Shell’s heart squeezed at the sight of the girl. She’d appeared at the diner a few days ago asking for a job. Since she was only thirteen and under the legal working age in Tennessee, Toni’s hands were tied. But of course, Shell’s compassionate friend found a way to help the girl without officially hiring her. She’d given her small jobs, taking out the trash, wiping tables, refilling napkin holders, and after each task had been completed, Toni gave the girl a meal and a little bit of cash.
Shell’s first thought was that the girl was a runaway and the authorities should be contacted. Toni had been reluctant but eventually agreed to call the sheriff’s department. Before they’d had the chance to place that call, Lindsey had sworn up, down, and backward she did not run away from home. She claimed to just be from a poor family and had begged them not to call the police.
Toni seemed to believe that about as much as Shell did, but Lindsey’s insistence on having a home limited their options. Toni hadn’t wanted to call the police regardless of Lindsey’s wishes. If it turned out the girl wasn’t lying, the cops would most likely call in child protective services, which wasn’t always a good thing. They needed more information before they acted, but details about herself were not something Lindsey dished out.
“You all finished with the trash?” Toni asked softly when it became apparent the gun-shy girl wasn’t going to speak again. Due to a rough past of her own, Toni had a soft spot for all troubled teenagers, but this girl seemed to have wormed her way into Toni’s heart more than most.
“Yes, ma’am.” Lindsey still hadn’t glanced up from where her tattered sneaker rubbed at a small scuff on the tiled floor.
“Oh no, ma’am is even worse than miss. Just Toni. Please.”
Lindsey nodded without looking up. She seemed as taken with Toni as Toni was with her, but she shut down when in a group. Or around men. So far, Shell hadn’t seen any signs of physical abuse, but she certainly had the skittish nature of someone who’d been mistreated.
“Well, thank you for coming around again today, Lindsey. You really saved me a lot of time and made it so I could get some other work done.” Toni dug a few bills out of her pocket and held them out.
Finally, Lindsey peeked up at Toni with a small smile on her face and two pink cheeks. “Thank you, ma—uh, Toni,” she said, snatching the money and holding it in a tight fist as though someone might try to snatch it from her at any point. Would they? Was that this poor child’s reality? Clinging to the lifeline of five dollars?
Whatever the reality of her situation, Lindsey seemed to be struggling just to make it through each day. Hopefully, Toni would be able to break through the girl’s wary exterior soon and provide more help than a few hot meals and a couple dollar bills. If she had a family in need of assistance, Toni would most likely move heaven and earth to provide it. If it turned out Lindsey was a runaway, well, Toni would probably let the girl move into the diner.
“Will we see you again tomorrow?”
Back to focusing on the floor, Lindsey nodded.
“Great. And, Lindsey?”
The girl tensed but gave Toni her attention.
“You have my phone number if you need anything, right?”
She nodded.
“Anything. At any time. And I mean that. I hope you’ll use it if you need it.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, then scurried out the front door.
“Gosh, that poor child,” Stephanie said, a hand pressed to her chest.
With a sigh, Toni nodded, her brown eyes following the girl as she darted across the parking lot. “Tell me about it. I’m trying to get some more information out of her, but she’s pretty locked up. She swears she isn’t homeless, but I’m worried. Do you think she’s lying, Shell?”
“I don’t know. Something seems off. Just breaks my heart.” Shell said as she tried to envision how difficult life would have been as a young teen on her own. It’d been hard enough surviving without help in her early twenties.
Across the diner, Shell’s own daughter let out a squeal of laughter as she sent her Barbie doll diving over the edge of a table. Shell couldn’t imagine a future where she’d kick Beth out of the house or one where Beth felt the need to run away. No, that little girl knew just how loved and cherished she was, no matter who she became or what she did. Hopefully, there was someone out there who felt the same about Lindsey, and if not, she had no doubt Toni would work her magic on the girl.
Shell’s lips curled as she watched her child entertain herself. Without thinking, her hand automatically moved to rest on her stomach. Though Beth was conceived in a traumatic manner, she’d been a blessing in ways Shell never could have imagined. And now that they lived with Copper, her daughter finally had the father she’d been denied for the first four years of her life.