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Once our giggles died down, I struggled to free my hands from their blanket depths and offered a chip to her. Making her hand into a tiny claw so she could grab a stack, Luna laid her treats on her leg before digging in.
“Do you think you’d take the job? If they offered it, I mean.”
“I don’t know,” she said around a mouthful of chip. “I really need the work, but I know I wouldn’t last with a chauvinist asshole like that. He kept calling me ‘young lady’ too.”
I make a sound of disgust. “Yeah, you’re not taking that job. You’d knee him in the balls on day three, guaranteed. We’ll be fine for another month if you don’t find anything.”
Luna’s face is an unreadable mask as she gazes off. She’s trying so hard to find a full-time job, only weeks after graduating high school, that the stress is starting to get to her. It’s been her and me for the last eight years and we’ve made it work with my meager pay. Our dad has been out of the picture from the very beginning and when I turned eighteen our mom decided she’d had enough too. We woke up one morning, ate pancakes with her and when she left to run some errands she never came back. We pieced together what happened when suddenly all the bills were in my name and collectors where knocking on our door.
What a fun time that was. I gave up my spot at a local college, no longer able to afford classes, and found a job so we could keep the roof over our head. Over the years I’ve been able to scale back from working three jobs to only two as Luna picked up part-time work after school.
“I’ll find something soon. I just know it,” Luna says, breaking into my thoughts. “I want you to be able to focus on what you love doing.”
“I love working for Bake, Rattle & Roll. You know that.”
“I know,” she huffs in teenage exasperation. “I just want to be more help.”
I wiggle frantically out of my blanket pile and reach for Luna. Dragging her from her spot over to me, I hug her as tight as I can while she fights to free herself. “You help out plenty. And I love you, you giant pain in my ass.”
She squeals as I pepper her face with kisses. When I release my hold, she dives for the other end of the sofa, giving me an angry glare with an amused smile. Then the little shit goes and says something that ruins my emerging good mood.
“Want to watch some of Grant’s highlight reels on YouTube?”
I throw a pillow at her before burrowing back into my blankets.
???
I’d like to say that I slept like a baby, with no thoughts of Grant or our elevator flirtations but that would be a straight lie. As soon as my head hits the pillow and I enter dreamland – he’s there. In the light of day, I tell myself that nothing could happen between Grant and me. We lead very different lives with vastly different responsibilities. But in my dreams, oh man, there I let myself explore the what ifs. I play out what would have happened if I stayed. If I let him kiss me, long and deep.
When my alarm goes off, I feel like I haven’t slept a wink. As quietly as I can, I make my way to the bathroom and go about my morning routine. Not bothering to change out of my PJs just yet, I head to the coffee machine, pressing the brew button and eagerly watching the liquid of life start dripping down.
Adding a big pour of my hazelnut creamer to my coffee and grabbing an apple out of our fruit bowl, I tiptoe to the tiny desk I had set up in the far corner of our living room and flick on the lamp. Placing my mug down, I drag my finger along the touchpad to wake up the snoozing computer.
Losing myself in the long list of possible temp job offerings opening up next week, I don’t realize Luna is up until I’m startled by thepingof the toaster. Spinning in my chair, I smile over at her. “Morning Lu-Lu.” Not looking away from the piece of toast she is smothering with peanut butter, she gives me a sleepy wave with the knife. “You sleep good?” She nods. I see we’re communicating non-verbally today.
When her cell phone starts ringing on the kitchen table a moment later, I scowl at her as she immediately gives that small device her full attention. The brat.
With the slice of toast hanging from her mouth, Luna unlocks her phone and starts clicking away. Glancing at the oven clock, I internally curse as I run for my room. I really let the morning get away from me. I need to get dressed and to the bakery within the next hour and a half.
“Lex? I got a question for you,” Luna yells through the door. Tripping with one leg in a pair of jean shorts and my other getting caught on the material, I squeak-shout, a sound that she takes for a positive response. “Pat’s mom needs help at the dinner she runs down in Wasaga. They lost two waitress this week. Pays double what I’m making at the tea place.”
I freeze buttoning up my shorts. A wave of hot bile churns in my stomach.
She wants to leave to waitress for the rest of the summer. There’s no reason for me to say no. And Luna asking me is just a nicety. She’s almost eighteen now, she doesn’t need my permission. Yet, the thought of her leaving has me…floundering.
The money sounded great. It was a good opportunity. A summer of hard work and lazy beach days. Pulling my BRR t-shirt on, I take a deep breath and slap on a smile as I make my way back to Luna in the kitchen. Her face is hopeful as she looks at me.
Pushing all the raw emotions I’m feeling down deep, I go into guardian mode. I need more details. I still have two months to prepare myself for my baby sister to be recognized as a grown adult woman. I pepper her with questions, trying to understand how safe she will be and who she will be with. I know Patty and she’s a good kid, but beaches and bathing suits did something to the adolescent brain.
“Okay. You can go. But I expect you to call or message me daily. I swear to God I will bus my ass down there and get you if you pull an MIA on me.”
Running to me, Luna throws her arms around my shoulders, squeezing me tight as she laughs. “You’re the best, sis.” And just as quickly as she grabbed me, she’s gone. Running into her room to pack or call back Patty or whatever. I didn’t really know.
The reality that I only have today left with Luna hits me in the gut. She’s never been away from me for longer than a couple days. Either at a sleepover or that one time she went to camp. This would be…different.
“I have to head out to the bakery,” I say, swallowing down the lump in my throat, “but I’ll be back around three. Do you want to have one last binge-watching night of Lucifer together?”
“Yes please!”
