Page 10 of Austin
“At least she got the shift.” Kristen’s stomach was so tight she thought she was going to puke.
“This isn’t the right job for you.”
“Obviously.” But it had been a job.
As she pushed her way out through the exit, she barely held back the tears. She was a flat-out failure. More than that, she was a double failure.
The heavy metal door shut behind her and there she was. Alone in a parking lot. No job. No future. She closed her eyes, pulled in a long breath. Her tote bag felt heavy on her shoulder. Hell, the world felt heavy on her shoulders.
She didn’t know what to do. Her reserves were shot. Her savings were low. Her grapevine was dried and withered. She’d pulled in what had seemed like her last favor to get this job and now she had no job.
Was she going to have to go home and sponge off her family until she got back on her feet? That hurt. A lot.
And she’d have to ship her stuff home—not that she had a lot that wasn’t in storage, but there was more than she could fit into a couple of suitcases. Maybe she could rent a truck.
A quick internet search after she’d gotten into her borrowed car told her no, she would not be doing that.
Not without calling Whitney and asking for a loan. And explaining why she needed it. That would be a painful talk. Things had been stilted between them the last couple of times they’d spoken. Her sister knew that something was off, but Kristen had stonewalled. Told her everything was fine. She’d been over three weeks into unemployment at that point and certain she’d land a new job soon.
Yeah. That had really worked out.
As soon as she got home, Kristen called her sister. Confessed everything. Whitney did not take the news well.
“Now wait…one more time. You’ve been out of work forhow long?”
Kristen pressed her palm to her forehead. The call was as painful as she’d predicted—maybe more so—because her sister was just this side of livid. She’d explained about taking an interim job, and about how she’d run into Austin, but Whitney was bypassing all that and latching on to the fact that her closest relative in the world hadn’t poured out her troubles as she’d gone through them.
“Whit…you guys were dealing with Dad’s accident and I thought I was going to land a job in no time.”
“And when that didn’t happen? When Dad got better and the weeks stretched on?”
“It felt like it was too late to confess.”
“Why?”
“Because I’d lied by omission for too long,” Kristen blurted. “Surely you can understand that?”
“No. I don’t think that I can. It’s…unacceptable.” Whitney let out an audible sigh. “Iwould have toldyou!”
“You don’t know that.” Because a year ago, Kristen never would have seen herself doing what she’d done.
“Yeah. I do. Because you’re my sister and I’d damned well be asking you for help if I got into a bind.”
“You know that for sure?”
“I do.”
They could argue about what Whitney may or may not have done all day, so Kristen pushed on to her main source of worry. “I don’t know how to tell Mom.”
“Well, you’d better think of something.” The words practically spit sparks.
“Whitney—”
“I can’t help it. I’mpissed.”
“I’m coming home.” She had to talk to her mom face to face and, like it or not, she needed sanctuary. She needed the safety of home.
“You do that. I’ll lie to Mom until you get here.”
