Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 37695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
I chuckle because Kathy has a point. I brought her on when her husband was laid off ten years ago, and she was desperately in need of a job. Just like Britney, Kathy had no experience, but it’s worked out. Kathy’s one of my best employees and has stuck around despite the fact that her husband’s now employed with a good salary. She could have left me long ago, but she didn’t out of loyalty, more than anything else.
But this works out for all of us because Kathy has been begging me to hire someone so she can work fewer hours. She had a baby two years ago, and she would like to be home with him and her six-year-old and eight-year-old daughters too. It makes sense.
“You’ll have to train Britney for a week, but after that, I’ll start cutting your hours a bit,” I promise.
Kathy’s face lights up.
“Thanks, boss. The kids will be glad to have me home more, and Chris will be glad, too. He’s working from home right now, but he’s having trouble concentrating while watching the kids at the same time. If I’m home, he’ll be able to get more work done.”
“Sure thing. This work from home thing drives everyone nuts.”
With another knowing smile, Kathy leaves for her break, and I man the register until she comes back. It’s good to be on the floor sometimes, just to see what it’s like working at ShopMore. Unfortunately, no customers come through, so it’s not exactly educational.
But my mind wanders as I look over the register area. Hiring Britney was a good idea. In fact, I can’t wait until the pretty teenager comes in tomorrow. The roiling in my heart should scare me and put me on edge, but instead, it makes me look forward to the future.
4
Britney
My walk home is a lot faster than the walk into town was. I have a reason to be skipping because I just got my first job!
When I strolled into the supermarket, I’d thought I was making a mistake. There was no way I was getting hired. I have no experience, and the job market is tough right now. I assumed any open positions would go to the people who actually know something, and not to me, the girl who has nothing on her resume.
Come to think of it, I didn’t even have a resume with me, which is bonkers because that’s what normal people do when they go to a job interview. Mine would have been embarrassing though, and not much more than a blank sheet of paper with my name and address on it. After all, I haven’t even finished high school yet.
My heart flutters at the thought of the gorgeous grocery store owner. I’ve lived in Corona all my life, but I’ve never seen John Hemsworth before. I’ve gone shopping with Joey a few times, and even stopped into ShopMore before, but never did I assume that something as banal as a grocery store would be run by someone as attractive as John. My heart thumps as I think of him. I couldn’t stop staring at his piercing blue eyes, and eyeing that huge form. It’s embarrassing, to be honest. What if he noticed?
Then again, I’ve had crushes before, but they’ve never felt like this. But he’s going to be my boss! What am I thinking?
Working with him is going to be difficult. I’ll be distracted by John all the time. I barely heard the questions he was asking me in the interview because I was so busy concentrating on not staring at him. It seems my efforts worked. He did hire me, after all.
Then again, John probably doesn’t spend much time in the front of the store. He’s likely in the corporate office most of the time, doing important professional things. If that’s the case, I probably won’t see him much when I’m working, which is both a relief and a disappointment. I won’t get fired because I’m distracted by my hot boss, but then again, I won’t get to stare at my hot boss all day either.
I blush as I reach the entrance to the trailer park. Joey and I live near the back, so it’s almost a mile walk from the entrance, but I like having the time to clear my head. I need it right now, after meeting John Hemsworth.
The sun begins to set, casting the park in reds and golds, and soon, I’m standing in front of my home. The spot in front is still empty, which means Joey isn’t back yet. My stomach sinks. It has been hours since he left for the food bank. He should be back by now.
What if he isn’t able to get any food because the line is too long, and they ran out? I have a job now, but I won’t start getting paychecks right away. We don’t have enough supplies in the trailer to survive until my first paycheck lands.