Page 117 of Give Me Love

I called Karen to let her know, and she couldn’t be happier. She’s settled down well with her family, and I’m thrilled for her.

There were three people who helped me get on my feet when I first got off that Greyhound in Atlanta. One passed away a few years back. Lucy was a chain-smoking tough piece of work, and I’ll always be grateful to her for showing me the way.

The other is my best girl, Claire. She knew I had no job, but only cash money in my pocket after I filled out an application at the apartment complex where she was working. She didn’t have to bend the rules for me, but she did, and because of her, I had a place to call my own for the first time in my life. A safe place where monsters didn’t come into your room at night smelling of cheap whiskey and a dirty ashtray.

The other was Karen. I walked into that hippy-looking coffee shop and purchased a small coffee. I sat down at one of the tables and looked through the newspaper for a job. No one was in there at the moment, and Karen noticed what I was doing.

“Are you new around here?” she asks, busying herself behind the counter.

“Umm, yeah, just got into town a week ago, actually. But this is a big city, how can you tell?” I must have a big sign on my forehead that reads,New girl. Just came from a very fucked-up home. Needs help,because Lucy noticed, too.

She shrugs. “I usually have the same people coming in and out of here. This place runs off regulars who don’t care for the chain shops.”

“Gotcha.”

She nods at the paper. “You looking for a job?”

I look down and sigh. “Yep. I have no idea what I want to do, though.”

“Ever worked in a restaurant before?”

“Ever since I was fifteen.”

She lifts her brow. “How old are you now?”

“Eighteen.”

She pulls out a trashcan and empties old coffee grinds, her bangle bracelets clinking together as she moves. Her curly hair is a soft brown, but I can see some gray highlights and age around her eyes.

She turns, studying me for a moment before she says, “Would you like to work here?”

And that was that. I’ve been there ever since. I enrolled in college not too long after, and when I graduated, she, Claire, Austin, and Lucy were there to watch me walk across the stage.

Life can be tough as shit, but when you’ve got good people beside you, it makes the tough times more bearable.

And, believe me, I’ve had some hard times with no one, so I know the difference.

I look across the park as the evening sun sinks, painting the sky with red and orange. A woman swings her kid on the swing set, and a few people jog along the sidewalk, making me think about Claire and how far she’s come.

She went from a silver spoon to hell-bent on making it own her own. Her first job was working at that apartment complex, which was never right for her. She belongs in the kitchen, and I’m not saying that in a sexist way. That girl was born to cook. She then found the courage to leave the abusive relationship she was in. She realized that life was too short, so she chased after her dreams and graduated culinary school. Now she’s doing what God put her on this planet to do.

And then there’s Austin.

It’s always been said that men and women can’t be friends. I have no idea why I thought that would fly with Bryce and me. Especially with the chemistry between us.

But that rule doesn’t apply to Austin and me. We are friends. More than that, he feels like the brother I never had. The first day I met him, Claire was taking me for a ride through their land out at her parents’ house. It had rained the day before so the ground was mushy. Austin was hanging with her brothers. They’d been riding through some clay mounds so they were covered in white clay.

Austin has always been cute, but it’s the kind of cute you think your brother is, you know?

“Hey, Austin,” Claire yells over the loudness of the four-wheelers.

“Hey, Claire,” he replies mockingly. I can’t see her face, but I feel like she rolled her eyes.

“I want you to meet my new best girl.” She turns to look at me. “Kat, this is Austin. He thinks he’s part of the family, but he’s really a nuisance.”

I kinda laugh.

“Nice to meet you, Kat. I’m Austin. The boy your new best girl wishes she could have.” And with that, he spins his four-wheeler around and splashes mud all over us.

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