That was all I had to wait.
It wasn’t long.
We could survive until then, right?
I wrestled him onto his changing pad and quickly sorted him out. I didn’t have time to bathe him, which would have to wait until tonight, so I baby wiped him all over, changed him, and got him ready to take downstairs for the morning.
With him tucked on my hip, a plastic carrier of fresh diapers and a couple of bottles of formula I grabbed from the fridge in my hand, and my school stuff on my back, I headed out the door without a backward glance at my mom.
Rushing downstairs, because I didn’t trust the elevator in my building, I aimed for Mrs. Linden’s flat. She was nearly ninety, wasn’t as spry as she’d been just a year ago, but she was my best friend, and looked after Scottie until I got home from school—she was my godsend. I really didn’t know what I’d do without her.
Knocking on her door, I pressed a kiss to Scottie’s head and started my farewell song, but when nobody answered, I started to worry.
Another knock on the door heralded the neighbor across the hall to open hers. When she saw me, she winced. “Mrs. Linden was taken to the hospital last night,” she said without preamble.
And even as my heart sank for Mrs. Linden, that was just the beginning of my day turning to shit.
❖
The cafe was practically empty.
No one was in there except for a guy who’d been sitting in a corner booth since before my shift had started. This place was a twenty-four hour, privately owned coffee shop, and some nuts came in at three AM and stayed for hours.
I wasn’t sure why they weren’t asleep, because I sure as hell would be in their shoes, but frankly, I was grateful they were weird, since it meant I had a job. So, yay for insomnia!
Still, the man hadn’t moved from his position since I’d checked in, and the till was calling to me.
I knew it was stupid.
Knew I’d lose my job and maybe end up in jail if I was found out, but ten bucks?
Who’d miss that?
And from the tip jar?
Who’d miss a twenty?
I needed thirty dollars. But thirty goddamn dollars might as well have been thirty thousand.
I’d already taken the twenty from the tips, but I knew I’d have more chance of being found out since the staff were pretty vigilant about counting them before the start of a shift. The till was even more dicey, but what choice did I have?
My bosses wouldn’t pay me early—that would be like finding one of the unicorns on Scottie’s blankie had come to life. They paid every second Thursday, and unfortunately, that was next week.
I didn’t know anyone who’d loan me thirty dollars, because if I had, I’d have asked them already.
I wasn’t a thief.
I wasn’t.
But this morning, I had no choice.
Cheryl, Mrs. Linden’s neighbor, said she’d look after Scottie for thirty bucks, and knowing it was either that or leave him alone for fourteen hours with my mother, I’d had no other option.
I should have expected this. Mrs. Linden was old and ill. I should have budgeted better, should have allotted money for a time when I’d have to pay for childcare, but I didn’t have the luxury of savings.
Hell, my last luxury had been Scottie’s blankie eight months ago.
There was no budgeting when there was nothing to budget with.
Nausea swirled through me as I stared at the register. There was over a hundred bucks in there, since I’d had a pretty busy morning so far, and though I was desperate, I wasn’t a fool.
Closing my eyes, I keyed in the till and let the drawer open with a snick.
Sucking down a breath, I told myself I’d pay it back the second I got my paycheck, and slipped my hand into the old-fashioned register. If it was one of the new ones, I’d have been screwed, but it literally added up what we entered.
Grabbing the ten I’d put in there twenty minutes ago when my last customer had paid and I’d had the idea, I slipped it into my pocket.
God, the hole it burned there was as damning as anything. Dread filled me the instant I did it, and the nausea? Jesus, how did people steal for fun? How was this fun?
“Phoebe?”
Heart sinking at the sound of my name, I turned and expected to see my boss. It wasn’t unheard of for Lorenzo to come in this early to get ahead on the day, but when my eyes clashed with Professor Maclean’s, my heart dropped, and the nausea that had made me want to puke all over the freshly-baked muffins I’d just plunked onto the counter?
It doubled.
“Professor, I didn’t realize you were here,” I squeaked, my gaze darting to the corner booth that had contained the cafe’s sole occupant.
He’d been here all along?
Jesus.
“No, I bet you didn’t.” He frowned at me, darted a look at the till, then stated, “I expect to see you in my office after class ends.”
My eyes widened. “Sir?”
His narrowed. “Don’t you understand English now? Your last paper was certainly reminiscent of someone who doesn’t have a full command over the language, but it appeared you could at least understand the basics.”
My cheeks burned and my fingers curled into fists that had my nails pricking my palms. I’d worked damn hard on that paper, damn hard, and he’d graded it a C.
One of the best things I’d ever written, and he’d given it a goddamn C.
But reasoning with him was futile—I knew from other students who’d tried and failed. Plus, Maclean had a rep around campus. There were professors who got off on looking at their students’ asses and tits, some who might be flirted into an upgrade on their final grades, but Maclean?
Nope.
He was squeaky clean that way.
Rather than snap at him, not when he had to have seen what I’d just done, I whispered, “I’ll be in your office after class, sir.”
That beautiful mouth of his curved in a snarl, but his tone was quiet as he simply said, “Good.”
When he walked out, I staggered back into the counter, jostling some of the silver mugs and canisters awaiting their next use. As they tumbled to the ground with a clattering sound that had my ears ringing, I had to liken the cacophony to the shit storm that was heading my way.
Maclean was going to report me to my boss, hell, maybe even the police…
My mouth quivered and tears burned my eyes, because I knew no amount of reasoning would make him understand or empathize.
Three months to go, three months until I had something to offer the job market with my degree, and I’d blown it.
All for thirty damn dollars.
Chapter Two
Having changed out of my uniform, and into a pair of jeans that had been laundered so many times they were close to falling apart at the seams and a simple white tee, I left the coffee shop with a heavy heart.
Lorenzo wasn’t the best boss I’d ever had, but Maria, his wife, was a sweetie. She’d often give me leftovers to take home and had even bought Scottie a few cuddly toys over the past year.
I’d hated stealing from them, but Lorenzo would never have given me the thirty dollars, and if I let Mrs. Linden’s neighbor down, if I didn’t have the money to pay her, maybe she’d never babysit for me ever again.