CONTENTS
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
Sarah Peis Booklist
Where you can find me
Excerpt of Some Call it Love
Copyright Adult Supervision Required
© 2021 Sarah Peis
Published by Hexatorial
Editing: Natasha Orme
Editing: Hot Tree Editing
Cover Art: Tall Story Design
ISBN: 978-0-6489757-4-8
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s wild imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
www.sarahpeis.com
To all the moms out there. You got this. Just don’t forget where you hid the chocolate.
CHAPTER ONE
Note: Sötnos = Sweetheart
“I want cockporn,” Lena wailed.
“Don’t we all,” I muttered under my breath, then looked around the crowded supermarket, hoping nobody had heard her. “Not today, Sötnos. We still have some at home.”
“But I want—”
I clamped my hand over her mouth and speed-walked my way to the checkout, hoping Luca wouldn’t join her out of sympathy. He was two years older, but hadn’t outgrown the tantrums yet.
She didn’t like having her shriek interrupted and her little face went red with anger. But I’d rather deal with my daughter’s wrath than once again be the talk of the town. We made it outside in record time, Lena wailing the whole way, Luca holding his hands over his ears.
I was running late, my shift starting in less than twenty minutes, and I still had to drop my kids home and drive to work. After wrestling them into their seats and dumping my bags in the trunk I hightailed it back to the house.
Lena made sure we knew her displeasure at not getting any popcorn for the duration of the drive. My friend Stella was sitting on the front steps waiting when we pulled up.
“Sorry we’re late,” I greeted her, unbuckling the little hellions. She watched my kids for me on the nights I had to work.
I couldn’t really afford a babysitter, so when she offered, I had to put my pride aside and let her help. She was my friend—one of the few I had—and I just couldn’t do it on my own anymore. I worked two jobs, barely keeping my head above water, and needed any break I could get.
My day job was a virtual assistant, something I could do from home while watching the kids. Luca had recently started preschool, so I only had Lena most of the time. My second job was waitressing at Pepper’s, a strip club. It paid well, but the hours sucked. I never thought I’d end up where I was.
“Don’t worry, I only just got here. Mason dropped me off,” Stella said, cuddling Lena to her and holding Luca’s hand. “But aren’t you going to be late for work?”
I checked the time on my phone and sprinted up the steps. Definitely going to be late if I wasn’t ready in the next three minutes.
I dropped the bags in the kitchen and raced to my room. My clothes were at work, so I would change there, and I’d ask the girls at work to help me with my hair and makeup since they could accomplish more in two minutes than I could in an hour.
Stella was getting the kids dinner when I came back out.
“Thank you so much. I’m sorry to run out like this. It’s been one of those days.”
She pulled the pasta out of the microwave and snickered at me. “As long as you don’t make me cook, we’re good. And it’s good to see you’ve been making sure the kids eat balanced meals.”
“Shut up. They’re on a pasta bender by choice. I didn’t make them.”
“Go, or you’ll be late,” Stella said, waving a spoon at me.
I kissed Luca and Lena goodbye and drove to work. Thankfully the roads were empty at this time of night since everything closed around five.
Even though I had less than ten minutes, I stayed in my car once I’d parked. My hands were clammy, my throat dry, and I had to take a few breaths to calm myself down. It was the same overwhelming emotions I had every time I got here.
I hated my job. I hated what I was forced to do. But most of all, I hated that I hadn’t been stronger and cut ties with my ex sooner. Because without him, I wouldn’t be in this situation.
I grabbed my bag and dragged my ass out of the car. It was just another job. No big deal. Anyone could do this. After all, I’d been doing it for over a year.
I made it to the back door and stopped again. Maybe today I only had to count to three hundred rather than the usual five hundred before I could force myself to go inside. But no such luck; not even being late could push my brain to count faster. When I reached five hundred, I forced a deep breath into my lungs and went inside.
Hastening my steps, I rushed through the hallway, clutching my bag to my chest.
“You’re late,” Smitty yelled at me as I rushed past his office.
“I know, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” I called back, stopping in the doorway.
He didn’t look up from the papers on his desk. “It better not. I have a business to run.”
I kept walking and burst into the dressing room a few seconds later. Most of the girls were in there getting ready, looking up when I stumbled inside.
“What happened to you?” Elle asked, watching me in the mirror.
Tia’s eyes widened at my disheveled appearance. “You didn’t use the conditioner I told you about.”
Star eyed me with raised brows. “What did you do to your
