Love and Sorrow (Small Town Secrets Book 5), стр. 22
Kathy also continued the transaction with her customers. “That’s fine, Randi. I’m sure she’ll behave. Just don’t make it a habit.”
“Of course not.” Feeling a little uncomfortable that my personal life was being aired in front of strangers, I gave my customer his movies with what was likely an awkward smile before reminding him of the due date.
Kathy finished with her customers as well. “I’m shutting my drawer down. John will be in at five.”
At least having a coworker would give me time for a real dinner and/ or smoke break. Most of the time, I had to grab them when I could—which was fine. There would always be lulls in the action. But having another person also meant I wouldn’t have to vacuum the store. I was grateful for that. Plus having John here meant I’d be able to check on Sarah off and on. “I really hate to ask, but could I leave an hour early on Tuesday? Sarah’s next appointment is at three-thirty that day.”
Kathy didn’t refrain from grimacing. “Is this going to be an ongoing thing?”
“Yes. But I’m going to try to get a set schedule with the psychologist that’ll work around my hours here.”
“All right.”
I started helping another customer but had to get in everything with Kathy before she left. “I may need to start working Saturday nights again and make both my days off during the week. I’ll need to check with my babysitter, but if I have two days off during the week and if I can get Sarah’s appointments for those days, then you wouldn’t need to work around me at all.” If, of course, that was okay with my boss. Even as I said it, it felt like a noose was snugging up around my neck. Until now, my schedule had been tight but perfect. While with work, school, and the kids I never really had a day off, at least I’d had part of my weekends with them. I also had Wednesdays off, so I used that day to catch up on housecleaning and homework. Now, I wasn’t sure how I’d manage—but Sarah was more important and, really, all that mattered. I’d figure out how to make it work.
Unfortunately, my mother’s offer was starting to sound sweeter by the second.
Honestly, though, it wouldn’t have been so bad if Kathy’s “we’re all family here” line was more than hollow words. Just as I’d always known, though, the employees at Play It Again were family until something happened; then it was every man for himself.
But at least Kathy seemed placated by my willingness to make my job a priority. After she finished counting her drawer, she went to the office to finish up her daily paperwork, leaving a few minutes after John arrived at five. Then I ran a couple of kids’ movies back to Sarah and ordered two pizzas to be delivered. If I fed John as well, I knew he’d be far more willing to let me run back and forth. The night wound up being smooth and uneventful, though, and Sarah was asleep with her head on the table sometime after midnight when I came to fetch her at the end of my shift. Less than half an hour later, we were at home and in bed.
But, as was becoming usual, I had a hell of a time getting to sleep, no matter how fatigued my body felt.
Chapter Eight
I sprang out of bed early the next morning, tired but grateful I had time to drink several cups of coffee. After reviewing the notes for my test, I walked Sarah across the street to Noreen’s, went to classes, and then, when I got back home, I packed a small bag for Sarah and Devon. Although my daughter made a half-hearted attempt to help, I did the bulk of it. While I was throwing clothes into the bag, I asked her, “Are you okay staying with grandma and grandpa tonight?”
“I guess.”
I was happy with the answer. It was far better than a refusal.
Rushing, I threw everything into the car and drove to Mike’s. His greeting was no surprise. “You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago, Randi.”
“Sorry. I got here as fast as I could.”
“Yeah, I heard that before.”
I refrained from rolling my eyes and instead said, “Give your dad a hug, Dev. Your dad’s got important places to be.”
The glare I got from my ex was worth it.
Soon, we were in the car again, and I did the one thing I always got pissed at Mike for doing: going through a McDonald’s drive-thru before heading out of town to my parents’ house.
“Yay! Twice in one weekend!” Devon exclaimed.
Exactly.
As I handed the food back to the kids, I glanced at the clock on the dash, realizing we would arrive later at my parents’ house, too—but my chances for not getting another lecture were lower, because my mom and dad would just be glad to see the kids.
On occasion, I peeked at the kids through the rearview mirror. As expected, my son was in seventh heaven, playing with the toy that came with the meal, smiling with every bite of his cheeseburger. His sister, a study in contrasts, picked at the box of fries, finally bringing one to her mouth and eyeing it as though it were a bug instead of what once used to be one of her favorite foods. At least she was eating a bite. I’d have to make sure to mention to Rebecca next week about Sarah’s decreased appetite. In retrospect, I realized I’d forgotten to tell her a lot of things.
Devon took me away from my thoughts. “Mom, this is a cool toy. Look. It lights up!”
“That is awesome, bud. I’m glad you like it.” But the chances of me ever seeing it again were slim to none. It would probably wind up lost under his bed or