Page 31 of Truck

“Well, I suppose it does, and as I didn’t have a sister either it means I got myself two siblings. A family.”

Throwing his arms around me takes me by surprise…but you know what? I hug him right back. I never intended any of this, however, I’m not worried about it either.

“Let’s get your lesson done so I can get to work. Shelby isn’t going to be my best boss if she rips me a new one,” I giggle, which turns into a laugh when Grady joins in.

“Do you think I can get good enough to get an A, Rory?”

“Why not? You have the best teacher sitting right here with you. Let’s show Miss O’Grady that you are the best in her class.”

You guessed…I get a phone call asking if I’m going to work today? Also, Jill is covering for me since I have Grady with me. “Shit, Grady. We are late.”

The speed we pack up and get to the diner is ridiculous, and Grady looks worried. “Hey, do you think you’ll get fired?”

“No, Shelby won’t do that. I may get some shitty jobs for a while, like having to serve Mrs. Flemming when she comes in. Why she bothers I don’t know. She complains if she finds a lump in her smashed potatoes, and I often wanted to drop a dead fly in her meal to see how she reacts.” I giggle at the thought, and Grady for a second looks astonished but laughs along with me after a moment.

Walking into the diner, I quickly make my way over to Jill and Shelby who are standing behind the counter. “I’m sorry, we were working on a tough math problem, and I lost track of time. Thanks, Jill, for staying and covering for me. Shelby, I’m sorry, I’ll not do it again.”

Jill shakes her head. “I’m happy to step in, Rory. You’re looking after my brother and helping him with his schooling. The least I can do is cover for you.”

Grady jumps in before anyone else can say more. “Hey, sis, we have a new sister. Rory unofficially adopted me as her brother because she never had one. That makes you her sister too, doesn’t it?”

Jill looks at me shocked for a moment, then a smile so wide crosses her face that I’m smiling right back at her. Shelby is mumbling something about idiots and they are always in her zone before she walks away, still mumbling I might add.

“Well, sis…” Jill shakes with laughter. “Seems you've joined the family.”

“I’m a good family member, honest. I’ll look after Grady, my bro, any time you need me to.” I grab Grady by the neck and mess up his hair, which gets me the laughter that I was aiming for. “You still want another sister, Grady? Because you know sisters can be crazy at times.”

Jill is laughing at my antics and at Grady’s laughing response. “Come on, Grady, let’s get home and eat.”

“Oh, I had pizza with Rory. But I could eat if it’s something good.”

I look at Jill, who is astonished at his comment. I burst out laughing as I head to the staff area to grab my apron. I’m late enough without Shelby getting really annoyed with me.

The evening customers keep me busy, but the atmosphere is light and I have easy conversations with the regulars now that they have accepted me into the fold.

I am speaking to Mr. Beresford about my background in financial management when a biker who I’ve not met before takes an interest in the conversation. He is sitting at the next table, so he has overheard everything that’s been said.

“What exactly did you do as a financial manager?”

Looking at him more closely I see his vest has a patch that says Coin, so I presume that is his name, since Truck has one on his vest giving his name.

“Okay. Let me tell you quickly because I’ve been in trouble once today and don’t want Shelby on my butt. I do, because I still have two clients I’m working with, financial reporting and analysis, which involves creating detailed reports regarding business activity and forecasting performance. Manage budgets, covering the day-to-day flow of monies, payroll, expenses, and the like. Risk management and tax oversight. It’s quite diverse if I’m being totally honest with you.” I can see Coin is impressed. But when he speaks again, I’m very surprised.

“Do you think you could look at some of the club's businesses? I’ll have to run it past Pres mind you, but if you can save us some cash, it would be a hell of a thing. The gas station is opening next week, and I reckon a pair of eyes like yours right from the start could be a good thing.”

“I’m not sure if I have the time.” The pained look he gives me and the chuckle from Mr. Beresford earned them a sigh. “Okay, speak to your boss and if he’s okay, I’ll look at the gas station. After that, we can discuss any others. How does that sound?”

“Great. That sounds great. I’ll catch you here when I’ve spoken to Pres, but I’m sure he’ll be okay with it.” Coin stands and holds his hand out to shake. “Name’s Coin, and it’s good to meet you, Rory.”

“Likewise,” I respond and turn when Shelby shouts to me from behind the counter. I rush over to her and take the two meals that need to be served.

Coin leaves the diner a few minutes later, and I allow the conversation to dissolve. Probably nothing will come of it, and I’m beyond waiting for people to follow through with things they say or promise. I’m loving my job, although it’s not what I trained to do. I love interacting with people, making friends, and filling my evenings so I don’t have time to think.

The next day at lunchtime, I’m sitting at the kitchen table with a can of soda and a frown on my face. The conversation I just had with Mrs. Silvermaine over financials has gone how I expected. The woman just won’t stay within the assessments I give her. I’m ready to step away and just serve meals. All this changing of the budget I set is a waste of time for me. The woman thinks I’ve nothing better to do.

Mr. Bush retired as of last week. His son, Baron, has taken over the business fully and has also signed with a local management company. That leaves me free of that client, and my contract as far as I see it is null and void.

Tapping my fingernail on the table, I decide to contact Thomas. I’m done. He can sue my ass if he wants to. Picking up my phone, I make the call, and surprisingly it is answered quickly.