“And I tagged along,” Natalie said with a laugh. “However, I got to have magnificent wings at the brewery.”
My stomach growled, and I put my hand over it, blushing. “Now I want wings.”
“We brought you some.” Natalie held up a bag. “It’s double-bagged and still hot. I figured you could eat it on your break.”
“I think I’m in love with you.”
“You’ll always have me. Even if it’s only for wings.” She winked, and I snorted.
“Thank you. And, yes, I’ll always love you for Aiden’s wings.” I took the bag from her and moaned. I could smell the lemon pepper, teriyaki, and barbecue sauce and nearly groaned.
“You guys got my favorites.”
“Of course. And we told Aiden that they were for you, so he made them extra special.” Mackenzie winked.
I rolled my eyes. “Dillon’s brother doesn’t know how to make anything that’s not special.”
Elise nodded. “That is true. He’s working on a few recipes for the new restaurant, so he’s busier than ever these days. Of course, I feel like Dillon’s just as busy.”
“Pacey, too.” Mackenzie searched through the teen section next to us, a slight frown on her face. “He has a couple of upcoming projects. We’re all a little stressed out.”
“Pacey can handle it. He’s good at juggling things.” Mackenzie gave me a weird look, and I cringed. “I meant with work. Not friends or anything like that. Sorry, did that come out weird?” I asked.
Mackenzie shook her head. “No, I’m the one who’s acting weird. Ignore me. I’ve had a long day.”
“Tell me about it,” Natalie said, rubbing her shoulders. I knew she was trying to help me since I kept acting strangely around Mackenzie, and I appreciated it. “A seriously long day over here, too. Anyway, we just wanted to stop by. And I want to hear about your date with Xander. You went back to your room right after, so we didn’t get to talk. Did it go okay?” Natalie asked.
I returned to shelving, looking around for any customers. Things were slower in this section, so I had a few moments to come up with an answer. “It was good. Nice.”
My roommates winced. “Nice?” Elise prodded.
“Nice as in comfortable. It wasn’t horrible. He’s a good guy. A nice guy.”
“Nice guy in air quotes?” Mackenzie asked.
I shook my head. “No, not like that. At least, I don’t think so. He was just...okay. Not demanding.”
“Are you going out with him again?” Natalie asked.
I nodded. “That’s the plan. However, I don’t have much time for dating because of school, writing, work, and just…everything. It’s a lot.”
“I know it is,” Natalie said as she squeezed my hand. “If you need anything, we’re here.”
I smiled at my friends. “I know. And I’m grateful. Now, I need to get back to work and then deal with my homework. Thank you for the wings. They will get me through the night.”
“We’re always here for you,” Mackenzie said as she leaned down and kissed my cheek.
I smiled up at her. “You are all pretty amazing.”
“Go work, play with your men. I’ll be home a bit later.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Elise said, clapping her hands. “Not the man part because they’re all busy, but we still have homework and lives without them.”
“Yes, especially those without boyfriends. It would be nice if we stopped putting that in all of our schedules,” Natalie said, rolling her eyes.
I laughed as they left, shaking my head. My phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my pocket once again.
Dad: Do you think you can come over after work? Or will it be too late?
Alarm shot up my spine. I quickly texted back.
Me: Is everything okay?
Dad: Yes. If it were an emergency, I would have called you. Promise. I just have a few things to look over. I could use your eyes.
Worry gnawed at me, and I bit my lip.
Me: I’ll be over right after work.
It would be a long night, but that didn’t matter. My dad needed me. Of course, I would be there.
Anxiety ran through me for the rest of the evening as I rang up a few more customers and worked on more stocking. By the time I was done and everything was locked up for the night, I was tired but wired. I needed to know what was wrong and what my dad needed. I was exhausted yet nervous at the same time. I didn’t know what my dad might tell me, but I knew it likely wouldn’t be good. Not if he wanted me to come to my childhood home so late in the day after work when I had classes in the morning.
I parked in the driveway and made my way inside, using the key as I always did. Dad had said that this was my home, even if I didn’t live here anymore. I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to call this home again. Not when I walked inside and only thought about my mom, of her being sick and how quickly cancer had taken her. We hadn’t had time to adjust to her being sick before she was gone. One day, she was a little tired. The next day, she was no longer on this Earth. And it felt as if I couldn’t catch up. Calling this home only made it worse.
“Nessa?” Dad asked from the kitchen as I walked in.
“It’s me. At least, you’d better hope it’s me, considering I used the key.” I tried to keep my voice light. I felt anything but light deep inside.
I locked up, set my bag on the table next to the front door, and looked around the home that had helped to raise me. Everything had a layer of dust, and my dad’s armchair looked to be the only place anyone had sat recently. Mom’s touches were still on everything, and I knew that my dad wouldn’t change anything, no matter what.
I’d have to come over someday and help him clean, but I didn’t have time tonight. Sadly, we couldn’t afford a maid or anyone to come and help him. It was only the two of us alone in the world now. I wasn’t sure what that meant or what I was supposed to do about it.
“Hey, Daddy,” I said as I kissed his cheek. He was at the kitchen table, his wire-rimmed glasses falling down his nose as he looked up at me. He had a cup of black coffee next to his elbow and papers strewn about the table, his laptop next to him.
“Hey, Nessa baby.”
I looked at the bills on the surface, the spreadsheet on the screen, and swallowed hard. “Things are rough, aren’t they?” I asked.
“Why don’t you take a seat? Do you want some coffee?”
“It’s too late for coffee for me. And probably for you. How old is this stuff?” I asked as I sniffed the mug and winced.
“Old enough. But waste not, want not and all that.” He didn’t take a drink. Instead, he leaned back in the chair and rubbed his temples.
“How bad is it?” I asked. “I’m not a kid anymore. Don’t sugarcoat it.”
He met my gaze and nodded. “Fine, we’re broke. We’re going to be broke for a long time. The insurance paid for some of Mom’s things, but not everything. We had decent life insurance, but while it covered the cremation and initial costs, and my job pays for the mortgage for now as well as a few of our outstanding bills, it can’t cover everything.”
“By everything, you mean school.” Tension rode me, and I fisted my hands in front of me. “I have a semester and a half left and have a scholarship for part of it. Plus, I have loans. But is that enough?”