Page 82 of Just Enough

“I know.” I frowned. “I love him. Like full-blown. He makes my knees weak and life brighter… I’m not letting any woman come between us. I’ll make her like me. I want her to like me.”

Dad nodded and released me, stepped back. “Now, text him to come over when he gets off, and we’ll play some cards. I’ll take their money again.”

“Dad…”

I would ask Benjamin though. I didn’t realize how much I adored that Dad liked Benjamin until I fell in love with him. Dad was lonely a lot too. I tried to come visit him a couple of times a week, but I knew it still wasn’t enough. He deserved more than being alone in this house. And I hoped this new gambling hobby wasn’t going to become an addiction. Playing with friends wasn’t bad though, right? It wasn’t like he was going out and blowing money. And I liked playing with them just as much as Dad enjoyed it, so I wasn’t going to worry.

I sent Benjamin a text after putting a load of clothes in, and watched TV, and talked with Dad. I ended up making us something to eat. I was enjoying myself until the knock on the door came.

“I’ll get it,” I told Dad as I stepped out of the laundry room. When I opened the door and saw Faith, I won’t lie, the fear crawled up my back.

“Faith,” I mumbled. “Hey.”

Her gaze slid over me briefly before trailing back to my eyes. “You like driving Benjamin’s truck?”

She was already throwing daggers at me without a hello.

I gripped the side of the door as I held it open. “Only until I find myself something I can afford,” I said quickly and realized I could have worded it hundreds of better ways than I did.

“That could be a while with you working as a waitress.” Her words sounded casual, but I knew nothing about Faith was casual.

More daggers.

Remembering that she had lied to me about the pearls and Kelly, I straightened my spine and asked. “Is there a reason you came over?”

“Not really.”

This woman… she was hard to read, and she made me so damn nervous!

Just ask her why she lied. Go on. Do it!

“About those pearls… Did you really give them to Benjamin to give to a girl he’s not even dating?”

She tilted her head. She seemed to be scrutinizing me. “Seems I must have forgotten that his granny had no pearls to give.”

She was going to be like that, was she? How did someone forget a piece of jewelry that never existed? Still, I couldn’t call her out of it. I wanted her to like me.

This time, I scrutinized her though. “Benjamin has your eyes,” I blurted, and like vomit, I couldn’t stop. “I really love his eyes. I really love him.”

I waited… and waited… and waited for what she’d say or do about what I had just said. I gave her major ammo to start throwing more daggers. “I don’t recall friends speaking about other friends in such a manner to their mother.”

Daggers: thrown.

“Benjamin and I are different. We’re close…really close.”Now. In every sense. Forever and ever. Come on, Mama Helen, we need to accept this.

Baby steps, I told myself. No need to get thrown under a bus too early.

She sniffed and handed me her phone. I stared at her outstretched hand, confused. “Put your number in my phone.”

I blinked several times. “Um…okay.”

What was happening?

After putting my number in her phone, I handed it back to her. She regarded me. “You’re working at that…Crash’s tonight?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Do the men give you a hard time there?” What a strange question. Actually, all of this was strange!

---