Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 114647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114647 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
“Sounds perfect. When would you like me to start?” I asked almost giddily.
I tried really hard not to bounce in my seat like a teenager high on Edward Cullen and his glittery super awesomeness, and I was 99 percent effective. I couldn’t control the bounce of my leg, however.
“Tomorrow morning. We don’t come in until nine a.m. You’re more than welcome to come in at eight if you need a lunch break, but most of the office just come in and eat at our desks. We work until five, most days, but there will be the off chance that you have to work late due to a case. You’ll have certain cases that are assigned to you, but don’t hesitate to ask me or anyone else in the office for help.” She smiled.
“You’ll be given your own car; feel free to use it when you need to, just don’t overdo it. Umm, what else?” She asked as she tapped her pencil on the desk. “Oh! Never go in a residence if you feel unsafe. Trust your gut instinct. We have police officers that are on call for us when we need them.”
I understood that completely. Many of the children that were in the system lived in a potentially dangerous environment. There was no way we could know if that same threat against the child was posed against us as well.
“I understand.” I whispered.
“Well, if that’s all, we will see you in the morning. You’ll get your car then as well.” She said standing and holding out her hand.
I shook it, and she led me out into the main office again. “Have a good rest of the day, dear. I’ll see you bright and early!”
I nodded my head and smiled, then pushed the door open. I was momentarily blinded by the sunshine, and it took me a few minutes to adjust. James wasn’t there, which really didn’t surprise me much. Bum me, yes, it did. Surprise me? No.
I glanced up at the clouds that were moving by at what felt lie the speed of light, and looked further into the distance to see black clouds on the horizon. Then my broken arm started to throb, and I closed my eyes willing the pain away.
“Great. Just fucking great.” I growled and started down the sidewalk.
“What’s great?” James asked.
Screeching like a banshee and jumping four feet in the air, I whirled and turned towards the alley that I was in the process of passing. James was straddling his bike, both elbows resting on the gas tank and crossed. He was staring at me with amusement on his face, and I wanted to punch him in the nose.
“My arm hurts.” I snapped.
His smile fell away instantly, and he stood, still straddling the bike, and fished out a bottle of pills from his pocket. “Here, I got these filled for you while you were in your interview.”
I smiled warmly at him, feeling like a complete ass. “Thank you. I really do appreciate it.”
He flipped the saddlebag on his right side open and pulled out a Coca Cola, handing it to me after I had a pill in my hand. Shoving the pill bottle in my purse, I took the drink from him, grimacing inwardly. I hated Coke, but anything was better than my throbbing arm right about now.
“You don’t like Coke?” He asked as he saw me make a disgusted face after I drank.
“No.” I said, handing the offending drink back to him.
“Weird.” He said, taking a swig.
“When I was younger, that used to be the only thing my mother would have on hand. It didn’t take long for me to attribute starvation to the taste of Coke.” I said without thinking.
“You starved?” He barked.
I jumped at the bite of anger in his tone. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. The only time we ate well was when dad came for a visit. Things would get better for a while after that, but it didn’t stay that way. Whether it was because she ran out of money, or just plain didn’t care what my father would do is beyond me.”
He didn’t say anything, and I didn’t want him to. I didn’t want anybody’s pity. Instead of allowing more questions, I started walking back down the sidewalk. James cursed behind me and started the bike up.
The alley seemed to amplify the loud rumble of the motor, and I had to smile. It sounded like a monster.
Said beast pulled up beside me on the sidewalk. “Get on. I’ll take you home.”
“I can’t. I have to go find some appropriate work clothes. Lucky for me it’s business casual.”
“I’ll take you wherever you would like to go. Come on.”
The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Goodwill and a few consignment shops. What most people don’t realize is that there is actually good stuff at these places. Even before I was forcibly moved to Kilgore, I shopped at the Goodwill. I just didn’t have it ingrained in me to pay full price for something that I could get nearly twenty five times cheaper somewhere else.
“If you don’t mind, I need to run home real quick to make sure I get Janie off the bus, and then I’ll drop you off back at your place.”
He didn’t wait for my acquiescence though, just pointed the bike in the wrong direction and roared off.
We actually caught Janie’s bus when we were about a mile away from Free, and James and I laughed at the googly eyes that all the children were giving us. Janie waved frantically from her seat at the front of the bus, and James played the doting father, waving back to his baby while still keeping a close watch on the road.
Once we got to the bus stop, a very excited Janie, whose feet were moving faster than her mind, tumbled off the bus. James made a move to get up and help his baby up, whom was now crying, but I gave him a pat, signaling that I would handle it. He was in an awkward position with my bags, and me all on the bike behind him, and I felt it prudent to help in any way I could.