Page 93 of Stay With Me
“I’m shocked you overslept. Is everything okay?” I ask since normally she’s the one keeping us all on track.
She waves me off. “I just had a date last night that went longer than planned.”
Abby wiggles her eyebrows. “Ohhhh, that kind of date.”
I look between them, and it clicks. “Ohhhh, I get it.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Where’s my little niece? I need to win cool aunt because all we hear about is Sam,” Pam says, quickly changing the subject.
I can’t help but laugh. “She’s in the van changing into her cool new shirt for Am’s farm.”
“Ugh. Bribing her with stuff is cheating, Amelia Rose!” she yells and walks to the van.
Abby and I laugh as the van door opens and Jess walks out, so proud of her new shirt.
“Good luck getting her out of that shirt. She looks like she’s ready to live in it she’s so happy.”
“If it makes her smile like that, I’ll make sure she has one for every day.”
Feeling a soft vibration in my pocket, I pull my phone out and see a text from Noah. I can’t stop the smile that takes over my face.
Noah: I’m getting off work right after the market closes. I’ll meet you guys at home with burgers for dinner. Does that sound good?
This man makes it so that we don’t want for anything, but I wish he would let me contribute more. I know I don’t make as much as him, but I work hard for what I do earn.
“Your smile fell pretty quick. Is everything okay? Do I need to kick Noah’s ass?” Pam asks.
“No, everything is great. He’s just letting me know that he’s getting off around the same time as we will and that he’s picking up burgers on the way home,” I say, typing out a quick reply.
Me: Perfect. We’ll see you soon.
I return my phone to my pocket.
“So why the long face? That should be good news?” She pushes.
“I just hate that he doesn’t let me contribute more. Every time I offer to pay for something or to help with the bills, he tells me to save my money or save it for Jess. I hate that I don’t feel like I’m helping,” I respond with a frustrated huff.
“Have you told him it bothers you? I mean, if you just tell him okay or don’t voice your concerns, he won’t know,” Am adds as she walks up next to us.
“I mean, I feel ungrateful that it bothers me. He took both of us in with no questions. He’s giving me a life that I never thought was possible, and I’m mad he won’t let me buy dinner or pay part of the water bill,” I say, throwing my hands up.
Abby turns to me after she finishes with a customer. “I understand where you’re coming from. But to play devil’s advocate, you paying for Jess’s clothes is contributing, whether they’re for school coming up or because of a growth spurt.”
I don’t say anything for a minute as I take in what she said. We start to clean up since we sold out of most of the produce and the crowd has thinned.
I didn’t think about that. Clothing is expensive and her school list is over two pages long, and anything she needs if she wants to do sports would fall under that too.
I stop what I’m doing and look at them. “I guess I’ve just been on my own for so long that having someone take care of me and not letting me pay for housing was bothering me more than I thought. In The Family, women had nothing of their own, and the thought of that happening again scared me.”
“Yeah, I get that. I don’t know how I would react if a man just came in and started paying for everything for me. It’s an adjustment,” Pam adds.
“I think you should still talk to him about this. You can’t have a successful relationship without communication,” Am says.
“I agree with Ms. Therapy over here.” Pam points over her shoulder.
“I know, and I will. It’s just so hard to talk to him because he says he has it covered, and it’s frustrating.” I peek over at Jess to make sure she’s not within earshot. She’s with Penny, but I pause at the look on her face, her eyes wide as she starts to take a step back. “Hey, Jess, you okay? You look like you’re going to be sick.” I rush toward her.
She shakes her head like she’s shaking away cobwebs. “Um, yeah, I’m okay. I remembered I forgot to do my reading this morning, but I still have time to do it when I get home.”
