Gavin's Song (Road to Salvation A Last Rider's Trilogy 1)

“You don’t have her number.” Fury boiled in his pudgy cheeks.

“Try me. She gave me the number when I waited on her at the diner, and I complained about you buying shitty trash bags.”

“You didn’t.” He dropped his hand, clenching both into fists as if he wanted to hit her.

“Ask her,” she said sweetly.

“You say anything to her, I’ll fire you.”

“What have I got to lose? You’re been wanting to fire me since the day I started. The only reason I’m still here is because your wife can’t find anyone else that wants this job for the money you’re willing to pay.”

Giving her a cutting look, he stepped away from the door. “I’m having cameras installed behind the counter tomorrow.”

“Good for you. Make sure you warn Nathan; it’ll make those Sunday family barbecues awkward if you have to fire him.”

Ginny took the handle of the vacuum, wheeling it behind her.

“Ignorant, good fer nothing, witch.”

Turning with a heated glare, the vacuum rocked back on its wheels when she quickly let go of the handle.

“I dare you to repeat that to my face.”

Jerry appeared to be biting his to tongue before furiously spitting out. “Get to work.”

Ginny grabbed the handle of the vacuum, letting Jerry’s hostile behavior slide off her back, and thinking about the envelope with forty dollars in it that would be waiting on top of the candy counter when she finished cleaning.

Shoving her cell phone back in her pocket, she left the vacuum sitting where it was as she went row by row, dumping the discarded remains of cups, popcorn buckets, and candy wrappers into a trash bag, all the while wanting to go home and climb into her bed in the cheap bedroom that Toby had let her rent at the back of his house.

Grimacing at the amount of trash left behind, she could always tell which theater showed the newest release by the number of trash bags she had to use to clean. This was a two bagger at least.

Sighing, she hoped it was at least a good one before she dropped the bag and went to the projection room. Starting the movie, she grabbed the garbage bag, dumping an empty popcorn bucket inside before going back downstairs into the theater.

“I knew today wasn’t going to end on a bad note,” she told herself happily, looking forward to watching a new horror movie. Then she nearly jumped out of her skin at the bloodcurdling scream from the movie screen.

“Freaking hell!” Open-mouthed, she watched a gigantic bug eat the head off a zombie before flying to chow down on a woman loudly screaming.

“Thank you,” Ginny managed to gasp out, placing a hand over her still rapidly beating heart. “Whatever the heck you are, she nearly scared me to death.” Picking up the trash bag, she went back to collecting garbage. “Move it or the dude with that rifle is going to blow you to smithereens.” Her eyes widened on one of the zombies. “No! Go back. Get the one who’s trying to get over the fence!” she shouted. The grotesque zombie looked remarkably like Jerry. “Eat him!” Ginny chanted, going to the next row. “Eat him!” Sadly, she watched the bug get cut in half by a spaceship laser and the two parts fell limply to the ground. “Darn it. Just once can the jerk get what he deserves?”

She guessed not. The zombie managed to clamber over the fence and started munching down on the bug parts.

It just showed jerks like Jerry would survive even in zombie form, while she would have been ant kibble. Ginny used movies as a learning tool, and this was a good example. When shit hit the fan, only those with the strongest stomach would survive.

* * *

Leaving the pawn shop, Ginny was closing her purse when she heard her name called out. Turning she saw Willa making her way across the street.

“Hi!” Ginny greeted as Willa approached her, holding two paper bags.

“Hey! I was going to call you today, but when I saw you, I thought I’d save myself the call.”

Bracing herself for Willa to have changed her mind about offering the job that she had mentioned a couple of months ago, Ginny tried to appear unconcerned as frowning people brushed past them on the sidewalk.

“I was going to discuss something with you, but we’re going to get mowed down if we stay out here. Do you have a few minutes?”

“Today’s my day off.” Had people in town talked Willa out of offering her the job?

“We could go to the church, it’s close by, and I want to show you where you’ll be working.”

Ginny felt as if a ton of bricks had just been taken off her back.

Falling in step beside her, they walked the two blocks to the church. They made small talk about the businesses Willa sold her sweets to, including the diner and the Silver Slipper restaurant. It was only when Willa lead her into the large kitchen of the church and she saw cupcakes sitting on a metal table did she realize that Willa was using the space as her bakery.