Page 27 of Pretend You Love Me

“Hey there, good to see you again,” she says.

“Oh, thank you. You too,” I say.

“No Kip?”

“Just me.”

“Are you wanting a table?” she says, grabbing a menu.

“No, actually, I was wondering if I could speak to someone about a job. I heard you were hiring servers.”

Her eyebrow arches. “Does Kip know you’re here?”

Why the hell would Kip care whether I was here?

Oh right...fake boyfriend. News travels fast in this town.

“Of course,” I say with a smile.

She frowns and studies my face for a moment.

“Well, yeah, we need someone, but can you work with that?”

She points at my cast.

“It’s my left hand. It won’t be a problem.” I’m all confidence on the outside and none on the inside.

She takes in a huge breath that moves her whole chest. “Fine.”

“Oh perfect, when can I start?”

“Saturday. Come late afternoon. You okay working late?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Tips are better in the evening anyway.”

“That’s great. Thank you so much.”

“And Kip knows you’re here?”she asks again.

Um...do women in this town need their boyfriend’s permission to work or something?Why does she keep asking this?

“Yes. He knows.”

“Ok.” Her eyes narrow just slightly.

“Ok. Perfect. See you tomorrow.” I wave and rush out before she can ask any more questions.

As I walk back to the library, my spirits lift. This morning was bumpy, but things are picking up. I have a place to stay and a way to earn money. I’ll have this whole situation back on track in no time.

I notice clouds have rolled in, and the sky has grown a bit dark as I walk back into the library. I hope it rolls back out before I need to walk home. I don’t think they have Ubers around here, and my burner phone doesn’t have the ability to download Uber anyway.

“Ginger, you’re back,” Rose says. “I went ahead and got started.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, come sit down.” She points to a computer.