Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 70488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70488 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
I didn’t have to come out of my garage to know that one of the Hubers was outside, likely taunting her.
Bernice had her keys out and she was trying to shove the key in the door when she froze.
“Gotta go, Mom.”
“Huxley, wait…”
I hung up and walked out of my garage as I was shoving my phone back into my jeans pocket.
I crossed through my front yard and headed for Patrick Huber, who was now at the edge of Bernice’s driveway.
“Patrick, get away from my woman.”
Patrick’s brow rose. “Your woman?”
“You heard me,” I growled. “Go.”
“Thought she was that mute’s woman? What’s his name? Otis?”
I rolled my eyes. “Odin. And no. She’s mine.”
When I chanced a glance at the door, it was to find Bernice no longer outside.
Thank fuck.
Maybe she hadn’t heard me declare her as mine.
It hadn’t exactly been on my to-do list for today—declaring her mine.
But I knew if I did, he’d respect the unspoken boundary that I’d just laid out for him.
Patrick didn’t respect much, but he did respect me.
I’d beaten the shit out of him too many times to count since we were both in high school for him not to.
He’d been a huge bully, and I hated bullies.
“I’m just being friendly,” Patrick drawled.
“Don’t,” I said. “Don’t talk to her. Don’t look at her. Don’t smile in her direction. You don’t even breathe in her direction.”
Patrick smirked. “She your kryptonite?”
I rolled my eyes. “Go home, Patrick.”
Patrick retreated, but I could tell that he wasn’t going to give up.
Great.
I might’ve made Bernice’s life worse.
Maybe Patrick would keep his mouth shut?
The universe had a good laugh as Patrick spread it far and wide that Bernice was mine by the next morning.
The only person who didn’t know was Bernice.
Three
I run a tight shipwreck.
—Bernice to Hux
Bernice
After the multitude of asthma attacks that I’d had over the last week, I wasn’t feeling too gung-ho as I made my way into my first day of work at The Mercantile.
Honestly, I’d almost turned the job offer down after the interview because of how rigid and intense the store’s owner, Vera Hosea, had acted during the interview.
She acted like the job was the holy grail.
That this job would be more important than anything to me, and that I had to get with the program or not accept.
But I was desperate for a job.
I hadn’t skipped a day of work since I was fifteen.
It felt weird not to have a job.
Meanwhile, I had my feelers out for a job that I could use my NP—nurse practitioner—license in the area.
The job at The Mercantile would work…for now.
“This is the pharmacy area. We have a pharmacist on staff, but no one that can help the customers to get their prescriptions but him. Sometimes, it might be necessary for you to come over here and help out until he can get himself free.”
Heidi, Vera’s daughter, was the one taking me through my job duties today.
I liked her a hell of a lot more than her mother.
Which sucked because I knew that she didn’t work here full-time. Apparently, she worked at a factory and kicked ass with the men of the world all day.
I wondered why she didn’t work here, but that wasn’t my business to ask.
“Okay, so what do I do?” I asked.
She helped me through the checkout process. Then she walked me through the food side of the store, letting me know that I would be responsible for also taking out food orders to customers.
By the time she’d outlined all my responsibilities, I wondered how the hell I was going to fit this all in.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said. “And you should be fine. My mom works, my dad also when he’s not working. Also my brothers. You’ll always have some help here, along with the other employees.”
I nodded nervously.
“This is my brother, Harvey,” she said, pulling someone to the side and from behind a shelf. “Harvey, this is the newest hire, Bernice.”
“You should quit,” Harvey grumbled.
“If she quits, then we’re going to have to work here more,” Heidi said to him.
Harvey frowned. “Never mind. You should work your ass off.”
The way he said it made it sound like it’d be better for me to work my ass off than him.
A bad feeling started to take root, but despite that feeling, I still liked Harvey just as much as his sister.
My lips quirked. “Noted.”
“Why are you talking and not getting anything done?”
The stern, no-nonsense, dictatorial voice had me turning around to see the woman who’d interviewed me before I’d gone back home to retrieve my belongings and moved to Montana.
I shivered, having forgotten how intimidating she’d sounded.
Like a drill sergeant dressed up in a sweet older woman’s body.
“We’re giving her a tour, Mother. Like you asked,” Heidi ground out. “On my day off, might I add. I’m showing her the ropes, then I’m leaving. Remember?”