Welcome To Hickville High (Hickville High Series Book 1) (10 page)

“You do mention that a lot.”

Wow, she did mention it a lot. She was feeling sorry for herself and Austin was dealing with the dad from hell. “I do, don’t I. I’ve been kind of a jerk. I just need to find a job so I can go to Chicago.”

“No luck, huh?”

“Since I don’t have a car, I don’t have a way to get to town to look.”
Please say you’ll take me, please say you’ll take me.

“I can take you.”

“Really? That would be so awesome.”

“Sure. If we get an early start tomorrow, we can go before we have to be at the feed store.”

“Thank, you!” She went in for a hug, but only made it half way to full body contact because crazy sparks zinged between them. She let her arms fall to her sides and stepped back. “We’d better get to the store.”

“Yeah. I don’t want to get you in trouble.”

Speaking of which…
“Hey, Austin?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t exactly have permission to look for a job. I want to surprise them.”

“Okay.” He clicked the Unlock on his key fob. “I can keep a secret.”

They were both quiet as they drove to the store. Normally, Kelsey would feel uncomfortable in the silence and try to fill the space with awkward conversation. She didn’t feel that way with Austin. What she did feel, scared the hell out of her. Crazy stuff swirled inside her. All sorts of sparks were flying. Kelsey wasn’t sure when she noticed the electricity. Maybe it was in the coffee house when he placed his hand on her back. Or maybe it was when she sprayed her face at the fountain, but whenever it started, she was fully into flirt mode before she realized it. And then, he walked so close to her, her arm hair stood on end. What was that all about? Drew was her boyfriend. He was everything she ever wanted in a guy. Drew gave her security and now Austin had come along and turned everything sideways.

In Port Arthur, Texas, obnoxious odors may not be emitted while in an elevator.

Austin parked in front of The Early Bird Café. Kelsey was half way out of the truck before he had a chance to turn off the engine. The plan was for Austin to wait for her in the coffee shop while she popped into one of the boutiques and landed a job. In her head, getting a job would be a breeze. Surely the stores would jump at the chance to hire a young, fashionable sales person.

In reality, not so much. She tried every old-lady store and a couple of junk shops posing as antique stores. The answer was pretty much the same everywhere. We don’t need any extra help, but if you want you can leave your name and number in case something changes. With twenty minutes left to get to the feed store, she’d run out of options.

The door to the café was propped open and the floor fans roared on high. Defeated and deflated, she crossed the threshold. Austin stood as soon as he saw her and said, “No luck, huh?”

“I tried pretty much every store on the square.”

“There’s always the diner.”

Waitress in a red neck café? Could she do it? What choice did she have? Besides, she only needed about six hundred dollars for the airline tickets. The gala was still a little over a month away. She’d probably only have to work a few shifts to earn that kind of money. “Do you think they’ll hire me?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Let’s find out.”

Kelsey watched Mrs. McCoy fill coffee cups at a table of old men. She wore the same Cowboy Up T-shirt she’d worn the first time Kelsey had seen her. Then she thought the woman looked like a trailer-trash waitress in a redneck café. Now, she was about to ask that woman for a job. This was her last option. If Mrs. McCoy turned her down, Kelsey could kiss Chicago goodbye.

After the last cup was topped off Austin spoke up. “Mom, do you have a minute? Kelsey needs to talk to you.”

“Sure, honey.” Mrs. McCoy set the coffee pot on an empty table and walked to where they stood.

Kelsey took a deep breath. “I—I need a job. Austin said you might need some help.”

Mrs. McCoy raised her brows. “I’ll have to talk to the boss, but we can usually use an extra hand around here. Can you work the lunch rush?”

“Absolutely. When is it?”

“Eleven to two.”

“That’s perfect.”
I hope.

“Hang on, let me talk to T-bone.” She grabbed the pot and disappeared through the kitchen door.

T-bone? Seriously?

Kelsey looked around the café. It had only been a little more than a week since she’d been here with her family, but it was if she were seeing it for the first time. It was more than a bunch of tacky decorations. Hillside’s history was chronicled on the walls. She studied a yellowed newspaper declaring the war was over. “Reading this stuff is like a history lesson.”

Austin nodded. “Look at this one.”

She followed him to a black and white photo of three men standing at a bar. They looked like something from a western movie. They all had bushy mustaches, were dressed western, and had one boot resting on the rail around the base of the bar. “Who are they?”

“I don’t know. But the bar is what is now The Grind—the place we had the Grenada.”

“Oh, yeah. Wow, that’s so cool.”

“Sometimes when I go to The Grind, I try to imagine those men standing at the bar. I even gave them names. Billy, Sammy, and Tommy.”

“Why those names?”

“I don’t know? I was like five.”

About a foot away from the men was a color photograph of a football player holding a giant trophy. “That’s my dad.” It was weird seeing pictures of her dad plastered around town. It was like looking at a stranger. A longing to know the boy in the picture tugged at her.

“Yeah and that’s the state champion trophy. It’s crazy that he never told you about his football days.”

“He never talked about Hillside at all—except for Uncle Jack and Aunt Susan. The only cousins we have are on Mom’s side.” Why hadn’t he talked about his glory days? It had to have something to do with the girl Aunt Susan mentioned. She was sure unearthing the mystery of Cassidy Jones would expose the skeletons in her Dad’s past. Was she willing to do that?
Oh yeah—more than willing.

In the front of the diner, near the cash register, she noticed laminated posters of Austin and Travis in their football jerseys. Each was headed with their name and position. The smile Austin usually wore was replaced by a stoic expression. It looked uncomfortable on his face and she wondered if he’d been told not to smile.

“Handsome boys, aren’t they?”

Kelsey turned from the pictures and blushed. “I didn’t hear you come back.”

Mrs. McCoy stood next to a wiry, grey haired man wearing a white apron over a sleeveless T-shirt and jeans. He held a rag in his hands and an unlit cigarette draped out of the corner of his mouth. “This here is T-bone. He owns the place. T, this is Kelsey Quinn.”

He spoke around the cigarette. “When can you start?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Can you be here at ten?”

“Sure.”
I think.

“I’ll try you two days a week, then we’ll talk.” He turned and walked back the kitchen.

“Okay.” Kelsey tried to give a casual chuckle but it got caught in the back of her throat and sounded more like she’d choked on a giant lugy or something.

Mrs. McCoy smiled at Kelsey. “Don’t let him scare you. He don’t talk much, but he won’t bite.”

“Is there anything I need to do before tomorrow?”
Besides talk my parents into letting me work?

“Nah. Try to get here a little early so we can fill out paper work and go over a few things.” Mrs. McCoy looked at Austin. “I don’t work late tonight, so I’ll be fixin dinner.”

“Okay, I get off at six. I’ll see ya then.”

She nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Kelsey

“I’ll be here.” She held her breath to keep from squealing and forced herself to take normal steps to the door. But as soon as she was on the sidewalk, she let a broad grin form and jumped from the sidewalk to the street two feet below.

Austin followed and opened the door for her. “That went well.”

Kelsey was still grinning when she got in the truck. “And I start tomorrow. Chicago here I come.”

“Cool. Buckle up, we got five minutes to get to the store.”

*

“Tomorrow? What happened to making sure it works with our schedule?” Mom and Dad stood shoulder to shoulder—a united force, set on ruining her life.

“You said I could get a job. I got a job. It’s only for a few hours a couple of days a week. What’s the big deal? This morning we finished the chores by nine-thirty. Besides, what I don’t get done before work, I’ll finish when I get home.”

Dad tossed his feed store cap on the rickety back room table. “And when will you be available to help in the store?”

“You’re being unfair. I’m the only one cleaning up after the animals. I’m the only one bringing in actual money and you want me to work here too?”

Mom looked at Dad. “She has a point, Tom.”

Kelsey took a deep breath and tried to release some of the anger she felt. “Dad, you’re always saying I need to be more responsible. That’s what I’m trying to do. Look, I’ll do my chores in the morning, work at the café, and when you need an extra hand at the store I’ll do that too. It’s not like I have a life here anyway.” She shouldn’t have thrown that last barb, but fortunately her parents had ignored it.

“How are you going to get to work?”

“Mom could take me, or Austin could drop me off on his way to the store.”

Dad looked at Mom. “Okay.”

“Really?” Kelsey wanted to jump up and down but instead smiled and nodded. “Thanks, I promise you won’t regret it.”

Austin wandered into the back room dragging the flat bed cart. “Mrs. Benson is picking up some cedar shavings.”

“I’ll help you load them.” Kelsey looked at her dad. “See, I can do both.”

He didn’t say anything but gave her a “we’ll see” look.

She practically skipped to Austin. He pulled a bag of shavings from shelf and smiled. “You look happy.”

“Dad’s okay with me starting tomorrow.”

“Cool. Just don’t let T-bone give you any crap.” He reached for the next bag and his shoulder bumped hers, knocking her slightly off balance. She righted herself and playfully crashed into his. A game of who-can-shoulder-bump-the hardest was born. He shoved her hard enough to make her lose her footing and she’d have fallen into the shavings if he hadn’t caught her and pulled her upright.

He’d held her hand for a couple of seconds at most. But little zingers pulsed through her anyway. It didn’t mean anything—it was just a reaction. She’d have been able to ignore it, pretend she’d imagined it—if she hadn’t looked him in the eyes. The second her gaze met his those zingers went full force. She couldn’t take her eyes away from his and wondered if he felt the same insane tingles.

And then, he looked away and grabbed the next sack. “How many bags have we loaded so far?”

“Eight.”

“I’ll get the rest. I think Ryan might need some help up front.”

Crap! He thinks I have a thing for him.
“Okay. I want to text Drew anyway.” That’ll show him.

But before she texted Drew, she called Zoe.

“Guess what?”

“You’re moving back?”

“Only in my dreams. But I have almost as good news. I got a job.”

“And that’s good news how?”

“Because I’m earning money to come to the gala.”

“Kelsey, I can give you money for tickets. You don’t need to work.”

“My parents would never allow you, or anybody else, to pay my way.”

“We don’t have to tell them.”

“They’re broke, not stupid. Besides, I like that I’m earning my own way. It makes me feel, I don’t know, independent.”

Zoe laughed like that was the funniest thing she’d heard in a long time. “I feel independent when I slide that plastic across the scanner.”

Kelsey gave a fake chuckle back. “Yeah, I remember those days.”

“Oh, Kelsey. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m glad your coming. It doesn’t matter how you get here. So tell me about this job.”

“Do you remember me telling you about the little café’?”

“The one with the trailer trash waitress? Seriously? You’re working there?”

“Yeah.” She should have told her that the waitress was really nice, but she didn’t. Zoe had already made her feel bad about having to work. She didn’t want to give her any more ammo. “Call it a study in redneckness.”

“That’s epic. When do you start?”

“Tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait to hear about it.”

*

Austin stopped at the light a block from the café. “You’re quiet. Are you nervous?”

“No.” She tried to sound casual but her voice had a little quiver in it anyway.

“You’re going to do great.”

“I’m not worried.” How hard can it be?

“I know, I’m just saying you’ve spun that phone around in your hand so much I’m surprised you haven’t pealed the cover off.”

She stopped mid-turn and dropped the phone in her purse. “I’m just thinking about home. I can’t wait to go back.”

Austin parked in front of the café. “Text when you get off.”

“Yes, Mom.” She opened the door and took a deep breath. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Sure. I’ll see ya later.” Kelsey could feel his gaze on her as she climbed the steps to the diner. She hesitated at the door, took a deep breath, and headed in.

Mrs. McCoy stood with a coffee pot hanging from her hand talking to some old men. “There’s our new girl now. This is Kelsey. Now y’all be nice to her.”

A tiny freckled faced man wearing a straw cowboy hat smiled at her. “I hope you do a better job than Sandy.”

A red faced man leaned back in his chair. “Just keep our cups full and the coffee hot and you’ll be okay.”

Mrs. McCoy swatted in the general direction of the red-faced man. “Shoot. You drink a pot of coffee before the rest of us get here.”

“Somebody’s got get the place going.” He smiled at Kelsey. “Half the town has a set of keys to this place. First one up, starts the coffee.”

“Oh, that’s convenient.”

Mrs. McCoy said, “Unless you forget to turn the burglar alarm off. Come on Kelsey, let’s get those papers filled out.”

She led Kelsey to a tiny office nestled in the back of the kitchen. She had her sign a W-something that had to do with taxes.
Taxes? She had to pay taxes?
After that, she handed her a white apron and took her back to an area adjacent to the kitchen. A long stainless steel counter was piled with dirty dishes. The counter emptied into a stainless sink with a faucet that arched high above the sink. Next to that was a box looking thing that Mrs. McCoy said was a dishwasher. “Come on, I’ll give you a tour of the kitchen.”

T-bone chopped onions at what she learned was called the prep table. Kelsey remembered Austin’s advice about not letting the man intimidate her and took half a breath. “Good morning, T-bone.”

He didn’t look up but sort of grunted and nodded. He looked at Mrs. McCoy and said, “Sandy, you got her washing those dishes yet?”

“Good grief, T, give her a chance to learn where things are first.”

“She don’t need to know nothing except where the dishwasher is.”

They retreated to the clean up area and she showed Kelsey how to rinse dishes and work the machine. “Okay, let me see you do a load before I turn you lose.”

Kelsey squeeze the handle on the spray head hanging over the sink and rinsed bits of egg and some white stuff that looked like watered down gritty paste off of a plate and placed it in the rack below the box. When the rack was full, she pulled the box over it and pushed the button.

“Good. I’m going to check on my table. Grab that tub and see if there are any dishes that need clearing.”

And that was the moment that Kelsey realized that she was not going to be a waitress in a redneck diner, she was the dishwasher in a redneck diner. Her job was to pick up after people she didn’t know, rinse their half-eaten food off of the dishes, and throw away napkins that have been coughed, nose-blowed, and spit in. Her stomach churned.
Chicago, gala, Drew. I can do this.
She grabbed the tub and followed Mrs. McCoy to the dining room.