Risk (Gentry Boys #2)(63)

Saylor had the night off and I didn’t know whether to be glad about that or not. I missed her at work, but she was also a reminder of everything I might lose.

Mega bitch Julie knocked into me a few times when my hands were full but I didn’t do anything about it. I just didn’t have it in me.

Time passed with excruciating slowness. Around seven pm I figured I should eat something so I took a break. I grabbed a sandwich from the kitchen and sat down at a table. I shouldn’t have done that. When I looked across at the empty chair all I could see was Creedence. I’ve never been a frequent crier, yet the waterworks turned on all by themselves for the second time that day. I stared into my lap and silently watched the tears fall into it.

“Truly,” said a voice that was firm but not unkind. “Please come to my office.”

Julie was smirking at me as I followed Ed into the closet-like office beyond the restrooms. I sat miserably in a metal folding chair across from his desk as he settled into his own chair and frowned at me. Dimly I wondered if I was about to get fired.

Ed cleared his throat. “Look I know I’m just the jerk who sits behind the desk and gives you crap about how to do your job.” He sighed. “But I’m not completely awful.”

A picture on his desk caught my eye. It was Ed standing on the shoreline of a pristine beach. Beside him was a sweet-faced woman who must have been his wife. His hands were resting on the shoulders of two little boys.

“I know you’re not,” I told him.

He nodded. “You’re a very responsible young lady. A good worker.” He laced his fingers together on his desk and gave me a long, appraising look. “Truly, do you need a few days off?”

I was surprised. I’d expected to hear words more along the lines of, “Get your shit together and serve some chicken.”

“I can’t lose my job,” I told him flatly.

Ed smiled. “I believe we can make it without you for a few days. Please return when you can. Your job will still be here.”

I nearly began sobbing again. Really, I was turning into something of a basket case. But after spending hours teetering on an emotional edge, I was nothing but grateful to meet with unexpected kindness.

“Thank you,” I whispered. I stood up and took the two steps to the door.

“Truly?” Ed ventured. I turned around. He was staring at the photo of his family. “Just because things aren’t ideal doesn’t mean they’re not worth keeping.” I didn’t know what made him say that. I figured he was talking about himself, about the mix of joys and disappointments he’d known in his life. I thanked him again and left.

No one talked to me as I grabbed my purse and ran out the door. It wasn’t quite dark yet and on any other night I would have been counting down the hours until I was in Creed’s arms. I started my car and miserably realized I couldn’t go to him, remembering what Declan Gentry had said.

“Don’t show him that shit. It’ll mess with his head.”

I drove home instead.

Honestly, I’d clean forgotten all about my troubled roommate and her bat-swinging ways until I reached my door. I had to knock because I hadn’t yet replaced the key I’d broken earlier.

Stephanie must have been hunkered down in the living room because she answered within a few seconds. She was wearing a long black t-shirt reaching nearly to her knees and her hair appeared damp. She smelled like shampoo and still carried her bat.

“Hey Steph,” I said warily, feeling some guilt over how I’d forgotten about her as soon as I’d stepped out the door with Saylor.

She picked a book up off the couch and peered between the vinyl slats of the patio blinds. “I fixed it,” she said. “The door, I mean.”

“Thanks. I’ll get a new key tomorrow.” I pointed to the book she was clutching to her chest. “What are you reading?”

Stephanie held it up for me.

“The Hobbit?” I was surprised. Somehow the classic fantasy tale didn’t seem very Stephanie-like.

She gave me a tired smile. “For sentimental reasons.”

I cleared my throat. “Sugar, I think it’s time you and I had a talk.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “But don’t call me sugar.”

I waited until she sat on the couch before joining her. She realized she still had the bat in one hand and the book in the other. She dropped both of them on the floor.

“So what the hell, Steph? Whose kneecaps are you looking to bust and why?”

She lowered her head. Her damp curls hid her face. “I many have pissed some people off, that’s all. I know they pissed me off.”

Stephanie looked at me. As I waited for her to continue I got the impression she was sorting through her own thoughts, trying to make a decision about what she wanted to share. Eventually she put her hands on her knees and exhaled deeply. She looked very small just then.

“You know how I pay for school?” she blurted.

“How would I know that? You’re not the most forthcoming gal in the state.”

“I take bets, Truly.”

I had no idea what to make of that statement. “Bets on what?”

“Sports. All kinds. Football to dog races.”

“So you’re a…” I searched for the word. “Bookie?”