“Thank you.” They sat in silence for a moment or two before Niki asked, “Do you think I should bring up what Mrs. Fleming was buying at the meeting tomorrow morning? Ask what was in the bag?”
Sharon said, “Oh, there’s not going to be a meeting tomorrow.”
“There’s not?”
“I would hope not. Let me ask you one question: Do you want to keep working there?”
Niki sighed. “Well, no, but what else can I do? I don’t have anything else lined up, and I can’t sit around here all day. I figured I’d start filling out applications online and quit as soon as I got something else.”
“It’s up to you, but for what it’s worth, I’d be glad to tell you what I think you should do.”
“Tell me.” Niki leaned forward, eagerness written on her face. Clearly she wanted some guidance.
“I would go in there tomorrow morning, give them their stupid polo shirt back, and quit.”
“Just like that?”
Sharon nodded. “Just like that.”
“With no notice at all?”
“Yep.” Sharon watched the emotions play out on Niki’s face. The uncertainty mixed with relief. She said, “I would think that taking a stand would be easy for you, Niki. You broke up with an abusive boyfriend and left that last house when it didn’t go well. You quit your last job over the phone. I can tell that you’re a strong person, and I think it’s admirable. When I was your age, I was fairly spineless. It took a long time for me to give myself value.”
“You won’t mind that I’m unemployed and living in your house? You won’t think I’m a quitter?”
“That’s what you’re worried about?” Sharon said in amazement and then chuckled. “Oh, honey, I don’t care about that. You’ll get something else soon enough. I have no doubt.”
Niki took a minute to mull this over. “Okay then, I’ll do it. I’ll go in and quit tomorrow morning.” She startled Sharon by leaning over and pulling her into a hug. “Thank you, thank you so much.”
“For what? I didn’t do anything.”
“Thank you for listening to me and helping me.” Niki pulled away, and Sharon saw that her eyes gleamed with fresh tears. “And for coming in and covering me up and being so nice.”
“Not a big deal.” Sharon shrugged. “I’m glad if it helped.” She smoothed the front of her pants. “You deserve better than Magnificent Nutrition, Niki. I know you’re feeling awful, but someday this will just be a funny story.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.” She stood up. “I think I’ll go downstairs and start dinner. Don’t worry about this anymore.”
“Do you want help?”
Sharon smiled. “No, I’ve got this. Thanks.” She crossed the room and stopped to look back when she reached the doorway. “You know I always hated that polo shirt.”
“Me too.”
“And they only gave you one. What was that all about?”
“I don’t know.” Niki looked down at the cheap polyester shirt. “They said they only had this one on hand and they’d ordered another one.”
“You’d think it would have come in by now.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, the good news is that you’ll never have to wear it again. Don’t wash it before you give it back.”
“I won’t.”
“I’ll call you when dinner’s ready. We’re having spaghetti. You might want to keep that shirt on in case you accidentally drip some sauce down your front.”
Niki nodded, her mouth stretching into a big smile. Sharon made her way down the stairs, her steps lighter than they’d been on the way up.
Chapter Fourteen
By the time Ma’am came home, Mia had already set the table for the dinner she’d prepared earlier in the slow cooker. Chopping the carrots and onions had been the hard part. Jacob had helped her with the carrots, but he’d said she was on her own for the onions. “Cutting those things does a number on my eyes,” he’d said before lumbering out of the room, his eyes cast down on his phone.
One time, a few months before, while chopping vegetables, Mia had wound up slicing her thumb. The cut had made a mess, and even though she’d held a paper towel to her hand, there had been blood everywhere, which got her in big trouble. Mister and Ma’am even got into a fight about it. Mister said Mia was too little to be using a sharp knife and that she shouldn’t be using the stovetop either. Ma’am said he was being ridiculous, that the girl just needed to be more careful. Mister examined her hand and cleaned the wound, then put a Band-Aid on it. Every night after that he checked on it, peeling back the cover and asking her to bend her thumb, while his forehead furrowed with concern. When the cut had finally healed, Mia was a little sad that this was the end of having Mister check her thumb.
Ever since then, Mia could only use sharp knives on the days when Mister was out of town. Today was one of those days. She found that the rhythm of the house was different when Mister was gone, and she never knew what to expect. Sometimes Ma’am had all kinds of energy and wanted Mia to help her clean closets or wipe down all the baseboards; other times she stayed in bed and wanted Mia to bring her meals up to her room. The staying-in-bed days were good days for Mia because there was less to do. The bad part was that she had to listen carefully for Ma’am’s bell and not keep her waiting.
This afternoon Ma’am came into the kitchen with a smile on her face. She still had her winter coat on, but she’d shed her boots and tucked her gloves into her pockets. “Oh, Mia,” she said approvingly, “I could smell the beef roast as soon as I came in the front door.” She lifted the lid and took a peek at the meal inside. “Not too bad,” she said with a dip of her chin. “We’ll make a cook out of you yet.”
Mia said, “Yes, Ma’am.” She’d just finished cleaning up the kitchen and now stood in front of Ma’am, her hands clasped together. When Ma’am left the kitchen to go to the front hall closet, Mia followed, awaiting her instructions. After Ma’am hung up her coat, she opened her handbag and took out a small white paper bag, then handed the handbag to Mia to be put away. Mia was about to do just that when Ma’am began to speak.
One hand on her hip, she said, “Oh, Mia, you have no idea how nice it is to come home after the day I had today. So much trouble! First I had to go to a board meeting, and that was aptly named, because believe me, I was bored. These ditsy women are planning a silent auction and don’t have the foggiest idea of how to get organized. They talked and talked and talked and didn’t get anywhere at all. Went round in circles. Of course, I knew how it all should go in the first minute, but I waited until they’d talked themselves into an argument, and then I stood up and took charge, giving each of them an assignment. You should have seen the look on Trina Meyer’s face when I took over. She wasn’t sure if she should thank me or strangle me.” Ma’am let out a barky laugh, and Mia smiled. “And then I had lunch with Jana, and after that I ran some errands. Traffic was terrible. They have the interstate all torn up.” She shook her head, the soft feathered layers bouncing as she did. “You’re so lucky to be able to stay home.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Oh, Mia, you’re such a good girl. You know that, right?”
Mia nodded, her heart gladdened to be Ma’am’s good girl.
“And you are so lucky to be here with us. When I think of how you were when we saved you, I can only guess what your life would have been like. Thinking about it makes me want to cry.”
Mia hesitated, wanting to ask so many questions. Ma’am often referenced how she had saved Mia. She spoke as if Mia would remember everything that had happened, but Mia was just so little back then. Try as she might, she couldn’t remember much about her life before she was part of the Fleming household. She had a faint memory of a woman singing to her. She could almost remember the sound of her voice, but not quite. There were other fleeting images that came to mind. Picking dandelions. The sensation of getting pushed on a swing, rising so high she might have been able to touch a cloud. But
those images seemed like a dream or a wish. She might have been just imagining them. One time she’d asked Jacob about her life before she lived at their house. She’d asked him, “Where was I when I was saved?” She’d hoped for an answer, but Jacob just shook his head.
“Trust me,” he said. “You’re better off not knowing.” He wouldn’t say, but what he didn’t realize was that she’d tricked him, because before that she wasn’t sure if he knew anything at all. Knowing that he knew the story of how she came to live here was important because it meant that maybe, sometime in the future, Jacob might tell her more when he was in a better mood. She knew that she would ask again, and keep asking until he got tired of it and answered her question. And when he answered, she’d know it was the truth. Sometimes when she’d question him, he’d say, “You know I’d never lie to you, right, Mia?” And she agreed because he never had.
Ma’am, of course, was the one who constantly mentioned how lucky Mia was to have ended up with them. From the way she spoke, it sounded like Mia had been in a dumpster or under a pile of leaves. Today, Ma’am’s mood seemed warm and friendly, making Mia feel bold enough to ask a question, something she never did. She opened her mouth and started to say, “When I was saved—”
But Ma’am interrupted. “And then I had to deal with this new employee at the nutrition store.” She let out a snort. “The things I have to put up with. This girl was unbelievable. The little snot had the audacity to talk back to me. The nerve! If I were Dawn, I would fire that girl. Imagine mouthing off to me, their best customer. How dare she!” She began to walk down the hall, the white paper bag dangling from her fingertips. Ten feet away, she turned around. “Mia! Try to keep up. The day is far from over, and there’s so much still to be done.”
Mia scrambled to catch up, Ma’am’s handbag still dangling from her elbow. Ma’am would have a thing or two for her to do, but it wouldn’t be as bad as usual. The white bag meant she’d be in a much better mood very soon. Before long, Ma’am would be lounging in her bathrobe, watching Netflix in bed, and then she’d forget all about Mia. Sometimes she even forgot to tuck Mia in for the night, and the door would be unlocked for the entire night. On those occasions, Mia had been too afraid to leave her room, but knowing she could walk around the house unmonitored was both scary and exciting. One of these days, she might actually try it.
Chapter Fifteen
The next morning Sharon drove Niki to work a little earlier than usual. Niki had said no to breakfast, saying she wasn’t hungry.
“Let’s just go and get it over with,” Sharon said, holding up her car keys. “You’ll feel better when it’s done.” For most of the ride they were silent.
“I’m not going to lie,” Niki said as they turned into the parking lot. “I’m a little bit nervous.” She glanced at Sharon, hoping for some reassuring words. They’d talked about her plan for quitting earlier at the house. Sharon was of the impression that this should be easy for Niki. She made some good points to back this notion: Niki had been the one to break off her relationship with Evan, she’d quit her last job without notice via voice mail, and she’d had no problem leaving the last place she’d lived after the incident with the husband. But—and this was a big but—the commonality among all three was that Niki had been pushed to her limit and had panicked, making decisions without really thinking about them. This time around it was different. She had time to mull over the sequence of events, and she felt as if she’d screwed up.
It might not be so easy to get another job, and how long would Sharon let her live there if she was unemployed and not contributing financially? Even extreme kindness had its limits.
“It’s okay to be nervous,” Sharon said. “Have you changed your mind? Do you want to keep working there?”
“No.” The word came out almost involuntarily. Niki did not want to work there—just the opposite, in fact. What she’d hoped for was to drop off her shirt and never set foot in Magnificent Nutrition again. The idea of quitting was appealing. It was the going inside and talking to Dawn that was the hard part. If she could, she’d do a drive-by quit, yelling “I’m done!” and tossing the shirt out the window as they drove past.
“It’s okay to quit while being nervous. Either way gets the job done.”
The parking lot was nearly empty. Sharon pulled into a space facing the storefronts. Through the glass, Niki saw both Max and Dawn inside the store. “Oh man, they’re both here,” she said, her heart sinking.
“Both?”
“Max and Dawn.” Niki had never known a time when both of them were there when the store opened. She imagined it was planned, that they intended to tag team her with criticism, or maybe play good cop, bad cop. “I don’t know if I can face them. Maybe I could call or text instead?”
“You could do that,” Sharon said thoughtfully. “But don’t you think it will feel good to face them and tell them why you’re quitting? No one has the right to call you names and take your phone away from you. And for Dawn to take her side? That’s just wrong. I would think speaking your truth would be empowering.”
“I guess.” Niki sighed, not moving a muscle.
“I know this feels like a big deal, but someday you’ll look back and be glad you stood up for yourself. And very soon, something much better will come your way. Believe me, life turns around in an instant, usually when you don’t see it coming. I’ve had it happen to me over and over again. One of the benefits of being old.” Sharon smiled.
“Really?”
“Really. You want me to come in with you?”
“Would you?”
“Sure. I’ll just stand by for moral support.” Sharon shut off the engine, looped her purse over her shoulder, and opened the door. “Are you coming?”
“Yeah.” Niki left her bag in the car and walked across the lot, the polo shirt slung over her arm.
Sharon entered the store first, holding the door open for Niki to follow. As Niki walked past, she whispered, “You can do this.”
Niki had planned what she was going to say: I can’t continue working at a place that doesn’t support their employees, so I am quitting. Yesterday was my last day. The rest of the plan involved dropping the tomato-stained polo shirt on the counter and then turning around and leaving. Her plan was slightly complicated by the fact that Max was here, restocking a vitamin display on one side of the store, while Dawn was behind the counter giving her a steely-eyed look. It would be impossible to face them both at the same time, so she made the decision to give notice to Dawn. Niki drew a deep breath and walked over to the register, then set the shirt on the counter.
“What’s this?” Dawn said sharply, looking at the shirt like it was roadkill.
Niki could almost feel Sharon’s wave of support from behind her. You can do this.
She stood tall and said, “I can’t continue working at a place that doesn’t support their employees, so I am—”
“You gotta be kidding me,” Dawn said, slamming her palm onto the counter. “You’re quitting? After all the time we spent training you?”
Niki’s heart pounded as she forced out the rest of the sentence. “So I am quitting.”
Dawn yelled across the store, “Are you getting this, Max? The little bitch is walking out on us.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Sharon protested, coming to Niki’s side. “There’s no need for name-calling. Let’s try to be civil here. Niki could have just bailed on you, but instead she came to explain and return your shirt.”
“And you bring your grandma to fight your fight for you?” Dawn came out from behind the counter, the stained shirt clutched in her fist. “You should be ashamed of yourself!”
From the other side of the store, Max weakly called out, “Now, Dawn.”
Determined to finish, Niki said, “Yesterday was my last day.”
Sharon said, “Let’s go, Niki.” She took her elbow and led her to the door.
Right before they left, Dawn yelled, “She signed a clause that said she promised to work f
or a minimum of three months. Did she mention that, Grandma? It’s legally binding. We could sue her and win.”
Niki had completely forgotten about having signed that agreement. Could it be legally binding? She looked to Sharon, who had a sudden fierce look on her face.
“I’m glad you mentioned legalities,” Sharon said, her voice carrying across the room. “Because that’s one of the main reasons I encouraged Niki to quit. I don’t want my granddaughter working for a place where the owners are dealing drugs. I think the police would be very interested in hearing about your special orders for VIP customers.”
Dawn’s jaw dropped, and her face went pale. Sharon stood her ground, holding her glare for what seemed to be a really long time, then wordlessly she turned and went out the door, with Niki right behind her. Once they were inside the car, Niki said, “Well, that was a definite mic drop.”
“Sure was!” Sharon said, starting up the engine. “Whatever that means.”
“It’s like . . .” Niki stopped to think. “It’s like saying you got the last word. You showed her.”
Sharon nodded. They sat for a moment, watching the store. Max had left the box of vitamins sitting on the floor and was now with Dawn behind the counter. From their vantage point, it looked like Max and Dawn were having an intense conversation.
Niki said, “Did you see her face when you mentioned drug dealing?”
“I surely did.”
“Too bad we don’t have any proof. I’d love to file a police report.” As she spoke, Dawn picked up the receiver to the store phone and began punching buttons. Niki said, “Who do you think she’s calling?”
“Suzette Fleming. They have to get their stories straight.”
“You think?”
“Yes, I do. She’s afraid, as well she should be.” Sharon turned to Niki and gave her arm a gentle pat. “At least you don’t have to worry about your three-month clause. They’ll want no part of you after this.”
The Moonlight Child Page 9