Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 64704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64704 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
So long as she pleased me.
Chapter Five
Daisy
I tossed a few napkins and the packets of mustard into the brown bag and gave the customer a dazzling smile. “Number six with extra relish?”
The older woman returned my smile as she took her order. “You are just the prettiest thing. Has anyone ever told you of that?”
“Probably not nearly as much as you hear it,” I joked. The white-haired old woman chuckled and shook her head.
“Oh, in my younger years, I was quite the head-turner. Much like you.” She leaned across the counter as if she wanted to tell me a secret. “You don’t let anyone flatter you with pretty words. You hold out for the real thing, you hear me? I did, and I spent fifty wonderful years with my love.”
“That sounds lovely,” I said softly. “I hope one day that will happen to me. Enjoy your meal.”
Gripping her cane, the woman tottered away. The line that had formed behind her glared at me, and I worked quickly to make up for the extra minutes that I’d spent with her. By now, my managers had learned to stop chastising me for talking to people. I just couldn’t help myself. I adored meeting new people, and even though there were some real douche bags that came through here, there were also some real gems. If there’d been more time, I would have talked to the woman about her life with her husband. I bet she would have had some stories to tell me.
The dinner shift was busy, and by the time that I was finished, my feet ached. Closing out the register, I grabbed the cash and headed to the break room to count it. My impending eviction was affecting me more than I would have liked. Normally, closing out my till was an easy task, but tonight I ended up counting it a few times before getting it right.
“Daisy, your boyfriend called.” Stacey, one of my co-workers, plopped down in the chair next to me and pulled out her pack of cigarettes. Sliding one out, she twirled it around between her fingers and stared at the door. “You really need to get yourself a cell phone.”
“Too expensive,” I said, writing my figures down on the worksheet.
“Yeah,” she muttered distractedly. Tugging at her hair, she put the unlit cigarette between her lips and sighed.
“Stacy?” I prompted. She was a little spacey sometimes, and it took work to keep her focused. “You were saying?”
Pulling the cigarette from her lips, she blinked and shook her head. “Yeah. Right. Sorry. So Trent keeps inviting me over for movie night. He’s got some grade A chronic, but I know what he wants in return, and I’m just not feeling him. He’s probably a walking STD, and I don’t want to get a reputation around here. I’ve only been working here for a few months, but really need a hit of the good stuff, and money is tight these days. What do you think?”
Raising an eyebrow, I laughed. “I think maybe you should follow your instincts and stay away from Trent. What did Ralph want?”
“Ralph? Oh, right. Sorry. He said for you to stop by his place when you get off. Ya’ll had something to discuss.” Propping her elbows on the table, she cocked her head and stared at me. “Why are you with him? I’ve had some pretty bad boyfriends in my life, but Ralph? He’s kind of a limp noodle, isn’t he? A girl like you could do so much better, and I don’t like the way he talks to you when he comes by here. He could use a little slapping around, ya know.”
I stirred in my seat uncomfortably. “He’s got a good job and a good future ahead of him. Plus he’s not terrible to me. He’s just stressed with work.”
It was hard for me to explain my relationship with Ralph to Stacey. She was my age, but she had a decent life. Her suburban roots were completely wasted on her. Even though she’d run away when she was seventeen, her parents still stopped by to check on her and make sure that she was okay. She had a support system.
I had Ralph. Things weren’t always great, but my spirits were lifted at the news that he wanted to talk to me. It sounded like Ralph might be my knight in shining armor after all. “Stay away from Trent, Stacey. He’s bad news,” I warned, before standing up to take the money to the office.
After clocking out, I walked to Ralph’s apartment. It really was too late to have been walking alone at night, but every penny had to be saved, and I didn’t want to take the subway. At least the night air had cooled considerably and felt good on my skin.
Humming to myself, I pulled my hair out of my ponytail and ran my fingers through it. When I moved in with Ralph, things would be different between us. We’d be closer. More intimate.