“We’re going to have to look for jobs,” she said.
Kiara sighed. “I know. But how are we supposed to apply or even get to work when we live so far out? There’s no bus here, and walking would be terrible with the snow and cold.”
“Maybe Jude or one of the security people could drive us.”
“Or maybe we could get a place in Serenity. I’ve been looking at options.”
“Is rent expensive?” Angela asked.
“Unfortunately, yes. But even if we have to get a studio and share a bed, it will be better than what we had in Briar Hollow.”
“Is there a library in Serenity?” Angela asked, knowing that her sister’s preference would be to work somewhere with books. “Or a bookstore?”
“It has both, but I don’t know if either place is hiring.”
Angela knew that there was a bakery in town, but like Kiara, she didn’t know if they were looking for a baker.
If she couldn’t get a job there, she’d have to settle for whoever was hiring because while they didn’t currently have to pay rent, they still needed money for incidentals.
And there was no way Kiara wouldn’t want a car now that she was going to learn how to drive. So, they would need to continue saving up for one.
Nothing had been said about their future, so Angela didn’t want to presume that Duncan would want them to stay at the house. Of the Burke children, only Benji lived there full time. And while Annie was still on the estate, she had her own place. Julian didn’t even live nearby.
“Okay. I’d better go.” Angela bent to press a kiss to Kiara’s head. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
After leaving the room, Angela walked down to the mudroom without seeing anyone, then got her wool coat and shoved her feet into her winter boots that had thick tread on them.
A frigid wind greeted her as she stepped out of the house. Angela pulled her knit cap down over her ears and lifted her scarf to cover her nose. She still wasn’t used to the cold, and she wasn’t sure she ever would be.
Hurrying to the security building, Angela was glad to reach its warmth.
“Hey, Angela.” Dawn greeted her with a friendly smile. “What brings you here? I thought we were picking you up at the house.”
“Actually, I was wondering if we could cancel the training today,” Angela said. “Kiara isn’t feeling well, and I need to run to the store to get her some stuff. Could you drive me?”
“I’ll drive you.”
Angela turned to see Jude coming from his office. “I don’t want to interrupt your day.”
“It’s fine. I’m not dealing with anything pressing at the moment,” he said.
That wasn’t an enthusiastic reaction to the prospect of driving her to the store, but it wasn’t surprising. The few glimpses of interest she’d thought she’d seen early on were nowhere to be found now. Which told her that perhaps her ability to read—and possibly convey—romantic interest didn’t come naturally.
“Are you ready to go now?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Just give me a minute,” he said, then disappeared back into his office.
“Is Kiara okay?” Dawn asked.
“Yeah. It’s just… you know.”
“Ah.” Dawn gave a nod. “I do know.”
“So I just need a few things for her because she’s having a rough go of it.”
“Poor girl.”
