Page 13 of Falling for the Enemy

“Why are you even working?” I asked.

She looked at me like I was crazy. “Why do you work?”

“I have to pay bills.”

“So do I. I don’t have to pay rent anymore, which is a big help because of grandma’s house, but I still have all the other ones to pay, plus taxes on the house and land. Everyone has to work.”

“I just assumed,” I started, but then stopped because I had no idea why I’d assumed that. Maybe it was in the way Amber carried herself and how she dressed. She seemed like she came from money.

“You assumed I was rich?”

“I mean, your grandmother had quite a bit of money.”

“She broke it up between the rest of the grandkids. They got money, I got a house. I can’t sell right now because she put a bunch of stipulations on it, like that I have to live here for a year. I don't know why she did it, I've tried to figure it out, but I don't really have a choice. So here I am.”

“Here you are,” I repeated. If Shirley hadn’t been so stuck on the fact that everything was related and happened for a reason, I could maybe assume that it was just a fluke. But it wasn't. Shirley undoubtedly had a reason for dragging her granddaughter all the way to Ohio. For a brief second, I wondered if that reason was me. It came into my mind and then was gone again. It couldn’t be that.

“That’s a hell of a story,” I commented.

Amber scoffed. “Yeah, that’s one way to put it I guess. So, long story short, I am looking for a job and I guess I am not going to get much help in the classifieds. I did see an ad for a temporary job placement place the next town over. I guess I will go over there and see what that is.”

Words were coming out of my mouth before I could stop them or at least think them through. “We have a few openings on the night shift.”

I didn't know if she was taking me seriously or not. She asked me what I did, and I told her that I worked at a factory. It was close and the pay was decent for the area. I figured that it was nothing compared to what she used to making though. Amber surprised me by saying that she needed a job anywhere. I thought she would be a little more discerning where she worked, considering what she had done before, but when she asked me how she could get hired, I told her that she already was.

“What?” she questioned, looking at me kind of funny.

“Well, I would be your boss. I run the shifts, so if you want a job you have it. You can start tomorrow night if you want. I go in a little after half past nine if you want to ride in with me. Might help you to find the place for next time.”

All of a sudden I was being all kinds of helpful and it just seemed a little out of character. Amber didn't even know me that well, she didn’t know how unusual I was acting. It was hard for me to even imagine what I was doing. Maybe this was my way of helping her after she helped me. It didn't feel like I was helping though. It felt more like I was being selfish because the real reason for me saying yes was so I could see her more.

Amber put the newspaper down and told me that I had made her day. The warm feeling I got with her simple words should have reminded me what a danger she was. How could she make me feel goopy inside in just a few words? It really didn’t make any sense.

I excused myself, feeling weird about the whole situation and I didn't want to say or do something that I was going to regret later. I’d shocked myself and now I was trying to imagine Amber running the machines at work. It was almost comical. I couldn’t tell her no though. I was the one who had told her about the job in the first place. It was also problematic to be attracted to an employee like I was. Not to mention she was my neighbor. It was like I was asking for the drama ahead. I had to keep my distance from Amber and not make things any more complicated.

13

Amber

Itried to get ready for the night shift by getting a nap in the day that I was supposed to start. It didn't sound so hard. I just had to go to sleep for a couple hours and then I would be able to make it till 6:00 o'clock in the morning. It sounded easy enough, but apparently, I'm not very good at naps. I laid down and thought about all the things that might or might not go wrong and it ran through my head like a broken record that I couldn't turn off. I wondered about my year in Ohio. I wondered what it was going to be like working in the factory. And then, of course, my mind went to who was going to be my new boss. I still wasn't even sure how I felt about answering to him. I knew his temper and how he had been before. Would he revert?

I’d almost talked myself out of it when I heard a knock at the door around 9:30. I froze, but I knew that I had to answer it. He was doing me a favor and I’d asked for this. I was actively swallowing my pride, but I was thankful for the opportunity as well. He was helping me out of a tight spot, and he didn't even know it. I opened the door with a smile, pushing back all the thoughts that clouded my head. This was only temporary, I reminded myself over and over again. I would be a cog in the wheel, but only for a little while.

That is, if I was going to even be allowed out the door.

“What are you wearing?” Frank gasped with a dubious look on his face.

I looked down where he was, and I didn't see anything wrong with it and told him that I was wearing something for work. It was the shoes that were getting him apparently.

“You can't wear that to work. The factory is not a place for heels,” Frank continued.

I did have heels on, but I didn't see why that was a problem. Was there a rule against heels that I didn't know about? Is that even a thing? “What's wrong with heels?” I asked him, really not understanding.

Frank sneered at me, the old neighbor that I’d first met coming out. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I'm serious. You are making a big deal about me wearing heels. What's the problem?”

“You can't wear heels. You're going to be in a factory on your feet for the next eight hours. I think that you would be better off with something comfortable. The last thing you want is to be running around on those stilts.”

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