Page 15 of Caleb's Salvation
I smiled. When Sam and Zeke Jr. were in the bar, they were pretty hard to miss. “Anyway, I won’t be able to work every night. Shelby’s agreed to watch Sammy, but we’ll need a schedule. She knows Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest nights so I’ll try to accommodate.”
“No skin off my nose.”
I smiled again. I did it. I had a job. I had a place to live, a job and a sitter. I felt tears threaten, which meant I had to get out of there fast. Pretty sure Bud wasn’t someone to abide a crying woman.
“Thank you. Thank you so much.” I left him with a wave as I headed out the door.
I got to the cabin and Shelby was bouncing a wide-awake Sammy on her lap.
“I did it!”
Shelby looked up and squealed. “Yay! That cranky old Bud, I knew he had a heart.”
I clapped as I walked over to pick up Sammy who was bouncing his fists like he was sharing in my excitement.
“Heart and seven percent of my tips,” I said with a smile. “But it’s a start. I really think I can make this work and pay you, Shelby.”
“I told you—”
“I know what you said, but it means something to me. You know. To do this. To support myself.”
She stood and patted me on the shoulder. “Trust me, girl, I know exactly what you mean. We’ll work out a deal. These days Eli doesn’t mind hanging out with me at my place rather than going to Bud’s every Friday and Saturday. He won’t mind doing that while I watch Sam. He loves to play with Zeke Jr. when I have him for stay-overs. Says it’s good practice for the future, which oh my, doesn’t that make my heart go pitter-patter.”
I laughed at the idea of Eli practicing being a dad with Sam.
I hugged Sam close and nuzzled his neck so he giggled. “You’ll have to remind Eli that Sammy is the best baby there ever was so as not to set his expectations too high.”
Shelby smiled. “He is a doll baby,” she said, running a gentle hand over his head. “Okay, let me know what nights you want to work. Cell phone is spotty out here but sometimes if you stand outside of Gert’s you can get a signal.”
“Oh…uh, I don’t have a phone.”
Shelby blinked. Then realized her mistake. “Oh my gosh, I’m so stupid.”
“No, it’s fine.” Who didn’t have a phone these days? It wasn’t just the money, either. I’d never had one. My father thought they were gateways to sin. Phones, television, the internet.
“No, it’s not. Let me talk to Eli. I bet we can set you up with a burner phone where you can pay by the call.”
I shook my head. Everyone here was being so kind to me. “Shelby, I don’t know how—”
“Sugar, stop right there. You forget I was the first one to come up here. I know how hard it is to leave something behind and start a life over. Only I got to do it with Eli. Well, mostly with Eli. A lot of it, I had to do myself. I only wish I had a me here before to help show me the way.”
I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but I knew Shelby was being sincere and that’s all that mattered.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said. “Bye, Sammy.”
Then she was gone, and I was left with a heady feeling of success. More than that, I felt hope.
“Momma did it again, Sammy.”
He babbled but I decided it sounded suspiciously like,I’m proud of you.
* * *
Bud’s
Vivienne
