“Yeah.”
“Well, you can get serious about that right after I take you to Torchy’s Tacos.”
Torchy’s was a permanent food truck on a gravel parking lot, but there was a building next to it that was basically a screened-in porch with picnic tables inside. Garland was right about the food. Bud had shrimp tacos with caramelized onions.
“So what kinds of things are we shopping for?”
“I pretty much left everything at home when I ran. I need tennis shoes and underwear and, I guess, lots of jeans and tops. Judgin’ from my morning with Brenda, seems like the tennis shoes are going to be the most important thing. I have some pesos to exchange…”
“Give me those,” Garland said.
Bud fished the pesos out of her purse and handed them over without question. Garland took out her phone and looked up the exchange rate. “That’s $7.65.” Garland pulled a ten out of her purse and put it on the table. “I’ll take the $2.35 out of your first paycheck.”
That was the first time Bud had thought about a paycheck. She’d been so stunned with the roller coaster ride she’d been on the day before, and they’d been so generous, she hadn’t thought to ask.
“We didn’t discuss pay with you, did we?” Bud shook her head. “Well, it’s a thousand dollars a week.”
“How much is my room and food and health insurance?”
“Oh no. It’s a thousand dollarsafterthose things. And you do get paid for training. So you’re actually earning money for today.”
Bud was stunned. That meant that she was going to be able to save most of her pay. She couldn’t have been more surprised, or elated, if she’d been told she’d won the lottery.
“That’s… kind of amazing. Am I on…um.”
“Probation?”
“Yes.”
“No. Because you came with a strong reference from a club member.”
“Oh.”
“And I can tell, after knowing you for twenty-four hours, that you’re the kind of person who takes obligations seriously. Somewhat unusual for someone your age.”
“I have five hundred dollars left, but three of it really belongs to Johns. He handed it to me before they,” she looked down, “um, took him.”
“Cann doesn’t intend for you to give that money back. He gave it to you so you would have it for yourself. For reasons just such as this.”
“How do you know that?”
“Woman’s intuition. But never mind. If it makes you feel better, I’ll give you an advance on your first payday.”
“That would be great.”
“Good. It’s decided. Now where shall we go?”
“I don’t really know Austin.”
“Pshhhh. These days every place is the same. I don’t know about you, but I hate malls. How about if we go to the shoe warehouse first? We can get your jeans, tops, and undies at a single department store. If you need toiletries, we can do that at a drug store or Target. How does that sound?”
“Perfect. But I think I need to be back in time to help with dinner.”
Garland smiled. “Today’s not a full work day. It’s about doctors and shopping.”
“I need hairnets. I’ve never used them, but I think it looks better than a baseball hat. You know, the way Brenda wears her hair.”
“Good call. It’s very attractive.”