“The uniform isn’t that bad.”
Kyle makes a face at me as if I’ve lost my mind, but I’m not sure he’d find any uniform to his liking. He told me the other day it needed a pop of color. We wear black pants with a white polo and our name tags. If you ask me, I think we’re pretty lucky and I’m not going to complain about it. Over at Sun Price grocery store they have to wear these ridiculous hats that have a spinning propeller on top of it.
“I could blend into the walls wearing this.”
“With the customers we get, sometimes I wish I could blend in with the walls. I don’t need any flair to draw attention to me.” You’d be shocked how mean some people can be over expired coupons or us running out of a product. Not that they’re all bad. I do have a ton of customers I love who always seek out my line.
“Ain’t that the truth. Mr. Sims is always on the lookout for you.” Kyle wiggles his eyebrows and I have to fight a groan. Who doesn't that man notice? I think his only preference is vagina.
“Please don’t start with that.” I sit down next to Kyle on the bench and he hands me an apple slice. I take it knowing this will be it until I get home and have dinner tonight.
“Just saying he’s a hottie.”
“He’s also our boss,” I remind him. I have no desire to get tangled up with my boss and then end up without a job when things inevitably go south. The store manager, Mason Sims, thinks he’s a ladies’ man. I think he’s only into me because I never flirt with him like everyone else does. He’s so creepy. He’s our freaking manager and he flirts with everyone. Not just employees but customers, too.
“Don’t forget a manwhore,” Kyle adds, reading my mind. He scrunches up his nose and shakes his head. “Who knows how many holes he’s stuck his D into.”
I smack his arm. “Shh,” I half-heartedly scold him, not wanting us to get busted talking shit on the boss. “That’s gross,” I add. I don’t want to think about Mason’s D.
Don’t get me wrong. I can see why it’s so easy for Mason to land as many women as he does with his looks. He’s got that whole all-American thing going on with blond hair and blue eyes. He’s also good at his job, except for the flirting crap. Still, he rubs me the wrong way. Those baby-blue eyes of his linger too long on my body and it makes me uneasy. He’s clever, though; he makes sure to do it when no one else is around.
“You going to make it home before Annie needs to leave? I can always go over when I get off my shift,” Kyle offers, making sure I have someone to take care of my little sister if I can’t get home fast enough.
He knows my sister Hazel can’t be home alone. She gets off school at three, and the state helps with after school care three days a week because she is special needs. The other two, Annie comes to the grocery store and helps bag groceries. She loves it. She spends all the money she makes on feeding her animals.
“I should be fine. Annie doesn't leave until six thirty. I think I should be back home by then. The meeting is at three. How long could it last?”
“No clue. Sounds boring as shit to me. I’d fall asleep.” This I believe. Kyle can power nap anywhere. I’ve had to nudge him awake a few times at work. I once found him asleep on his lunch break in the back room on a pile of paper towels. It actually looked more comfortable than my bed. But in all fairness, my bed is a sofa pullout. “Let me know if you get held up. You know I love me some Hazel Basil time.”
“You can come by for dinner if you want. I promised Hazel we’d have pizza tonight.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll grab the pizza though. One less thing you need to worry about.” I reach for my purse to fish out some money. Pizza is the one thing I let us splurge on each week. It’s Hazel’s favorite. “Don’t even think about it.” Kyle stands and grabs his lunch. “I’ll get the pizza. You get it next time.”
“Thanks.” I know he’s offering to pick it up because he knows how tight money is for Hazel and me. I also know there’s no fighting with Kyle when he gets his mind set on something. I learned that within the first week we worked together.
I’m more of an introvert who wants to work and keep my head down. I have too many other things to focus and worry about and don't have time for friends. Hazel owns all my time and I’m good with that. I love my sister and we are a team.
When I met Kyle he informed me we were going to be best friends. I brushed off his comment at first, but within a week he was right. The man is relentless in the sweetest way. I don't know what I would have done without him over the last few months.
“See you tonight,” he tells me as he starts to push out of the break room. “Oh, and I hear Mr. CEO is a hottie!” he yells as he departs.
Of course he heard that. When I think of the CEO of Community Mart I think of a graying older man in his sixties with a big belly. I do think he’s probably really kind if you go by how he runs the company. The stores are always putting on food drives and offering different things for employees. Like the program they offer so that Hazel can
