Page 5 of Just for Him
Chapter Three: Haven
Balancing four specials, I glanced up at the clock, annoyed. Deanna, my replacement, was lateagain. I barely had enough time to go home, shower, change, and get to the other side of town as it was. Every minute I was delayed threatened to makemelate. Cal was really cool about that sort of thing, but the guy who ran the café downtown wasn’t.
“Go on. I’ve got it covered.” Wanda appeared behind me with a pot of coffee and the extra sides I hadn’t been able to carry.
“You’ve already covered for me twice this week.”
“I’m not covering for you.Yourshift ended fifteen minutes ago, and Annabeth is here. Go!”
I felt bad for leaving Wanda and Annabeth to handle the morning breakfast rush. During the lulls, it wasn’t bad, but at peak times, it took three of us to get everyone seated and served so they could get totheirjobs.
I really did have to go, though. I needed my second job. One paycheck might have been enough to cover my daily living expenses, but not that of a still-growing, always-hungry teenage boy, too. I didn’t mind. Providing a safe place for my brother until he could graduate high school and stand on his own two feet was worth it.
The moment I was outside, I speed-walked back to my place.
I scowled at the dirty breakfast bowl and open cereal box that had been left on the table, but I didn’t have time to do anything about it. I would definitely be having another talk with Joel later.
Teenage boys weren’t known for being neat or clean, I got that. However, if he was going to live with me, there had to be some ground rules.
I took the quickest shower on record—three minutes!—then changed into my other uniform, grabbed a protein bar, and was out the door again in another five. I made it to the café with a minute to spare.
My boss, Francis Franklin, was waiting for me, scowling when I punched in on time. He seemed disappointed. He made no secret of the fact that he didn’t like me and was looking for a reason to fire me. The place had a three-strike rule, and the two times I’d had to leave early because of Joel put me right on the edge. One more infraction and my boss would be shoving me out the door.
“Hey, Haven.” One of my regulars greeted me with a smile. I didn’t know his name, but I did know he worked in one of the offices on the upper floors. He was a nice guy, always impeccably dressed, and a great tipper.
“The usual?”
“Please.” I saw him cast a glance toward my boss, who was watching me like a hawk. “No one makes coffee like you,” he said, raising his voice slightly. “Best in town.”
My boss sniffed and walked away.
“Thanks for that,” I said quietly.
“Anytime.” He grinned. “I wasn’t kidding. And don’t worry about Francis. Half the building will boycott this place if he gets rid of you.”
Warmth spread through me at his kind words. I hadn’t realized my boss’s animosity was obvious to anyone but me. My gallant regular customer had just gotten himself upgraded to the next size and an extra shot of vanilla, on the house.
I was about halfway through my shift, wiping down the bistro-style tables during a lull, when my cell phone vibrated, signaling an incoming call. I knew it couldn’t be good. I only gave out the number for emergencies.
A glance at the screen confirmed my fears. The caller identified as the high school.
Francis wasn’t lurking anywhere nearby, so I went toward the back and answered. I almost wished I hadn’t.
“Ms. McAlister?”
“Yes.”
“This is Constance Carter, principal of Cecilton Senior High School. I’m afraid there has been a serious incident involving Joel.”
My heart dropped. “What kind of incident?”
“I’d rather not go into specifics over the phone.”
Perhapsshedidn’t want to go into specifics, butIneeded details. She couldn’t just call, use words likeserious incident, and not provide more information than that. All sorts of horrible, worst-case scenarios were assaulting my mind.
