deserves better than two parents who are struggling to make ends meet working dead-end jobs.”
“I don’t disagree with you but that doesn’t mean you can expect me to drop everything. I fully
support you going back to school as long as you understand this can’t become a weekly occurrence.” I
checked the time again. Fifty-eight minutes until I needed to be at work. Except, deep down, I knew I
wouldn’t be going to work tonight. That meant I needed to get Lisa out the door as quickly as possible
so I could call Jack and beg him to not fire me for calling in with short notice.
“It won’t, I swear.” She made a cross over her heart, as if that somehow bound her to not break
this promise like she did the others. “But you’ll take her tonight, right? I can pick her up as soon as
this meeting is done.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to not think about the money I
wouldn’t be earning tonight. “There’s no sense in shuffling her back and forth once she gets settled for
the night.”
“I thought you had plans?” God, that snarky, nasally tone annoyed the hell out of me. Times like
this, it was hard to see why I had ever been attracted to her. It felt like she was trying to subtly call me
out on a lie. And I was lying to her, but only by omission. And only because she’d conveniently need
more money if she knew about the second job. She was shady like that.
“They’re not the type of plans I can just bump back,” I responded. If Jack had to find one of the
other bartenders to cover for me, I highly doubted they’d want to cover the slower part of the night
and take off once things got busy. I knew I sure as hell wouldn’t if I was in their shoes. Plus, if I had
to, I could always ask Sam to help me smooth things over with Jack. I was letting fear plant seeds of
doubt in my mind. My job would be safe. This was the first time I would be calling out.
“Well, if you’re sure.”
That time, I did roll my eyes. She was so damn transparent sometimes. “Yeah, I’m sure. Now, I
hate to rush you out of here, but I have a call to make.”
She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips even tighter. I steeled myself, waiting for her to pry.
Instead, she shook her head and spun toward the door.
“Um, aren’t you forgetting something?” I reminded her, this time not bothering to hide my disgust.
Was she seriously going to leave without even saying goodbye to Willow? I wasn’t holding my breath
that she’d thank me or show me any sort of gratitude, but she was not going to forget her damn child.
“You’re the one rushing me out,” she shot back as she headed to Willow’s room. I stayed in the
