A hand shot out in front of her, catching Gus’s wrist before his hand could move any closer. Gus’s face got redder and redder, sweat popping out on his brow as he tried to free himself. He swung his free hand, fisting it as it headed toward James. James caught it easily and now had both Gus’s hands trapped in his.
Shelley stared at James, who didn’t even seem to be exerting any effort.
“Don’t you know it’s not nice to threaten a lady?” James never raised his voice, but the sheer menace in it made her catch her breath. Even Gus swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple shifting up and down.
“This is my place and I’ll run it as I see fit,” Gus gritted out from between his clenched teeth. He swiveled his head around to her, his green eyes burning with anger. “You’re fired. You’ve got ten minutes to clear your stuff out of the apartment I rented you.”
“But—Gus?” Panic swelled inside her. She had nowhere to go and no way to get there.
“And I want your uniform back too.”
“Go and pack your things, Shelley.” James’s calm voice broke through her terror. “You’re coming with me.”
Gus gave a snide laugh. “She’s not much to look at, but you’re welcome to her.” Two seconds later, Gus was on his knees, crying out in agony as James’s fingers tightened around his wrists.
James leaned down until his face was only inches away from the other man. “One more word out of you and you won’t need to worry about who’ll be running your business. And if you call the cops or try and make trouble for either me or Shelley, I’ll be back.” He moved in even closer, baring his teeth and emitting a low growl. “And if I don’t come back, one of my friends will.”
Every speck of color drained from Gus’s face. “Sure. Whatever. You can have the lazy bitch. Just take her and go.”
Shelley could only stare at both men who were deciding her future without so much as a by your leave. Spinning around, she stalked out of the diner and around to the back of the building.
It was cold and the snow crunched under the soles of her canvas shoes. Wind flitted beneath her dress. She shivered, but it was more from fear than the cold. Where would she go? What would she do?
Climbing the rickety set of stairs, she hauled her key out of her pocket and jammed it into the flimsy lock. She could do this. It wasn’t the first time she’d had to start over and wouldn’t be the last. At least this time she was slightly better prepared.
Once she was inside, she pulled her tips out of her pocket and carefully added them to the money she’d managed to save. It wasn’t much, amounting to a little more than four hundred and twenty-five dollars, but it was hers.
Stripping off the hated pink uniform, she hauled on a faded long-sleeved dress that fell almost to her ankles. She hated the dress too, but hadn’t wanted to waste her money on clothing since Gus provided her work uniform. Besides which, she hadn’t been near any stores so she couldn’t have bought any new clothes even if she wanted to.
Grabbing her few changes of underwear, she stuffed them, a few pairs of socks and her spare dress into a paper grocery sack. Moving like someone in a trance, she walked into the miniscule bathroom and stared at herself in the tiny cracked mirror that hung over the sink.
She grasped the edges of the porcelain and stared at the white face peering back at her. Her skin looked as if it were stretched too tight over her face. She was pale. Her eyes appeared huge and had a haunted look in them. Reality was setting in. She was jobless and homeless and she had less than five hundred dollars and a sack full of belongings to her name.
Stumbling to the toilet, she fell to her knees and lost what was left of the meager meal she’d eaten hours earlier. When she was done, she wiped her face with a washcloth and brushed her teeth. Gathering her few toiletries, she returned to the other room and stuffed them into the bag. That was it. She didn’t own anything else. The bedclothes and towels, such as they were, came with the room.
She tugged on an old gray sweater that the previous tenant had left behind. It hung almost to her knees and she had to roll the sleeves back twice. It wasn’t a coat, but it was warm. Knowing she had everything, she carefully rolled down the top of the bag and clasped it tight in her hand.
She gathered her uniform and room key and made her last trip down over the rickety stairs and back around to the diner.
Shelley had no idea what had gone on between the two men while she’d been gone and really didn’t care. At this moment, she hated them both equally. Gus for firing her and James for getting her fired.
Gus was seated at a table, still pale and sweaty, while James leaned back against the table next to him, his arms folded casually over his chest and his booted feet crossed as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Well, he didn’t, did he? He wasn’t the one who’d lost his job this morning.
Ignoring James, Shelley walked right up to Gus and dropped both the uniform and the key on the table in front of him. She did a quick calculation in her head, adding up the hours she’d worked since her last paycheck. “I’ve got fifty dollars coming to me. That’s the difference in what you owe me minus the rent on the room and the meals I’ve eaten.”
She’d expected him to protest and was shocked when he nodded in agreement. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a roll of bills and peeled off the fifty dollars. He hesitated for a moment and then handed it to her. She folded the notes and stuffed them deep in her pocket with her other money.
The paper sack made a crinkling sound as her fingers tightened around it. Still not looking at James, she turned her back on both men, marched out through the door of the diner and hurried toward the road. Her indignation carried her all the way to the road where she stopped. Her stomach roiled. “Not now,” she muttered. She glanced to the right and then to the left, not knowing which way to go.
A pair of hands gently clasped her shoulders. She startled but didn’t turn around. She’d known that James would follow her. A part of her was grateful not to be alone while another part of her wanted to shrug off his grasp and walk away. Before she could decide what to do, he began to speak.
“I know you’re angry.”
Now that was an understatement.
“I know you’re confused and hurt, but this is truly for the best.”
She spun around and poked him in the chest, surprised by her sheer audacity. “Better for who? You’re not the one who’s jobless and homeless.” Tears threatened, but she blinked them back. She hadn’t cried in about thirty years. It didn’t change a damn thing and many times it only made things worse.
James wrapped his hand around hers, bringing it to his mouth. He kissed the top of her hand and her knuckles. “You’re not homeless, Shelley. Your home is with your people. I’m taking you with me. Home to the Wolf Creek.”
Was he crazy? He was a complete stranger. There was no way she was going with him.
She stilled as a dim memory tried to push forward, but it was quickly lost as James began to tug her toward the only truck left in the parking lot. “We’ll talk more on the road. I don’t want to hang around here any longer just in case Gus has a gun and decides to use it.”
She hadn’t even thought of that. Gripping her belongings tight, she let him lead her to the vehicle. She could always bail somewhere down the road. She didn’t think he’d hurt her. Not that it mattered. She’d been hurt before and survived. She’d get a ride to the nearest town and make plans there. Surely there were other waitressing jobs to be had. She could wash dishes and clean houses too. You’re good at that, she thought bitterly.