My time is mine and mine alone.I don’t know what to do.I always had something to do at the orphanage.But now, I have nowhere to be.
How my life has changed in such a short period of time.
I shower, taking my time, a luxury I haven’t had sharing a communal bathroom.I didn’t mind, but this is nice.
Once I’m showered, I hunt through my box of things and slip into a simple white summer dress.I really don’t have a lot of things, and that’s fine.But I wonder if perhaps I should go buy some new clothes.
I need a job, but what I have isn’t appropriate for a job interview.
So, with that task on the agenda, I finish getting ready.
I make the bed and wash the few dishes that are in the sink.I want to pull my weight.I don’t expect to stay with Kit for free.I know this is a temporary gig, but I still intend to pay my way.
Once the apartment is neat and tidy, I walk downstairs and hear some rock song blasting over the radio.Kit is under the hood of a car.It’s hard not to admire him.He’s handsome, inside and out.
I am so fucking screwed.
“Hey.”
He stops tinkering, looks up from under the hood, and his eyes smolder when he takes a long, hard look at me.“Damn, Cupcake.”
I nervously adjust the strap on my bag.“I’m just heading out.I need some new clothes for job hunting.”
He slips out from the hood, wipes his hands on a rag, and asks, “Do you need money?”
I shake my head firmly.“No, I’m all good.But thank you.”
He nods before grabbing a set of keys off the workbench.“Take my truck.”
“Thank you.”Because that is something I do need.“Do you need anything while I’m out?”
“Maybe pick up some groceries?We can’t have vodka and pizza every night,” he teases with a grin.“There’s some cash in the drawer.”
He gestures to the workbench.
“No, it’s fine.I’ve got it.It’s the least I can do for letting me crash.”
A customer walks in, clearly unsure whether he’s interrupted something private.
“I’ll see you later.”
He nods and tends to the customer.
I leave them to it and walk to the truck.It’s a beast of a thing, very much like its owner.It roars to life the moment I start it.I put it into drive and head into town.
I’ve been staring at this shelf in the grocery store for minutes, wondering whether Kit prefers smooth or crunchy peanut butter.
Today has been a success.
I found some practical yet cute outfits at the thrift store.The money goes back to the orphanage, so I overspent.They were things I needed, so I could justify the mini shopping spree.
I filled out a bunch of job applications and had an on-the-spot interview at the local diner.It seemed promising.Hardly flying under the radar, but I need to do something.I also need to blend in because that feeling of being watched lurked all day.
Yet whenever I glanced back, I didn’t see anyone.
The police have amped up their presence.
It made me nervous, but I tried my best to appear normal.
