CHAPTER FOUR
SHANE
I hardly slept at all. I stared up at the ceiling, then looked at my phone, and found that it was just after seven in the morning. Both Emily and Nolan were on their way to school. I had the place to myself. I checked my voicemail, and sure enough, there was a message from my boss telling me he was more than a little disappointed in me and to not bother coming back.
Great. Not that I was surprised. I sighed and though I would have rather pulled the covers over my head and slept the day away, I climbed out of bed, knowing that I better start looking for a new job. Preferably one that paid cash since waiting for them to pay me might make the difference between having a place to live and being tossed out on the streets like a sack of garbage.
I'd showered before bed, so I grabbed a nice shirt from the closet and pulled on a pair of black dress slacks. It had been a long ass time since I'd dressed up and feeling how stiff and uncomfortable I was in the get-up, reminded me why. I only wore this type of outfit when I was out looking for a job these days.
Not bothering with breakfast – it's not like we had much in the house anyway – I grabbed my car keys and left the apartment, locking things up before turning to head down the stairs. As I made my way down the hallway, I passed a door which was open and, even at seven in the morning, already had music is coming out of it.
I waved to my neighbor, a guy named Tim I'd run into a few times. The smell of marijuana – strong and thick – saturated the hallway, obviously coming from the open door.
“Hey, man,” Tim said, scrambling over to the door in his boxers and a t-shirt.
“Hey,” I said. “What's going on?”
“Not much,” he said, scratching the stubble on his chin.
He glanced down the hallway as if checking to make sure the coast was clear before speaking. He leaned a little closer and lowered his voice so only I could hear, like he was worried the Feds were listening.
“You don't happen to know anyone who'd want to run an errand for me, would you?” he asked.
“An errand?” I cocked an eyebrow. “What kind of errand?”
“Just need to pick something up,” he said. “It pays well.”
“Pick what up?”
Tim's smirk stretched across his face, and he gave me a knowing look. Considering the smell coming from his place, it should have come as no surprise that he was asking for me to pick up some drugs for him. Not that I was against weed, I just had no desire to do it myself. Not only that, the last thing I wanted to do was to get caught up in his mess.
“Would it be easier if you didn't know?” he asked.
“Not really,” I mumbled. “Listen, I have to go. I can't help you, man. I've got too much on my plate and way too much at stake right now. The last thing I need is to get caught up in anything illegal.”
“Understandable,” Tim said, backing off. “But if you need some extra cash, I promise it's a discreet deal. Can be a one-time thing.”
“Thanks, but no thanks,” I said.
In the back of my mind, I wanted to ask how much it would pay – but that would only lead me down a rabbit hole of actually considering it. It would definitely open the door, and if the pay actually was good, it might be the push that propelled me through it.
I couldn't afford to let myself be tempted by it. No matter how much I needed the money. Getting caught muling drugs would cost me everything. Even worse, it would cost Emily and Nolan even more.
I waved at Tim and continued down the hallway, then on down the stairs that led to the back alley where my car was parked. I hopped inside my old beater and put the key into the ignition. The battery rolled over but didn't start. I tried again. Same thing. A third time produced the same results. Dammit. No luck.
Slamming my hands into the steering wheel, I cursed under my breath. I knew I was going to need a new battery soon, but I'd prayed the old one would hold out for a little while longer. Of course my entire world would go to shit at once, because that's always how it was. When it rained, it poured. In my case, the downpour hadn't stopped since mom and dad died.
“Fuck,” I cursed, gripping the steering wheel tightly.
I couldn't cry, I didn't want to lose control of my emotions. I was the only thing keeping us together, and I had to keep going. Somehow, I had to find a way to get over it and keep moving forward.
I got out of the car and slammed the door. We were in the middle of town, which meant I could walk. It was a ridiculously warm ninety-degree day and sweat was already seeping out of every pore, but it's what I had to do. Walter didn't have any sort of transit system in place – we were too small for that. I could call a cab, but who the fuck was I kidding? I couldn't afford a cab.
I walked along the alley until I got to the street. We were surrounded by empty warehouses and factories that had closed down, rotting buildings that had stood empty for decades. Walter wasn't necessarily a thriving community with lots of jobs, and most of the jobs we did have, paid minimum wage. I sighed, running a hand through my hair and headed toward town.
It was going to be one hell of a long day.
~ooo000ooo~
The door to C&S jingled as I pushed it open. I felt gross and was covered in sweat and dirt from walking around all day, and my stomach was growling. The job search had gone nearly as poorly as I'd feared it would. No one seemed to be hiring right now. I really hoped Piper wouldn't be working when I stopped by the store, but lo and behold, there she was.
She stood behind the counter, smiling at a woman and her baby. She glanced over in my direction when I walked in, then did a double take. She stared at me, an intense stare that caused a twitching in my slacks. Her gray eyes were large and surprised, her smile as warm and inviting as I remembered it all those years.
Her raven black hair was pulled back into a high ponytail with tendrils falling loose around her porcelain face. Her dainty little nose was still as cute as a button, and her soft, fragile looking face still as beautiful and youthful as ever. She didn't appear to have aged a bit, and I could tell she wasn't wearing an ounce of makeup. Something that had never happened back in high school.
The woman and her child walked past me and left, the store was now empty, save for Piper and me. We stared at each for a long time before I managed to find my voice.
“Hey again,” I said.
I scratched my chin, which was already getting a bit scruffy even though I'd shaved last night.
“Hey, Shane,” she said. “What's going on?”
“Not much,” I said, moving toward her slowly, averting my gaze as I asked the next question. “I was just wondering if you guys might be hiring?”
She cocked an eyebrow. “You know someone who's looking?”
“Yeah,” I said sheepishly. “I am. Nolan's little stunt last night cost me my job, and there doesn't seem to be anywhere else hiring right now.”
I leaned against the counter, my forearms resting upon it. It put me at eye-level with Piper. She leaned onto her side of the counter and our faces were now extremely close. Close enough that I had to fight the urge to lean in a bit and kiss those plump lips of hers, to see if they tasted as good as they had back in high school. “I can give you an application,” she said, bringing us back to the current situation. “But honestly, I think we're fully staffed at the moment.”
“That seems to be the problem everywhere these days,” I said.
Even hearing the bad news though, my smile didn't falter much. There was just something about being in her presence I found settling. Comfortable. Talking to Piper and it almost made me forget about all my problems at home. Almost.
“But since I'm here,” I said. “I was wondering if you'd like to grab dinner sometime?”
Her eyes widened, and she stepped back from the counter, but never took her eyes off me. She had a grin on her face, so I knew my question hadn't upset her. It surprised me though. I had no intention of asking her out when I walked through the door. My life was a mess, I didn't really need to bring anyone else into it right now.
Except, that when I laid eyes on her again, I couldn't stop myself. After all these years, I wanted to catch up with her. We'd had something way back then, and even if we didn't have something now, I'd like to know about her life these days. I'd like the chance to get to know her again. And who knew? Maybe, that chemistry we'd had back in the day, would slowly develop again.
“Sure,” she said softly. “But just as friends, right?”
“Just as friends,” I said.
My heart fell a tiny bit. It felt like a rejection, but the fact that I was going to have the chance to talk was nice. She pulled out a piece of register tape and wrote something down and handed it to me. I looked down and saw it was her phone number. “Would you still like that application?” she asked me.
“You're pretty sure you're not hiring?” I asked.
“Yeah, pretty sure,” she said.
“Nah,” I said, putting her number in my pocket. “I'll just keep looking. I need to find something soon.”
I gave her another smile and headed for the door. Her voice calling out to me though, made me stop and turn around.
“Shane? It's really nice seeing you again,” she said.
I turned. “It's really nice seeing you too, Piper. It really is.”
Her smile was huge, spreading across her entire face and even seemed to make her eyes sparkle. That smile lit up her face and made her even more beautiful than she already was. It set my heart thumping in my chest.
Maybe my day hadn't been a complete waste after all.