motioned toward the doorway that led to the locker rooms and the stairs up to the second floor.
“We can leave the door open if that makes you more comfortable, but I think you won’t want to be talking about this out here where we can be overheard. ”
“Sure, but—” she cut herself off as she looked toward the locker room.
“Bobby Lee?” Roadkill called.
“Yes, sir?”
“We’re going to step back to my office for a few minutes. If Lacey comes out of the locker room before we come back, go ahead and send her back, got it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Let me know if you need anything,” Roadkill said before turning back to Jenna and motioning her forward with the sweep of one arm.
She headed for the doorway, moving to one side to let him pass once they were in the short hallway.
He went to the door marked ‘Authorized Personnel Only’, waved a card in front of the small panel to one side then pushed the door open.
She followed, finding herself in a small, neat office.
There was a desk with a rolling chair on one side and two padded chairs on this side.
A computer sat on one side but otherwise, there wasn’t a lot of decoration.
“Have a seat.” Roadkill motioned to one of the chairs on this side of the desk.
Jenna frowned but sat. Her frown became a scowl when he sat in the chair beside her instead of on the other side of the desk.
“You told me yesterday your boss is…” he paused, as if looking for the right words. “Well, let’s just say he leaves something to be desired.”
She had no clue where this was going, but her heart seemed to race in her chest. Was Roadkill a friend of Mason’s? Was he going to take what she’d said back to him? Had she just screwed up the only income she and Lacey had?
Slowly, she nodded, wondering what he would say next.
“A friend of mine was in the Driftwood yesterday and saw how he treated you. How everyone treated you. You know that’s not right, right?”
“I need the job. I don’t have a lot choice.”
“If you could find a different job, one that pays better and doesn’t leave someone sneering at you all the time, would you be open to it?”
“Well, yeah. But I barely have a high school diploma. I’ve only had a couple of jobs, ever and who’s going to hire me with the restrictions on my availability to take care of Lacey? Who’s going to be willing to take me on knowing that if something happens to her, I’ll call out?”
“Don’t worry about that. I talked to a friend of mine.
He’s willing to meet with you. Talk to you about the job, one that will let you pick her up from school and take her back to work with you if you need to.
As well as possibly give Lacey something part time after school, if that’s okay with you. ”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “What kind of job is it?”
“Reception and billing at a mechanic shop.”
“I’ve never done any kind of billing. I’m not sure I’m the right person for it.”
“You manage to support the two of you on the wage you’re making at the Driftwood. I have no doubt you can handle it. But let’s go talk to Papa Smurf first. Will you follow me over there so we can talk to him?”
Jenna felt his gaze like it was a weight.
She wanted another job, anything to get away from Mason.
Well, almost anything. She still wasn’t willing to work at The Angel’s Den, even waiting tables.
She nodded, but before she had a chance to tell him she thought it was a waste of time, but she’d go a knock sounded on the door behind them.
“That will be your sister.” Roadkill stood. “You ready?”
Jenna nodded and stood. Might as well get it over with, then she and Lacey could make their weekly stop at the local library.
They both loved to read, but with how hard she struggled to keep food on the table, they couldn’t afford to buy many books, so the library was a life saver, both for physical books and digital ones.
Roadkill opened the door, revealing Lacey.
“Hey, we’re about to go for a ride, want to come? I thought maybe, if it’s okay with your sister, I could take you to lunch afterward.”
Lacey’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him then to Jenna and back again. Jenna knew she knew something was off, but she wasn’t sure yet if it was good or bad.
“I’ll go, if Jenna wants to go.” Lacey’s gaze went to her sister.
Jenna smiled and did her best to hide any apprehension about the whole thing.
“I do. Come on, let’s go run this errand, then we can decide about lunch.
” She moved forward and pulled her sister in a hug, shooting a glare at Roadkill as she looked around Lacey’s head.
She didn’t like him using her sister to manipulate her.
He should have asked her about lunch away from the girl, who would now get her hopes up and now Jenna had to say yes.
As if she didn’t want to. She would love going out with him, even with her sister along.
It wasn’t that she was hoping for something between them.
He was totally out of her league. But she liked being around him and would take as much of it as she could get.
Even if he was just being nice to the poor fat girl.
In the car, she made sure her sister was buckled in, then followed Roadkill’s motorcycle out of the parking lot, wondering as she followed him what it would be like to ride one of those, and knowing she’d probably never get the chance.
“Where are we going?” Lacey asked as Jenna was careful not to let the motorcycle, and the butt she couldn’t help but notice from this angle, get too far in front of them.
“To meet someone.”
“Why?”
“It’s kind of a job interview.”
“For who?”
Something about Lacey’s tone made Jenna glance over at her sister.
“For me, why? Are you thinking you need to get a job?”
Lacey shrugged. “I could. It would help with the bills and help you not be so stressed about money all the time.”
“If it works out, this will help with that. There’s also talk of possibly something for you, if you want it and if you can keep your grades up. I won’t let you sacrifice your education in order to help out.”
“I can help,” Lacey said, folding her arms across her chest.
Jenna pulled the car into a parking space near the front of a building with Savage Road Service and Repair painted in giant letters across the top of the building. She twisted in her seat to face her sister.
“Yes, you can help. And if this doesn’t work out,” Jenna waved toward the building, “I may need you to, as much as I hate it. I’m the adult here, Lace. It’s my job to take care of you. It’s your job to be a kid.”
“I’m not a kid.” Her voice was sullen.
Jenna forced herself to take a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“No, you’re not. But you’re not an adult yet either.
I want to make sure you don’t have to take on adult responsibilities before you have to.
That’s my job. Okay?” She reached over and squeezed Lacey’s leg.
“Let’s go in and see what they say? The least I can do is think about it, okay?
And if you want to work, we can talk about it, but I won’t let it interfere with your schooling, all right? ”
Lacey glared at her for several seconds, then nodded.
“Then let’s go in and see how this goes.” Jenna didn’t wait for her sister but released her own seatbelt and got out of the car. She took a deep breath and went to where Roadkill waited by the door, watching her.
“Everything okay?” he asked, glancing toward the car where Lacey was just closing her door and heading their way.
“Yep. We just had to have a little talk. Let’s go meet this guy. What did you call him again?”
“Papa Smurf.”
She frowned. What was with these guys and their names?
“Okay then. Let’s get this over with.” If nothing else, they’d get a free meal out of it, and she could pretend for a little while longer she had a chance with someone like Roadkill.