Page 19 of Juniper Hill (The Edens 2)
There’d only be one man in my bed.
My little man.
When my alarm rang at six, I jolted awake, groggier than I had been in years. Drake was still asleep, so I left him on the bed and hurried through a shower. We had no coffee pot in the loft, probably because any of Knox’s guests would simply walk to his gigantic kitchen for a morning cup.
If I had enough cash after rent and daycare and gas and food and formula and diapers and a few new outfits for Drake because he was growing out of his others, I’d buy a maker with my first paycheck. Or I’d just drink the free coffee at the hotel because I already knew there wouldn’t be money.
That word had changed in two short months. Once, money had been a concept. An afterthought. Now, it was a luxury lost.
I’d traded it for my son.
Drake woke as I swapped out his pajamas for clothes and I yawned so many times as I got him ready for daycare that my jaw hurt. Not even the bright morning sun could chase away the brain fog as I stepped outside and rushed to my car.
Knox’s truck was gone already. At first, I’d assumed he parked in the garage, but I’d since learned he parked outside, closer to the house.
“Ooo-ooh,” Drake cooed as his car seat clicked into the base.
“Friday, baby. Let’s make it through our Friday, okay?”
Daycare drop-off was painful, like it had been painful every morning this
week. I hated leaving Drake with another person. I hated missing his happy hours. But it wasn’t like I could clean hotel rooms with a baby strapped to my chest.
There was no choice. The money I’d saved from my job in New York was nearly gone. Most, I’d used to buy the Volvo. The rest was stashed in case of an emergency.
So Drake would go to daycare.
While I carved out a life for us with my own two hands, sweat and tears.
Main Street was my favorite part of this little town. It was the heart and hub of Quincy. Retail shops, restaurants and offices crowded the blocks. The Eloise stood proud as the tallest building in sight.
I glanced longingly at Eden Coffee as I drove by. Eloise had told me that her older sister Lyla owned it. Lattes had once been a staple of my diet. And though I had a twenty in my purse and had planned to splurge, I couldn’t bring myself to stop.
Not when the coffee at the hotel was free.
Twenty dollars was over an hour’s worth of work.
I parked in the alley behind The Eloise, grabbing my purse and the small plastic container that held my peanut butter sandwich. No jelly. It, like the latte, was an indulgence that must wait. The best meal I’d eaten in weeks had been Knox’s tacos. Why was it so sexy that a man could cook? No man I’d ever dated had cooked me a meal.
Knox’s truck was in the space closest to the employee entrance. Had he been able to sleep last night? Or had he escaped to the restaurant after we’d woken him up?
“I’m so getting evicted.” But thanks to my dad, it wouldn’t be the first time.
A chime jingled in my pocket. One glance at the screen and I silenced the noise. Any time I seemed to think about New York, my phone would ring.
Thirty-seven. That made thirty-seven calls in a week. Asshole.
I hurried inside, finding Eloise in the staff room, filling a coffee mug.
“Good morning,” I said as I stowed my things in a locker. Hopefully I’d covered up the dark circles beneath my eyes with the last of my concealer.
“Morning.” She smiled. Eloise always had a smile.
I’d learned yesterday that we were both twenty-five. Her twenty-five seemed much lighter than my own. I envied that. I envied her smile. Had she been anyone but Eloise, I probably would have hated her for it. But Eloise was impossible not to love.
Shoving my lunch in the fridge, I went to the time clock and punched my card. Old fashioned, like the hotel. For my first hourly job, I liked the thunk of the machine as it stamped. Then I rushed to the cupboard for a mug, filling it to the brim from the pot. The first sip was too hot but that didn’t stop me from blowing across the top, then taking another drink, scalding tongue and all.
“This might save my life.”
