Chapter Two
Kylie
Grooving to the music playing on the loudspeaker was a hard thing to stop doing. It gave me an empowered boost while I was working. I could do my tasks all day, as long as my playlist boomed in my ear. The convenience store where I worked was chill most days and a great place to dance and read a good book.
I fixed the items on the shelves as my mom and boss had instructed. It was a boring job, and one I’d done all my life, but I could live with it. The store served as the bread and butter of our family for years. As I placed the last set of noodles on the top shelf, my mother came storming out of the stock room. Pissed.
“What the hell is that blaring sound?!” my mother shouted, frantic eyes searching the entire place to find the source of the music. I waved my hand to signal to her my spot in between the instant snacks section. I heard her rattling over the noise, her complaints overcoming the R&B music playing on the loudspeakers.
“I told you a million times, Kylie! Keep the music down!” She kept her voice clear and audible over the loud sound. I pretended to be deaf to her claims, putting my hand over my ears.
“I said lower the volume! You’re scaring customers away due to that noise!” She was screaming, her voice far too loud for the small store. Customers were looking at her, watching our little dramatic mother-daughter cat fight.
Mom was old fashioned all the way, but it was her store. Period.
“I think you’re frightening people away with the sound of your voice, Mom. Not the music.” I hated to break it to her, but it was a fact.
The customers closest to us nodded and smiled, agreeing with my honesty.
She huffed and turned, walking over to the front counter. Before I could protest, the tunes changed from the blues to the great 70’s. I knew it. Mom was a die-hard fan of these beautiful artists creating phenomenal hits, but it was too old for this generation. All I could do was smile at the thought of my mother’s stubborn ways, her verdict being the last resort followed around our family.
I walked toward the counter, taking my spot right after keeping the shelves stocked. My mother refilled the refreshments in the fridge as I approached her.
“Maybe the music choice was the reason why you whined all of a sudden,” I teased her, wiping the fridge door to clear off the moisture.
She grinned and made two thumbs up for me to acknowledge. “You can never go wrong with ABBA.”
Sadly enough, and though I would never in a million years admit it, she was right.
Singing through the chorus of Dancing Queen, she seized my hands and swayed me along with her signature dance steps. I felt awkward thanks to a group of customers watching us, but I swayed with her nevertheless. She was my mom, the superwoman of my life.
“You can dance, you can jive! Having the time of your life, whoo!” We sang together and danced until the song ended. She laughed and threw her hands in the air, going from angry to blissful in a matter of minutes.
But, that was my mother. Intensely complex. I stared at her beautiful yet wrinkled face. She was my first best friend, the center of my heart. I couldn’t imagine life without her and prayed like crazy that I would never have to live it.
“The party is over?” I asked and chuckled as she pointed to the back of the store.
“Yep. Get back to work, slacker. And leave that R&B music for your private time. It’s horrid. Makes my ears bleed.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re so dramatic.”
“You love it,” she responded with a twinkle in her eye.
“You better watch the counter. That’s your favorite spot in this store, anyway,” I kidded as she walked toward the counter, her face still flushed from both laughter and exhaustion. She winked at me as she tended the counter, waiting for customers to pay for their goods.
The bell above the door jingled as someone opened the shop door. I smiled at myself as I refilled the fridge with some bottled and canned drinks, knowing my mom was putting on her customer service smile. She hated that shit, and yet it was necessary thanks to the business we were in. As I continued my work, a hand passed by my eyes and snatched a bottle of power drink from the newly filled fridge.
“Sorry to startle you, miss.” The man spoke with a deep, gravelly voice. Without looking, I knew who it was. He was one of the customers Mom said we should look out for. The one she told me to keep a cautious eye on.
I smiled at the man’s bearded, pale face. “No worries, sir. Need me to ring you up?”
He nodded, a faint smile on his face. “That would be great.”
I led the way to the counter, knowing that my mother would despise conversing with him. She was a frank woman and usually told it like it was. That wasn’t helpful in the world of customer service, so if anyone she didn’t think too highly of stopped by, I checked them out. Made life easier. Kept the shop open too.
Mom glanced up, gave me a look, and walked to the back of the store, pretending to stack the bread and pastries that I was going to work on next. I scanned his items and smiled. “Four twenty-eight, please.”
“Yep.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out exact change. Something about his movements had my heart racing. He was weird on a good day, but something was off today. More than normal.
“Thanks, sir! Please come again!” He turned his back without any response and left the shop. I felt a pinch on my arm to find my mother on my side, eyes big in disgust.
“Ouch, that hurts!” I squealed, holding my arm. “What the heck, Mom?”
Her eyes were still fixed on the door as if she were watching him leave. She waited until he was in his car to speak her mind.
“Thanks. I really don’t like that man much,” she apologized while she patted my arm lightly. I gave her a puzzled look, skeptical of her thoughts. That man might look eerie, but he was one of our regular customers.
“Why?” I had my reasons for thinking he looked odd, but I wanted to know hers. I smiled at the next customer in line. My mother packed the items I scanned while I tended the counter.
“Something seems to be wrong with him. I don’t know. You know me, Kylie. My intuition has never failed me,” she replied, extending a bag of groceries to our current customer.
As I continued with the next customer, I asked her once more. “Why? I don’t see anything wrong or bad about the man.”
She finished packing the next guy’s groceries and turned to face me, crossing her arms over her chest and raising her eyebrow. “That’s what I worry over the most with you, Kylie. You only see the good in people, never the bad.” Her words struck me, but I granted her a sweet smile.
“Don’t worry, Mom, there are no bad people in this town,” I replied, keeping my eyes on hers. There had to be a way to calm her pessimist mind, but I’d yet to find it, and I’d been trying to help for the likes of forever.
She shook her head gloomily and disagreed. “You know so little yet, Kylie.” She put a consoling hand on my shoulder and asked me to focus on my job instead. I did as I was told, seeing more customers inside our convenience store.
One of those new pools of people coming in was Hunter Yonnie. He had to be one of the finest men in the whole damn city.
Butterflies sprung up in my stomach, and I felt girly and young every time he walked into the store. That day, he wore a white shirt with his name tag pinned on his chest and faded jeans, his muscles pressing through his sleeves. Despite his simple attire, he was gorgeous, strong, confident. The way he carried himself left my body aching for his attention, but he was far too much man for me.
His tough, manly front was reflected by his expertise in guns and hunting, but his quiet attitude made him stand out among the other guys in town. An enigmatic, young bachelor with a heart for saving other’s lives.
Those hot, artistic tattoos inked around his arms exhibited his bad boy nature, but his heart was golden. We all knew it. He was a volunteer firefighter and the town's favorite guy, never turning anyone away and always helping where he could. I wanted to know his story. All of it.
Why was he still single? Because of his son?
Despite me attending to the customers checking out, my attention was on him. I watched from the side of my eye, memorizing the strong line of his jaw and how fucking good he looked with his 5 o’clock shadow. I’d had a crush on him for as long as I could remember.
“One set of chocolate cupcakes, please.” He pointed to one of my mother’s homemade sweet treats. She nodded and took one, getting it packed up in a box and tying a ribbon on top for a dainty look. As my mother gave him the box, I stole one brief look at him again and held my breath. How many fantasies had I had behind my closed eyes, my body shaking as I came and moaned his name?
Warmth raced up my neck to coat my face. Did he know how badly I wanted him? No. No way.
It was a shame. He looked at me, a smile playing on his perfect lips. He knew. He had to. I glanced down to the counter and back up to the next customer in front of me, a bitchy old lady. It was more helpful than not to concentrate on her, but I couldn’t deny the thick vein pulsing in the side of my neck, the wetness between my thighs, the tight buds forming on the tips of my breasts. He had too much power over me, and he didn’t even know it.
As I checked out one customer after the other, Hunter was the next in line.
My heart started to beat faster, and I was nervous about making a mistake. He might realize my little crush on him, especially since he saw me checking him out. I mustered all the strength and confidence I had, posing the usual cheerful welcome I greet to other regular customers.
“Good morning, sir!” I avoided his gaze and instead entered the code for the cake. He did not respond to my greeting but instead smiled at me as he waited. The awkward encounter was difficult to sustain, and, thank goodness, my mother intervened.
“Is that for your cute son?” Mom asked, coming over and engaging him in small talk with him.
“Yes, Mrs. Tomms, it is. Anyway, I got to go. Thanks, Kylie.” He waved his hand as he took the cupcake box with him. This time, I followed my mom’s lead and let my eyes follow him out the door.
“Kylie, why are your lips smacked together? Is there some glue that kept them shut?” My mother broke my silence, pulling me back to reality. I shook my head, suddenly aware of my daydreams.
“No, it’s just that I did not know what to say to him. He leaves me flustered.”
I checked out the last customer in the line, making sure no one was within earshot to hear our conversation.
My mother laughed as her eyes filled with merriment. She knew my little secret. She had to. “Hunter has been your neighbor for years now. Yet, you have barely spoken to him. I bet you’ve never surpassed the two-word sentence to him. Have you?”
“It’s not that easy, Mom. He leaves me feeling lightheaded. It’s not a conversation I’m having with you, by the way.” I shoved her mockery off, although she was right. She was always correct. I envied her observational skills and gut feelings. She aced anything she speculated about people, especially on her kids’ emotions and thoughts.
“You need to break out of your shell, sweetheart.” She patted my back like I was a small child, not a woman approaching thirty in the next couple of years.
“You’ll see; someday I can work up the courage to speak to such a mysterious and sexy guy.”
A smile spread across her face. Damn. She had me cornered. She knew. Hell, she knew before I told her. She was intuitive like that.
“I knew it! My instincts never fail. It’s okay; he’s a good man. I’m amazed how much he loves his son. Despite his busy schedule, he is able to raise Vince as a well-mannered, clever little boy.”
“Yes, he’s amazing. He can juggle plenty of roles without any problem. He’s a perfect guy.” My thoughts drifted away. Every woman in our town thought about Hunter…even some of the married ones. It was disturbing, and yet an odd comfort all at the same time.
“True enough. Shame about Vince’s mother though.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”