Chapter 9 – Jenny
Did I really just have a sex dream last night?
My mind is all over the place as I make breakfast for Josh and Ella.
I haven’t had one of those in years!
I went straight to bed last night after my time to myself in the shower, feeling satisfied, but I guess the handsome man from the club has more of a hold on my mind than I’d thought.
I’d woken up this morning feeling hot and bothered, and had to take care of myself one more time before I got out of bed. I haven’t felt this kind of excitement since … well I can’t even remember.
Thinking back to how he handled those men in the parking lot is like watching a porn. I’ve never seen a man move like that before. Too many men these days are so quiet and soft spoken, and the ones that aren’t are the handsy dick heads at the club that the bouncers end up tossing out on their ass. Ty doesn’t really seem to be either of those.
When we first ran into each other I assumed he was just another asshole thinking he owned me because he was a guy with money in his wallet. I’d even worried that he’d expect something from me after he took care of those jerks in the parking lot, but he didn’t. He ended up taking care of me, cleaning me up and taking me home.
And what was with that reaction when we drove downtown? It couldn’t have been me. He was clearly upset about something there. Somewhere we went past. There’s more to this man that meets the eye.
“I’m not really hungry,” Ella says, her eyes on her phone.
“Too bad,” I tell her, scooping eggs onto a plate with some toast. “You need to eat. You need energy. I don’t want Mr. Harris telling me you fell asleep in class again.”
Ella sighs as I set her plate in front of her. Josh is scooping cereal happily into his mouth. It’s his favorite one with the marshmallow Rhinoceroses in it that turn the milk blue.
“Am I really taking the bus today?” Ella says miserably.
“Yes, you really are,” I say. “I’m sorry, but what can I tell you? The car’s in the shop. I should be picking it up today if everything goes well. Complain to your father next time you see him and tell him to start paying child support and maybe this won’t happen again.”
Ella sighs again, but she takes a bite of her eggs. Teenagers. It’s like pulling teeth.
“Okay, I have to get going,” I say, picking up my purse and keys. “Make sure you watch your brother. Josh, I love you. I’ll see you after school okay?”
“Okay! I love you too, mom.”
I give him a kiss on the head and I’m out the front door.
I have to walk to Greg’s Auto Repair. It’s only about fifteen minutes away, but it’s hot out and it means taking the main road that’s loud and busy. At least I’ll finally have my car back though. It was making some terrible screeching noise every time I took a turn, and I really thought it was going to explode or the frame was going to collapse or something, so I took it in. I also had to have the windshield replaced last month because someone in the neighborhood punched it in. I really need a new apartment.
Too bad Ty isn’t here to give me a ride, I think as a garbage truck passes me and I get a whiff of rotten trash.
This is weird for me. I never let guys get into my head like this. It kind of goes with the territory doing what I do. I hate to say it, but after a while you start seeing men as either paychecks or predators, without any in between. And on top of that, I still have to deal with Colin and the hordes of teenage boys interested in my daughter. It’s hard to see guys as anything more than a pain in my ass, so the fact that I’m still thinking about Ty, let alone fantasizing about him, is pretty strange.
Greg’s is swamped by the time I get there. It’s not even nine o’clock yet and he’s got a full garage and more people waiting in the office. I manage to catch him as he’s coming outside.
“Greg!” I shout like a mad woman, rushing over to him.
“Hey, Jenny,” he says, looking up from his appointment book. He already looks tired.
“Are we all set?”
“Well …” My heart sinks when I hear the tone in his voice. “There’s a couple of more things need doin’.”
“Really? I thought everything was looking good?”
“Yeah, well we got in there and took a look and there’s a few more things ya need. You need a a new control arm. Some other suspension stuff.”
He can’t be serious. For once in my life I wish I was a guy and I knew how to work on cars so I could just drive it home and do all this myself.
“So I can’t take it home today?” I ask him, already knowing the answer.
“I wouldn’t recommend it,” he says. “And I can’t give you a sticker either. Not until we get her fixed up.”
“And what’s that gonna cost me?”
“Well,” he says, looking down at his book. “I’d have to check inside for an exact quote, but probably around eighteen hundred or so.”
Well, I know what this means: more nights at the club. I’m so over going in there; I just wish I had some other way to bring in money. I’ve wanted to quit for so long and do something else. I always wanted to get back to my drawing. I was pretty good back in Elementary school and middle school, but high school was so crazy I couldn’t put much time in, and when my kids were born I just simply didn’t have the time.
But that’s life, and bills are bills, and I need my car.
“Okay, Greg. Thanks.”
“Sorry about that, Jenny,” he says as I turn and start walking back to my place.
On the way back, I pull out my cell and dial Alicia, the only baby sitter I’ve ever really been able to trust. It took a while to get the dogs used to her, but Josh took to her right away. Maybe she can watch them tonight and I can get some more hours in.
It rings a few times before she answers.
“Hey, Jenny!” Her bright, bubbly voice puts a little dent in the cold, miserable wall that my day is becoming.
“Hey, Alicia. Listen, I’m in a bit of a bind here. Can you watch Josh for me tonight? Ella will be there, but you know how he likes you, and with my neighbors lately I don’t like leaving them alone.”
“Sure. No problem,” she says. Relieve washes over me.
“Oh, good. Thank you so much. I have to pick up some more hours at the club. The car needs more repairs.”
“More? I thought you were all set!”
“So did I?” I sigh. “Something about brakes or something. I don’t know. I can’t even. But anyway. Can you come over around eight?”
“No problem, Jenny.”
“Great. You’re a life saver. I’ll see you then.”
“See ya!” she says. I hang up, feeling a little better about the day. Not sure if any of my regulars will be in tonight, but probably not. That means I’ll actually have to work the crowd and maybe even dance, which I really don’t want to do.
I have suffered from mild social anxiety since I was a kid, and the enormous crowds at the club really do a number on me. It’s why I’m so glad I have my regulars who I can hang out with in private and avoid all that. The girls who really have to work out in the main room not only have to work a lot harder than me but also make far less money.
But that’s life I guess. Some jerk in a sports car hollers at me as he speeds past. “Ay, baby. Shake that thang!”
I flip him the bird as he drives off.
Christ, I think. I’m gonna have to shave my legs.