Chapter 5

Julia:

The ten-minute walk to CeeCee's made me miss Bobbie. Sure, he was an old Volkswagen, and it was time to put him to rest, but he did his job, which was taking me from point A to point B. I bought him eight years ago when I first got my license. I was working part-time while attending high school to be able to afford a car. Bobbie was a used car, and he wasn't the greatest, but he was all that I could afford, and I loved him because I bought him with my hard-earned money.

I downed the rest of my water and tossed the bottle in the garbage bin before entering the grocery store. The door was already opened since three men were busy moving things to the new building. It already had the necessary things that a grocery store needed; all that was left to do was carry over the groceries and the refrigerator and deep freezer. It must have been Rome's impoliteness that made Mrs. C refuse to sell to him four months ago because this was a great deal.

Emmie and Mrs. C were at the counter where the cash register used to be. Their attention was directed at a notebook as they discussed something.

"Good morning," I said.

"Hey," Emmie said at the same time Mrs. C said, "Julia, sweetheart, you're finally here."

"Yes, so what can I do for you today, Mrs. C?" I asked, placing my bag on the floor behind the counter.

"Emmie already helped me with the workers wanted poster, so that's off the list."

Reaching forward, I took the white poster that Emmie held out to me. It was just a simple white paper with the information, nothing fancy. Written at the top was 'workers wanted,' then listed below were the available positions and requirements: manager, waitress/waiters, cashiers, and chef. Must be able to work under pressure. Show up with your resume this Saturday at 7 AM.

"All you have to do is interview them on Saturday and see if they're good enough for the position. I also need you to help us organize the things over at the new store and create a list of things we will need," Mrs. C continued.

"Sure, I'll have the list done in no time, and don't worry, I'll make sure you get the best workers."

Even if I had to train them myself.

Right then, my phone started to vibrate in my pocket. Pulling it out, I see that I received an email from Rome. I would be working on Tuesday, which was tomorrow, and Thursday and Saturday.

I frowned. I had already told Mrs. C I would conduct the interviews. I reread the email and saw that it said between eight and two. Great, now problem solved. The interviews would begin early, so I could just go after. Hopefully, everything would be finalized by at least midday.

"Everything alright, honey?" Mrs. C asked.

I nodded. "I start my new job tomorrow, so everything is great."

I didn't know how much I would get paid, but this was a start, and it simply meant that it wouldn't be long before I could get away from Gina and her housemates. Hopefully, I wouldn't ever have to move in with her again after this.

"That's good. Mrs. Chancellor told me you studied business. Will it be at a fancy office?" Emmie asked.

My smile slipped away. I should tell them before the situation got out of hand.

"About that—I didn't attend business school. I left Greengrove because I found a receptionist job over at a spa in Palmville. I did study hotel management for a year, though."

"That's still great, but why just for a year?" Emmie asked while Mrs. C stood and watched us curiously.

"Money was tight, and I had a lot of other expenses."

Mrs. C moved to stand close to me and pat my shoulder. "You're doing better than that mother of yours, and that's all that matters, hon."

I gave her a small smile. Unless they were in my shoes, no one would have any idea how much those words meant to me. "Thank you, Mrs. C."

By one o'clock, I'd already created the list, and everything in the store was well arranged. Mrs. C left Emmie and me in charge so that she could go out and get more things for the store. There was plenty of space remaining after we had everything set up, so we needed more things to fill the void. Upstairs was where the restaurant would be located. She needed an inspector to come over and check on things. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any problems.

I sat behind the other cash register playing Cooking Fever on my phone, while Emmie was busy scanning a customer's items. So far, we'd had six customers already and more were coming in. They were the regulars Emmie mentioned.

"Julia, I have to pick my brother up from school. Do you think you can manage everything while I go get him?" Emmie asked after telling the man his total.

I paused the game and gave her a small smile. "It's no problem. Go ahead."

"Thanks, Julia. I'll be back as soon as possible," she said before grabbing her small crossbody bag and hurrying out the door.

She had to leave work by two anyways, so if Mrs. C didn't return in time, then I would still have to stay here until she got back. This I had no problem with. Greengrove High wasn't like other schools. It was small. Therefore, the seventh to ninth graders went to school from eight to two and the tenth to twelve graders went from two to six.

I hope Rome would change that soon. Most of the students had to walk home, and the streets weren't exactly safe for them during that time. Drug dealers and prostitutes roamed the streets at that time, and they often tried to recruit the younger ones. I was aware of this from experience.

A loud whistle from the door diverted my attention from the customer I was attending to. My heart felt as if it was in my mouth as I watched him enter with two of his friends.

"What an upgrade," Xavier said while looking around. I scanned the last item and told the woman her total.

I glanced at him while the woman searched for the money. As soon as his eyes met mine, his lips formed into a grin. "And look who we have here." He started walking over to me, his goons following behind. "My delicious caramel, Julies, are you still as delicious, baby girl?"

The woman glanced at me before taking her things and hurrying out of the store.

"What do you want, Xavier?"

He nodded at his goons. One of them picked up a shopping basket before leaving us. He rested his hands on the counter and leaned closer to me. "To taste you."

I wanted to gag. He was disgusting, and I hated him as much as I hated Gina. "Fuck you," I said through gritted teeth.

He chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair. "If that's what you want, we can do it again."

I glared at him. I knew I should choose my words carefully around him. His skills included manipulating, blackmailing, backstabbing, and turning words around.

He was as deceitful as his deadbeat father was.

"Just leave me alone," I said, looking away from him.

"Can't do that, love bug. I'm here to shop just like everyone else."

I watched as he removed his arms from the counter and stood up straight.

"Give me a box of those cigarettes you have hiding behind you on that shelf."

I grabbed the box and typed the price into the register. "Four dollars and eighteen cents. Will that be all?"

"You seem eager to get rid of me, baby. Was it something I did?" he said in amusement.

I stared at him blankly. "Is that it?" I repeated.

"I need a box of gum." He rolled his eyes playfully.

This man was sick. He was the only one who found this situation amusing.

I took the gum from the jar on the counter and told him the new total.

"Damn, baby. Slow down." I watched as he took the basket from one of his returning goons and started placing the items on the counter. "No need for a bag; just put them back in the basket. I'll be sure to return it the next time."

I sighed and ignored his goons, who started to chuckle from hearing his silly words. Immature pig, I thought as I scanned the liquor and snacks in a hurry.

After telling him his new total, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and handed me a hundred-dollar bill.

"Keep the change, babe." Before I had a chance to react, I felt him press a kiss on my lips.

I felt bile rising. I stared in horror and disgust as he left with his goons, but not before holding the door open for Mrs. C to enter with her shopping bags.

I was still in shock and didn't even answer Mrs. C when she greeted me with, "Wasn't that your boyfriend, hon?"