We have a few weeks until the rodeo, so there’s still time for K. J. to change her mind. Surely, she’ll come around. At the beginning of the summer, Grandpa’s tasks were the last thing I wanted to do. I was only going along with things so Mom would get her money, but now that we’re down to the end, this whole thing has become about so much more than money to me. I want to finish it for Grandpa, and I want to finish it with K. J.
CHAPTER 26K. J.
“COULD YOU HELP THIS LADY FIND THE RAIN-X wipers?” my manager, Doug, asks me.
“Uh, yeah. Sure thing.”
I smile at the middle-aged woman, pretending like I know what the hell I’m doing here. It’s my third day at Reynold’s Auto Parts and I still feel like a duck out of water, but since I was desperate for a job and they had another spot open, this one sounded as good as any.
“What size did you need again?” I ask as she follows me down the aisle.
“Twenty-four inch.”
“That’s right.” I stop before the array of windshield wipers—who knew there could be so many types?—and scan the names. “Rain-X. Here it is.” I grab the wiper and hand it to the lady. “Did you just need the one?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
It’s totally weird how people call me ma’am here, too. It makes me want to look around for the adult because they surely couldn’t be talking to me. I return to my spot behind the counter to ring her up.
“Thanks for stopping in today,” I say as she turns to leave. “Come back and see us!” I might be going a little overboard, but I really want to keep this job. It’s the first one I’ve ever had.
“Go take your lunch, K. J.,” Doug says as soon as the store clears out. The guy is big and burly and seems like the kind of boss you don’t want to argue with, so I just nod and head to the back office to grab my keys from my cubby. Thirty minutes isn’t much time to go anywhere, but I guess I can grab a sandwich and a pop from the Shop N’ Go down the road. My gas tank is dangerously close to empty and I have no clue how much money is left on the prepaid card Grandpa gave me. I’m sort of regretting getting the tattoo because having an extra seventy-five dollars would be helpful right about now. Hopefully, there’s still enough on there to fill up and buy lunch. I’ve been living off Carter and Dax’s good graces for the past week, and payday isn’t until next Thursday.
When I pull up to the pump, I’m not sure how to figure out how much money is left on my card, but after sitting in the car debating on what to do for a few minutes, I go ahead and put five dollars of gas in.
Lucky for me, there’s enough for that, so inside the store, I choose a turkey and cheese sandwich, a bag of Doritos, and a small fountain drink before getting in line. Only this time, the card won’t go through. “Can you take the chips off?” I ask the clerk, my stomach squirming with both hunger and anxiousness. I’m used to not having much money, but this really sucks.
“No problem,” he says, ringing me up again.
I try the card, but it still won’t work. “Um,” I look at the drink, heat flushing in my cheeks. I don’t think he’ll let me put it back. “How about the chips and the drink?”
When I run the card again, the machine beeps and relief spills over me. Card accepted, thank God. I grab my things and turn around to find a man with crossed arms and a pissy look standing behind me.
“Sorry.” I hurry to escape out the door. “Asshole,” I mutter outside.
I’ve just made it to my car and ripped open the chip bag when my phone dings with a text:
Can I call u?
It’s Becka again—but I don’t feel like talking to her, so I toss the phone aside and take a sip of my drink instead. I finish off my lunch, if you can call it that, while driving back to work, but my stomach is still rumbling when everything’s gone. I know there’s food in the pantry at home, but I don’t want to risk showing up and finding Mom there. Even if she’s not home, she’d notice if I took food. I’ll just have to tough it out for now.
It’s also tempting to finish up Grandpa’s bucket list and get my money. Maybe I could somehow finagle my way out of using it for college, but then Mom would get her share, too, and that’s the last thing I want. This is the only thing I have complete control over, and even though I feel kind of bad about Becka and her mom not getting their share, it’s not like Becka really needs it, and RaeLynn’s husband probably makes plenty of money. They’ll be okay.
Carter’s truck is parked in the side lot when I arrive back at work, which makes my stomach flutter a little. Even though we agreed that things were cool between us, I’m always wondering if he’s still thinking about that kiss, too. My phone rings as I’m getting out of the car, distracting me, and I frown when I see it’s Becka yet again. I switch it to silent and stuff it back into my pocket.
