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She glances up from her phone for a second before resuming her scrolling. “I’m suspended. For the week.”
My eyebrows leap up and I bite back a smile as I look at Holly. Fern never gets in trouble. She’s a good kid who’s been through a lot. Holly is twenty-five, the same age as me, and she gained full custody of her sister when their mother went to prison two years ago.
“Are you okay with me telling her what happened?” Holly asks.
Fern looks up at me. “It’s fine. I kicked Hayden Rushing in the balls and made him throw up. And he cried.”
“Well, that’ll do it,” I reply, trying not to laugh. She’s such a laid back kid I didn’t see that coming.
“I warned him. He kept snapping my bra strap. Holly warned the principal too.”
“And he snapped it again?”
“No, he squeezed my butt when I bent over at my locker.”
My head whips around and Holly nods when I meet her gaze. “Did he get suspended too?”
“Nope. They gave him detention. Because boys will be boys.”
“And boys will get kicked in the nuts.” Fern shrugs, returning to her phone.
“I went down there and raised hell to even get that. The little monster’s mom was threatening to press charges for assault until I made it clear we’d press sexual assault charges in return.”
“That’s so fucked up. He cried, huh?” I ask Fern and she nods, beaming at me when I hold up my hand for a high five. “I’m buying you an ice cream.”
Holly shoves the closet door closed and we head for the exit. “I may have also told his mother I’d be catching the next assault case if he so much as looks in her direction again.”
“Fine, you get ice cream too.”
The smell of bacon wakes me after noon, and I stumble into the living room, bleary eyed. My job might not be stressful but it sure plays havoc with your sleep schedule.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Pops says, setting his sandwich down and sipping a glass of iced tea. “I was going to wake you, but I figured food would do it.” A fresh BLT sandwich waits on a plate across from his.
“Thanks, I’m starving, but I need coffee first. Did the doctor call yet?”
His smile is reassuring, and relief loosens a familiar knot in my stomach even before he replies, “All clear. No more testing for a year.”
Pops won his battle with prostate cancer, but it was brutal and I’m always afraid when it’s time for the tests they do to make sure it hasn’t come back. He’s my only family and I don’t know what I’d do without him.
“Thank goodness.”
The deep wrinkles around his eyes crinkle when he smiles. “I told you I’m not going anywhere until I see you find a good man.”
“So, you plan to be immortal?” I snort, pouring myself a cup of coffee.
“I have faith. What are you doing today?”
“It’s heavy trash pickup day. I’m going to see if I can borrow Row’s truck to go treasure hunting. Want to go?”
“Nah, Vera asked me to come over.”
Sipping my coffee, I peek at him over the top of my cup. “Going to Vera’s again? Hmm.”
His lips twitch but he doesn’t reply, only takes a bite of his sandwich. Vera is a widow who lives on the other end of the trailer park. They’ve been spending a lot of time together lately. With all the grief he gives me over relationships and my choice in men, I can’t resist teasing him. “Am I getting a step-granny? Will you still love me more?”
“Keep on and I’m going to tell her grandson you got your eye on him.”
Travis? Hard pass. I might have a penchant for picking losers, but not ones who don’t shower and can’t talk about anything but monster trucks. “Okay, I’m done.”
