Page 19 of Silver Sanctuary
“Sorry, baby, I was lost in thought.”
“I need twenty-five dollars for the field trip to the aquarium. Ms. Tillman said it needs to come back to her with our permission slip on Friday.”
Lacy already knew, without even having to look, that she only had ten dollars in purse.
Of course.
“Okay. I’ll stop by the bank today and make sure I have the money to send in with you tomorrow. Just make sure you bring home the permission slip.”
“I left it on the table this morning.”
“I’ll sign it after dinner, okay?”
Embrie took off her seat belt, grabbed her backpack off the floor and leaned toward the driver’s seat to press a kiss to Lacy’s cheek. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Have a great day, baby. Good luck on your spelling test.”
Lacy drove down Ford Avenue, pulling into the space behind the flower shop. She could put it off for a little while, maybe go out for the one delivery she had on the schedule in Bell Ridge instead. But Lacy knew deep down she just neededto get it over with. She had years of experience as a server, and the damn place she’d completely avoided since returning to Silver Springs would be her best bet for pay and hours.
Walking to the front of her shop, Lacy stopped for a moment to take in her reflection. She hated the way her hands shook. The way the sweat started to bead on her back, not from the early morning heat, but from the memories that were pressing against the walls in her mind, trying to escape.
Without thinking, Lacy mechanically took one step, and then another. Her mind was blank, and she kept it that way until she reached the front door of Davney’s.
If it weren’t for Embrie, she would never step foot back in the establishment. Rudy might have only been the manager back when she was in high school, but he was still the prick who didn’t stop things that night. A shudder rolled through Lacy’s body, her cheekbone radiating a phantom ache that had long since healed.
“Never thought I’d see you back in here.”
Lacy’s eyes darted to the deep voice coming from her left.
“What do you want, Lacy?” Rudy was running a cloth along the empty bar. She’d been able to smooth talk him into giving her a job in high school, back when she shouldn’t have legally been working, but it was the only way for her to have food in the house. Maybe she could turn on the charm and do it again.
“I was hoping you might have some hours available, Rudy. I’m flexible with nights, or even just on the weekend.”
“Kid, no one wants to see you in here. I don’t give a shit either way, but I’ve got a pretty good pulse on things, and so far, the consensus is that no one really wants you back in town.”
“I know that. I just thought… I have Embrie now—my daughter—and I was a good worker for you back in high school. You know I don’t have to be a server. I could wash dishes, bus tables, take out the trash, even clean the place at the end of the night. Anything, Rudy.”
His eyes narrowed as he licked his lips. “Your place not bringing in anything?”
“I’m sure you’d love to spread that gossip around, wouldn’t you?”
“Eh…” His chuckle made her stomach go sour. Everyone was waiting for her to fail, and she was weeks away from proving them right.
“It’s doing okay. Embrie just wants to try some new things like dance class, and I’m saving up to buy us a house, so I could use a few more streams of income.”
“How diverse are we talking? Cause if you’re messing with that shit like your mom did?—”
“You’re still such an asshole. I would never,ever, mess around with that stuff. You have no fucking clue how hard it was growing up with a mom who struggled with addiction. I wouldn’t put my kid through that. Ever.” Lacy swallowed down her rage, hating that her throat felt raw from hiding how much it hurt her to be accused of doing the same garbage her mom had.
“Well, I ain’t got nothing for you, kid. Sorry to say, even if I did, I probably wouldn’t want you here. You’ll be fine, though. And if you’re not, well, then maybe you’ll be on your way outta town and things will finally settle down.”
“Thanks for having such a compassionate heart, Rudy.”
Lacy pushed away from the bar, not missing the way the two servers stood rolling silverware while staring right at her.
“You know what? I know you were there. I know you saw what they did to me that night—the way they beat me. And you did nothing. A couple of almost-grown men hitting a fourteen-year-old girl, then throwing her in the dumpster, and you dropped your cigarette on the ground and walked away.You’re fucking pathetic, Rudy. I hope that fact haunts you for the rest of your life.”
Damn, it felt good to say that after all those long years. Her pride certainly took a hit, but that was something she’d learned to block out a long time ago. Someone hated her? Someone didn’t want to give her a chance because of what her mom did? Add them to the never-ending list.
