Page 25 of Always Meant for You
Lily groans. “Do I have to do it now?”
Reba frowns and points into their apartment. “Yes, it’s yourresponsibility. And then you can help me at the community garden.”
Reba eyes me while she speaks.
“That garden is so boring,” Lily laments. “I’ll pretend I’m doing laundry in Paris, then picking weeds around the Eiffel Tower,” Lily says, then disappears into her place with a twirl.
But Lily’s mom lingers. “I need a word, Mae.”
The door clicks shut behind Lily.
I know what’s coming.
I swallow past the lump in my throat.
Reba’s frown deepens. “You’re two months behind on rent. The landlord isn’t pleased. You owe five thousand dollars.”
I muster a grin. “I know, and I’ll get it. I didn’t expect to lose my waitressing gig, but my social media work demands so much.”
Reba looks me over, taking in my outfit, my purse, my sparkly sunglasses. The chill in her silence prickles across my skin.
She’s not one for fashion.
She’s spent her whole life fighting for every inch, raising a daughter on her own, and making sure there was always a roof and a meal.
I can’t blame her for thinking I’m reckless.
To her, it probably looks like I’m playing dress-up while the real world goes on without me.
I glance at my watch.
“I’m sorry, Reba, but I’ve got to go. I have a meeting today. A business opportunity. I’m confident I’ll be able to pay after this.”
It’s not a lie.
Not exactly.
If this meeting goes well, I’ll never have to worry about scraping up cash for rent.
But if I stand here much longer, I’ll miss it—and then none of it matters.
“One last thing, Mae,” Reba says.
I shift my purse strap higher on my shoulder, bracing. “Yes?”
“Lily looks up to you.”
Warmth rises in my chest. “I’m honored. Thank you for telling me.”
Reba’s mouth hardens into a grim line. “It’s not a compliment.”
It takes everything I’ve got not to crumble.
“You can’t pay your rent,” the woman hisses, “but you strut around in designer clothes, dragging home shopping bags, filling my daughter’s head with nonsense.”
I part my lips, ready to explain that I’m building a business.
I’m investing in secondhand couture, giving new life to old pieces, and supporting small designers.
