Abby.

“A Little overdressed, don't you think?” Simone asks, a brow quirking.

I showed up at her doorstep with Turner and Tim and asked her to watch them for me only for a few hours because I couldn't get a sitter and I was going to look for a job. That and only that; not for her to be criticizing my outfit.

“I have to look my best if I want to land a job,” I mutter, self-conscious in a blue suit and black heels.

Simone nods and pushes the twins inside. “I will give you my number, I might have questions about the boys. And I think the heels are a horrendous idea.”

I nod, getting her phone. I dial in my number and give it back to her. “Thank you again for doing this, I promise I will get a sitter. And the heels are my good luck charms.”

Simone waves me off. “Don't worry about it.”

I turn away and start walking while she closes the door behind me. I want to look back; I want to take off my clothes and just sit on her barstool, doing nothing but staring at everything she does. Maybe drink tequila off her mug but if this is to work, I need to be serious about it.

I walk a few blocks down before I finally manage to get a ride into town. The streets are busy, so much for a small town like Simone likes to put it.

My first stop is a bar; it's open even when there are only a few customers there. I don't think a lot of people like to drink in the afternoon. The woman behind the counter is huge, with tattooed arms and a big intimidating scowl on her face.

“May I help you?” she asks, I nod.

“I'm looking for a job,” I say.

“The manager is out but we are not hiring,” she responds, turning her attention to the man who just sat down next to me.

“I will have a beer, regular,” the man says with a raspy voice. “Maybe one for the lady.”

I turn to face him. He seems to be in his early thirties with brown hair, thick eyebrows, chiseled jawline, and lips that look like they give nice, satisfying cunnilingus. He is wearing a white and black shirt with some black pants and office shoes.

“Thanks,” I say and knock the lid off my beer bottle with my teeth. The man looks amused like I'm an interesting animal in a zoo but just a stressed woman hunting for a job with no luck.

“You're new in town?” The man asks.

I take a sip of my beer, then another before I respond. “Why?”

He chuckles, deep and throaty. “I would remember a woman who uses her teeth to open a beer.”

I nod. “Fair enough, yes I am new and I was just trying to get hired by Ms here but no luck,” I mutter, my eyes darting to the huge woman who only blinks blankly at me.

“I see.” He sips his beer.

I down mine some more. Day drinking has a way of sticking with you especially when your hot neighbor is the one who introduced it to you in the first place.

“And you? You look like you walked out of an office to grab a beer at noon.” I rake my eyes over the guy again.

“Yeah, well, work is stressful.”

I nod. I don't know what to tell him because I have never worked a day in my life. Not by choice, of course, but between med school and partying, I could not find the time to do a part-time job. Then, I got pregnant only two years before graduation, and I couldn't continue with school. It was always the morning sicknesses, the mood swings, the headaches, and the inability to focus. Throw depression into the mix because my bastard boyfriend at the time refused to own up to it and face being a parent with me. Instead, he opted to run to another state and deny the pregnancy.

I was quite devastated, I considered an abortion, but the weeks were far too gone to take that risk. My parents were supportive at the time even when I knew they low-key hated me for wasting their money on expensive university careers only to come back pregnant with no degree.

But that's a story for another time because now, a guy with nice lips is staring at me. I know he said something, I just can't fathom what it was.

“What?”

“Would you like to get out of here?”

Oh, for fucks sake, it's hot outside, and who would want to have sex with this heat?

“I like kissing women,” I say, tossing the last bits of liquid into my mouth and getting up. “Sorry.”

I walk out.

The next place I visit is the library — not even caring that I'm not a fan of books. At this point, anything I find, I will get. The woman at the front desk says they're already overwhelmed with applicants, and there's no room anymore. I only slump my shoulders and give her a simple faux smile.

The next spot is Gertrude's, a fancy steak and cocktail place downtown. The guy at the door is nice enough to give me a chair; when I sit, he tells me his manager will be with me in a short while.

I'm still sitting there staring at nothing when my phone rings. It's a new number, so I rush outside to pick up.

“Hello?” I speak into the phone.

“Hello, Simone speaking, are you kids allergic to peanuts?” she asks.

I smile. I didn't realize I missed her voice this much. But I shake my head, “No, why?”

“They're sneezing, and I just gave them a peanut butter sandwich, I just needed to make sure.”

My eyebrows crease. “Maybe they're coming down with the flu; how bad are they?”

“Uh,” There's shuffling. “I don't know, they're still sneezing. I think they're burning up too.”

“Are you sure? Is Beth back?” I ask.

“I will call her. How's it going with your job hunt?”

I exhale and look back at the door to Gertrude's. “Not so good.”

There's a long pause before she speaks again. “Well, good luck. I will call you if anything gets worse with the boys.”

I smile, even when my mind is now clouded with worry. “Thanks.” I hang up and walk back inside.

The guy at the door tells me the manager has another visitor but he was told to inform me that they're not hiring at the moment.

There goes thirty minutes of my life I will never get back.

But he was nice to me, I offer a smile and move on.

There's a barber shop just after a boutique on the right. I want to try the clothing store first, but it seems too busy, so, I go to the barbershop. As Simone said, I should be open to whatever, even cutting people's hair.

A tall man in a black apron greets me when I walk on.

“Hello, how can I help you today?” The man says as if I come here every day.

“I'm looking for a job.”

He stops scrolling on his phone and looks at me carefully for a painfully long minute. “Look, sweetheart—-”

“Before you say anything, I just want you to know that I have been walking on my feet since morning and they hurt like a bitch. I should have listened to Simone, heels are not exactly good for walking long distances. And by the way, every place I go to keeps rejecting me; my boys are sick, and I just want a good bottle of cold water.”

The man's eyes widen, but he doesn't say anything for a while. We stare at each other.

“I'm sorry?” I whisper.

The man hops off his chair and opens a refrigerator; he hands me a bottle of water, which I gulp down in a minute.

“So, about that job, I was going to tell you that I am hiring but the pay is not that great. Things around here are just starting to look up so you might be disappointed.”

A smile breaks on my face, for the first time today, I feel good. “I don't mind; I just need to be doing something.”

The man smiles and extends a hand to me. “Milton.”

“Abby.”

“When can you start?” Milton asks.

Excitement rushes thick through my veins. “I would like to start right away but I need to get back home and see my boys. Tomorrow?”

Milton nods. “No problem. I will see you then, and we will go through the rules and pay.”

When I step outside the barber, I pull out my phone to text Simone and Beth that I got the job. Instead, I'm greeted with a text from Simone saying they're at the hospital.

All my strength leaves my body as the world starts to swirl around.

++++

Mmmmhhh.

Hi. Happy reading.

Nommy 🔥