The Chance (Thunder Point #4)(85)

“That’s life, all right. Good luck, boss,” Al said. And he got in his truck and drove out of town.

Nineteen

Justin showed up for work right at three, clean and pressed. Eric realized that his mother had little or nothing to do with the laundry and ironing of his clothes. No doubt he’d heard Eric ride the old guys about keeping up their uniforms, and needing this job like he did, he towed the line carefully. He wasn’t getting any better at cutting his own hair, so he’d let it grow and was trimming the bottom. In another couple of months he’d just be tying it back in a ponytail.

Might as well just rip the Band-Aid right off, Eric thought. “Al had an emergency of some kind, Justin. He had to leave. He left this for you,” he said, handing over the envelope. “Maybe that explains better.”

Justin tore into the envelope immediately. There was a small piece of paper and a check. “It doesn’t,” Justin said, showing Eric the note. It said, Little help. Good luck. And that was Al’s handwriting, all right. Miserable. He hadn’t written the check. It was a cashier’s check drawn from the local Thunder Point bank. It was for two thousand dollars.

Eric whistled.

“Did he say what the emergency was?” Justin asked.

“Sorry, he just said a friend was in a tight spot and needed him.”

“Well, that’s good, I guess. Everyone should have friends.” He said it like someone who had no friends. Justin put the check and note back in the envelope and shoved it in his pants pocket.

“You want to run that over to the bank before it closes?” Eric asked.

“Nah. That’s okay.” Then he went for the broom to start sweeping up.

Eric followed him. He put a hand on his shoulder. “Justin, that’s a cashier’s check. If it gets lost or damaged, it’s no good. Take it to the bank....”

“I don’t have an account there,” he said.

“Go open one,” Eric said. “You can’t afford to carry around something like that. At least in the bank it’s insured. Even if the bank gets robbed or burns down, they’ll make good on your money.”

“What if I need money fast?” Justin asked.

“Withdraw it from the bank,” Eric said.

“And if the bank’s closed? If it’s the middle of the night?”

“I’ll give you whatever you need,” Eric said, asking himself why Justin would need money fast? In the middle of the night? “If you have an emergency, wake me up. I can get together whatever you need.”

Justin smirked. “I should’a known you were a moneybags.” And he started sweeping.

Eric grabbed the broom. “How are your brothers doing, Justin?”

He shrugged. “They get by okay,” he said. “It’s not good where they are but they can deal for a couple more months. Seems like those people got themselves some slave labor so no one else would have to do chores there. Just the woman and the foster kids.”

“Not good,” Eric agreed.

“If they don’t move fast, they get cuffed,” Justin said. Then he made a motion like a whack upside the head.

“That’s not good,” Eric said more emphatically. “You should tell someone about that.”

“Yeah, we talked about that. But the system could separate them and send them farther away where I can’t get to ’em unless I move and I don’t want to give up the house unless I have to. I got it handled.”

“How?” he asked.

“We give it a couple—three more months. In September I’m eighteen and if they don’t turn the boys over, I’m just taking them out of there. That’s how. We don’t do people like that.” And he tried wrestling that broom away from Eric.

Eric held on. “Go to the bank. I’ll keep you on the clock. Don’t screw with a big old check like that. You might need the money. And if you have an emergency and can’t get to the bank, I’ll fix you up with what you need. Get yourself checks and a debit card and a credit card. You shouldn’t be living off cash.”

“I’m not sure how all that stuff works. I been just cashing my checks.”

“It’s easy. They’ll explain it at the bank and if it’s not real clear, I’ll explain it further. Now go.” Justin gave a lame shrug and turned to go. “Listen,” Eric said, stopping him. “Listen, Justin, I know it probably feels like Al ran out on you but he didn’t. This is his way—he’s a rover. I’ve known him a real long time and he’s usually on the move, a few months here, a few there. He’ll show up again. Meanwhile, you can count on me. This is my business. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Till Laine tells you she can’t get back here on account of her dad and wants you to go there,” Justin said.

“Man, you think a lot more than you let on,” Eric said, shaking his head. “I doubt that would happen. Ashley is here and I have a lot of time to make up with her. If I leave Thunder Point it won’t be fast, you can count on that. First that girl needs to be all grown up and on her own and second, I’d have to sell a business. I don’t leave notes behind. I tell the people in my life what I’m planning to do so you can count on me, okay? Don’t go doing something crazy like kidnapping your brothers in the dark of night. Talk to me. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”