Unwanted touching was something else she experienced far too regularly, and while it would be easy to file a complaint with her boss, Parker knew it would fall on deaf ears.As much had happened at other places she’d been, so why bother?Parker needed the job and the money, so instead of complaining about sexual harassment or railing on and on about the injustice of it all, she tried her best to brush it aside and try to believe that despite all evidence to the contrary, not everyone in this world was an entitled asshole.
Some days made it harder to believe that than others, but Parker refused to give up on humanity, if only for her daughter’s sake.If she kept her head down and worked hard enough, she knew that it would eventually pay off.Forty minutes later, however, her theory was proven incorrect when she went back to the raunchy businessmen’s table and found next to no tip.
“Assholes,” she muttered, pocketing the few coins they’d deemed her service worthy of.
Wandering over to the server station, Parker grabbed a drink of water and counted out her tips for the day thus far, wincing when it was at least half as much as it usually was.Wednesdays weren’t exactly hopping at the diner, but what she’d made would barely cover milk and cereal for the week.Sighing at the prospect of going without breakfast for the next seven days, something that was an all too familiar experience for her but not one she had never really gotten accustomed to, Parker walked over to seat a couple who’d just wandered in when the diner owner pulled her aside.
“Can I get a minute, Parker?”When she looked up at her boss’s face, Parker immediately knew that whatever he had to tell her was going to be bad news.His bushy eyebrows were furrowed tightly and his sweaty arms were crossed over his chest.“It will only take a minute.”
“Sure.”Parker tried to smile, but it wouldn’t come.The rock in her stomach that was a mainstay due to worry and hunger sank even further, threatening to keep her rooted to the spot.
With heavy feet, she followed Mitch back to his office and went to take a seat, stopping as he shook his head at her.“Don’t bother.”
Tears fell from her eyes as she started to undo her apron.He didn’t have to say it.Parker knew she was gone the moment she’d heard his voice.It sounded the same every time.There was regret at having to let someone go, but also a bit of relief laced throughout at the possibility of the hard part being over with for them.Well, the hard part would just be starting for her because now she needed to find a new job and place to stay.
“I want you to know that this has nothing to do with how hard you work.There just isn’t as much business as there used to be and well...”he shrugged helplessly.
Parker smiled sadly.“Last hired, first fired.I get it.”It was something she’d been the victim of many times before, and while she wouldn’t miss the diner, the asshole customers, or the town they’d been living in, at least it had been something to keep her and Kit from moving on for a while.“I don’t suppose you happen to know of any other jobs in the area.”
Mitch shook his head sadly.“I do not, but I’m sure you’ll land on your feet.”
Parker nodded.“That I will.”There was no other choice but for her to land on her feet.Thankful for her month-to-month lease and small savings she’d managed to build up, Parker passed over her apron and offered a hand to her former boss.“Thanks for the opportunity.”
Mitch’s meaty paw shook her hand and he smiled.“Anytime.You take care now.”Parker bid him to do the same and left the diner.
A hot breeze hit her in the face as she walked down the sidewalk back to the small studio she shared with her daughter, Parker already making plans to start the usual cycle that came with leaving another town.They would sell anything that wasn’t an absolute necessity before heading west again.Parker wasn’t sure why they always drove that way as it had certainly never brought them much luck before.
Maybe it was all the manifest destiny history that was drilled into them in school or maybe it was because she wanted to just get further from where she started.Either way, it was the way they would go when they head out in a few days.It had been a while since Parker and Kit had stumbled upon something good, but she figured they were due and that it would come from heading west.With a determined nod, she walked up the stairs to her apartment building, dreading the one part of the cycle that always hurt the most: telling her daughter.
Chapter Three
Travis
Raucous laughter that was common during Kemp family lunches filtered through the air of Aiden’s otherwise empty restaurant as Travis sat back and watched the rest of his family engaging in light-hearted conversation.Seeing his brothers’ faces lit up with happiness warmed his often cold heart, thawing a layer of the ice that had been surrounding the abused organ since he was eighteen.Some of that ice had been piled on by no woman being interested in a quiet, gruff man, but most of it had been added by him.Block after block was stacked up to seal himself off from any hurt, any disappointment at the hands of someone he cared about.Strangers barely gave him a chance at friendship, so why should he even bother trying for romance?
When the doctor’s had diagnosed him with sensory processing disorder, they also mentioned that he was likely what was considered a highly sensitive person.After hearing that, he looked into it and it turned out he just reacted more strongly to stimulus, both internal and external.It probably explained a lot about who he was and why he acted the way he did, but beyond that, Travis felt about as normal as anyone else might.Except for the times he was around his entire family.
