Junkyard Dog(2)

Hayes finally smiles. “I know everyone in my town.”

“And they all know you. Honey said you haven’t kept an assistant for more than a few weeks. Why do you think that is?”

Still smiling, he leans forward. “I don’t suffer fools.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

“Where are you living now? Can’t imagine there’s much space at the Mayer house.”

“We stayed there for a few days, but her husband kicked us out.”

“How f*cking come?”

Shrugging, I consider my sister’s bad taste in men. “I mentioned he was an *, and he didn’t take it as well as you did.”

“No, I suspect he wouldn’t. Andrew Mayer is a thin skinned f*cker.”

“Among other things.”

Hayes studies me for a minute, and I can see him figuring things out. He knows I’ve worked as a filing clerk and data entry. I’ve never managed anything in my entire life unless he considers my kids as employees and my house as a business.

“Where are you staying now?” he finally asks.

“We’re at the Hilltop Inn. You know, the place that’s nowhere near a hill, let alone on top of it.”

“Who the f*ck is we?”

“Me and my twins.”

“They're not babies, are they?” he asks full of disgust. “I hate babies.”

“They’re nine.”

Still irritated, he asks, “Girls or boys?”

“One of each.”

“Do they get sick a lot?”

“No, but I won’t pretend I won’t ditch work if they need me.”

“Fair enough, but I won’t baby you just because you forgot to take the f*cking pill. Understand?”

“Do your medical benefits include vision?” I ask, standing up. “The woman on the phone didn’t know.”

“Sit the f*ck down!” he hollers.

“No,” I casually respond while sliding on my jacket. “I need to get back to my kids before the thin-skinned * returns from work.”

Crossing his arms, he glares at me. “So you’re walking away from the job then?”

“No, you’re giving me the job. I’ll start tomorrow. See you then.”

Hayes jumps up from his desk and lunges to stop me from walking out of the door.

“There’s one f*cking boss in this f*cking office,” he growls at me.

Noticing his shirt collar is crooked, I reach up and fix it. “I appreciate height in my bosses. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Hayes glares hard at me, but he’s all bluster. I know he won’t hurt me except for possibly blowing out my eardrums from all of his hollering.

“Be here at eight,” he says, relenting when I refuse to.

Once Hayes steps aside, I walk past him. “That’ll work until the kids start school. Then I’ll come in at nine.”

I hear Hayes grunt behind me. The woman at the front flinches when he slams the door, but I only keep walking. Based on the mess of boxes, I have a lot of work waiting for me here. That’ll wait for tomorrow. For tonight, I’m taking the kids out to dinner to celebrate my new job.





TWO - CANDY


I’ve never been to an A&W restaurant before. Spotting one down the road from the hotel, the twins want to try something new. The menu is split between A&W and Kentucky Fried Chicken. I end up with a burger and coleslaw.

“How was spending time with your aunt?” I ask them as we sit at a small table in the nearly empty fast food restaurant.

Cricket shrugs, causing her light brown hair to fall on her face. She wraps the strands behind her ear. “It’s loud there.”

I glance at Chipper sitting to my side. He has my blond hair. Both kids have my dark brown eyes. I don’t see much of their father in them, which is fine. He isn’t much of a looker. What he lacks in appearance and personality, he made up for with his family’s wealth.

Toby Eddison isn’t ugly, just plain. Everything about him exudes ordinary. Toby is the complete opposite of a man like Angus Hayes. One disappears into the crowd while the other looms over it before sending everyone screaming in terror.

“What about you?” I ask Chipper.

“Aunt Honey cried today.”

“She has too many kids,” Cricket announces.

“Four isn’t too many,” I say. “I planned on having more.”

“Then why didn’t you?” Cricket asks, challenging me.

My daughter is full of bluster, just like me. Chipper is more laidback. Both of them are handling the move well, but starting school will likely put them in bad moods.

“Twins are a lot of work,” I say, stealing one of her fries.

Cricket smiles. “Double the dirty diapers.”

“Double the barf,” Chipper adds.

“Double the hugs,” I say, cuddling my boy and winking at my girl. “I’ll get you later.”

Cricket smiles wider. “Is your boss mean like Aunt Honey said?”

“He’s a jerk, but I’m not scared.”

“Me either,” Cricket says, thinking fear is the worst thing a person can feel.

“Do we have to stay at Aunt Honey’s again tomorrow?” Chipper asks.