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Jan lived in a tiny, cheap duplex. And that was about the only payment she had, besides utilities, gas and groceries. She’d ruined her credit long ago, didn’t have any charge cards. And since Ellen already had a truck, she’d given Jan the reliable car her grandparents had left when they passed on the Coyote Canyon property.
“I’m not getting enough shifts at the pancake house,” she complained. “Oliver hired someone else last month, and he’s been giving her most of my shifts. The way he talks to her and touches her at every opportunity, I think he’s hoping she’ll work after hours, if you know what I mean.”
Jan had dated her manager for a while, too. Sadly, it hadn’t worked out. Or maybe Ellen should be grateful. Oliver sounded like he was a hot mess, too. “How much do you need?” she asked.
“Five hundred.”
The amount took Ellen by surprise. “I loaned you three hundred last month.”
“I know. And I’ll pay you back as soon as I get on my feet. I promise.”
Ellen stifled a sigh. Problem was...she never seemed to get on her feet. “So what are you going to do to change things up for next month? Are you looking for another job?”
“I’ve put out a few feelers. One of the cooks at the pancake house told me he heard they need a clerk over at the dollar store. His wife works there. She’s going to talk to her boss about me.”
That was nice of the cook, but if Jan’s reputation preceded her, she wouldn’t get the job. She’d been fired more times than Ellen could count—was always late or calling in sick or having to leave early for a doctor’s appointment—usually fictional.
“I have bills to pay myself, Mom. But I’ll see what I can do.”
Ellen would come up with the money somehow. She couldn’t leave her mother in the lurch. But she also didn’t want Jan to make a habit of coming to her for help. Jan didn’t seem completely committed to taking care of herself. She leaned on anyone who’d allow it—and that was mainly Ellen.
“Or maybe you can talk to that father of yours and get the back child support he owes me,” Jan grumbled.
Ellen had heard her mother complain about Stuart for years. If Jan had been more functional, she probably could’ve sued Stuart to force him to pay his child support. But she didn’t have her life together enough to see anything through. “I’m not speaking to him,” Ellen said. “You know that.”
“Then why don’t you come back to Anaconda? What are you still doing in Coyote Canyon?”
“I’m building a business here, Mom.” She only needed to drill one well a month to stay afloat, and lately she’d been averaging one and a half. Even if she couldn’t get a new well, she could squeeze by repairing old ones or repairing or replacing pumps. Considering the start-up costs of getting into her line of work, the difficulty of finding new clients and the physical demands of drilling, she was proud of what she’d accomplished. Not just anyone could do it. She couldn’t tell her mother that, though. If Jan thought for a second that she had extra money coming in, the requests for help would never stop.
Besides, Ellen didn’twantto go back to Anaconda. Then Jan would ask to live with her, and the next thing Ellen knew she’d be supporting her mother entirely. Jan had to stand on her own two feet for as long as possible. And Coyote Canyon was probably the only place that would allow Ellen to keep a safe distance. Since Stuart lived here with the dreaded “other woman” Jan had hated for the past twenty years, unless she was enraged about something she wouldn’t even come close.
“You could build a business here just as easily, especially if you sell the house you have there. Then you’d have plenty of cash to buy another place.”
No way would Ellen fall into the trap her mother had just set for her with that statement. “It’s the equity in the house that enabled me to afford my drilling rig. Besides, I wouldn’t want to have to train a new assistant. Ben’s working out great. And then there are my friends...”
“You don’t talk about your friends much.”
“I’ve mentioned Talulah.”
“Why isn’t there a man in your life?” her mother asked.
Because, with one rare exception when she briefly dated Brant, she couldn’t seem to pick a good one. She hadn’t been in a serious relationship since leaving Anaconda. Even then, there was no one she stayed in contact with. “I don’t get out much. Been too busy working.”
“Seems to me all you do is work.”
Ellen almost said, “That’s not an entirely bad thing. At least I can pay my bills.” But she swallowed those words and tried to get off the phone instead. “Today’s packed, Mom. I’d better run. But I’ll look at what money I’ve got coming in and get back to you tonight or tomorrow, okay?”
“You can’t let me know now? I need to have something to tell my landlord.”
“Tell him I think I can do it and send me his Venmo information.”
“Thanks, honey.” She sounded relieved, but it wasn’t as if the anxiety this had caused her would teach her a lesson. She’d forget about it the next time she had to choose between picking up an extra shift at the pancake house or sleeping in.
“I have to run. I’ve got a well to finish today.”
“You sound just like your father,” her mother complained.
Except that she hadn’t abandoned Jan. Stung, Ellen shoved her half-finished plate of eggs away. “If I finish, I might get a check, which will help both of us.”
