Kenzie was a girl boss on a mission. She had a written list of exactly what she did and how long it took for each dress. It looked like they would be a while as she spoke with the woman at the shop. I waited for her in the truck. Her face was pinched as she carried only one garment bag back outside with her.
“They only have one dress for me this week. One.” She huffed and slammed the back door after she put the dress in the truck. “I’m never going to get ahead if she only gives me one dress a week.”
“How many jobs do you work?” I asked.
“Technically, only two. But I used to help Arianna sell makeup. I couldn’t afford the buy-in, so she got the credit for my sales. She paid me my commission, but it was more time than it was worth.”
“You sold makeup? Multi-level-marketing?”
She nodded. “I know, it only works if you can recruit people, and I was trying to sell enough to buy the kit that would let me become a recruiter, but I couldn’t ever make enough sales.”
“MLMs are always a scam,” I said.
“But Arianna is making good money. She even has the pink car.”
“She makes money by selling the recruitment kits, not the makeup,” I pointed out.
Kenzie scrunched up her face. She didn’t seem to like what I was saying. “I know, I had just hoped it would be my genie in the bottle, you know?”
“I do. I think we all have something we wish we could change with the press of a button…”
“Or by taking a magic pill,” she finished for me. “Turn here for the Tire Guy.”
She kept saying Tire Guy, and I had thought she meant a guy who worked on tires, but no, it was the name of the used tire place.
“Are you sure you want a used tire?” I asked as I turned off the truck.
“I can’t afford new tires. The tires here are good. They get them from higher-end dealers. You know, little old ladies who change their tires out every year even if they don’t drive. Or the crazy rich people who replace their tires if they get scuffed.”
“Running on low tires is dangerous,” I pointed out as I hauled the flat out of the truck bed.
“I’m very aware. But there are some things that I just have no control over. I can’t exactly afford tires at any point in time, but I really cannot afford the two hundred bucks that one brand-new tire is going to cost me.”
“Can I help you?” the shop manager said, walking out to meet us as we approached the front.
“I got a flat. I was hoping you could patch it,” Kenzie said as I rolled the tire toward the guy.
He scooped it up, said something with a grunt, and walked away.
“And now we wait. Thanks for driving me around today. My car is on fumes, and I don’t get paid for a couple more days.”
“Sure, no problem. Can I ask a nosy question?”
“Depends on how nosy,” Kenzie said. She gave me a once-over look as if I were about to ask what her bra size was. I didn’t need to ask to know she was at least a forty-eight H. Her breasts were gloriously large. I would be able to confirm the size once I got my hands on her. Until then, my palms ached to engulf her.
“Financially nosy,” I clarified.
She shrugged. “Ask. I don’t hide our situation. It’s not ideal, but I don’t see any point in being ashamed because I don’t have money.”
“If you can’t afford gas, what would you have done if I’d said no?”
“I’d buy gas and put off getting the tire fixed. And I’d also be able to buy more meat at the grocery store. I had to prioritize. I’m going to have to walk to and from work more this week, but having that tire is my priority. I don’t want to get stuck on the side of the road without it.” She paused and hummed a bit, twisting back and forth. “So, I did have a bit of a genie in a bottle moment. Someone paid Ruby’s hospital bill. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
The tips of her teeth pressed into her plump lower lip. She looked so expectant with her big eyes looking up at me. Damn, I could envision exactly what it would be like to look down at her with my cock in her mouth. Would she be grateful enough to suck me into that hot mouth of hers if I admitted to paying that bill?
I cleared my throat. That’s not why I did it. And I wasn’t going to admit it no matter how tight my balls were getting at the thought of a blow job from her mouth.
I shook my head. “Wow, that’s incredible. Why would I know anything about it?”
“Worth a shot,” Kenzie admitted.
“You’re going to need a new tire,” the mechanic said as he stepped out to us.
“I was afraid of that. You have anything for about fifty bucks?” she asked.
“I can check. It’s gonna be a minute.”
“I can go up to seventy-five, including tax. But I’d really like to not spend too much over sixty,” Kenzie told him.
“Okay, come back this afternoon, after two. I’ll have it ready for you.”
Kenzie nodded and headed back to the truck.
“You’re not going to wait to see if he has something in your price range?” I asked.
“He’s got my price range. Now, he can look through his stock for what fits my needs. I found that if I tell him how much I can afford, he gives me a better deal.”
“You budget like a pro,” I said, admiring her understanding of the man she was dealing with and how she would have to adjust in other areas to accommodate for the tire.
“I budget like a person who has to know exactly what every penny is doing.”
“You sound like my father.” I chuckled. Only my father was juggling hundreds of thousands, if not millions, at a time, while Kenzie was managing pennies.
“Mind if we stop at the hardware store?”
“Not at all. This doesn’t have to be just my errands. What are we getting at the hardware store?”
“I need an axe, for chopping wood.”
She looked at me dubiously.
“I’m sure there is one tucked away in the barn, but I can’t find anything. It’s all crammed in so tight it might be easier to throw it all out and start from scratch.”
“Starting from scratch isn’t as easy as everyone seems to think it is,” she said. “And I know what an axe is for.”
She stared out the side window as I navigated through town to the hardware store. My purchasing an axe must seem like a luxury when I more than likely already had one.
I knew we weren’t going on a date for Valentine’s, but I wanted to get her something. Not chocolates, but a gift that would make her life easier.
“I haven’t been here for years. I forgot it smelled like this,” Kenzie said as she danced down the shopping aisle ahead of me.
“Smells like what?”
“Oil, lumber, potting soil. There’s no masking the smell with lavender vanilla candles or air freshener the way other stores do.”
She certainly had a refreshing perspective of things.
I picked up an axe. I hefted it, tested its weight. It wasn’t too bad. It would pack a wallop. Exactly what I needed. I set it over my shoulder.
“Ready?”
“You know, you seriously look like a lumberjack.”
“I think you’ll change your mind once you see me chopping wood.” I chuckled.
“That bad?” She giggled.
I shrugged. “I’ve never had to chop wood before. I have no idea whether I can.”
“He can’t even chop wood, but you’d rather be with him?” Mac appeared out of nowhere.
“Mac,” I started. I swung the axe down to the floor.
Kenzie placed her hand in the middle of my chest. It was a small, little hand, but she commanded me with it, telling me to back down.
“Mac, I’ve asked you nicely to please respect my decisions. I’m not at work right now, so I can tell you to go away and leave me alone.”
“He’s letting you stick up for him? You don’t want to be with some wimp like him. Those muscles are just for show. He doesn’t know how to use them outside of a gym.” Mac sneered out his words.
I growled low in my throat, but I didn’t move. He wasn’t going to provoke me.
Kenzie looked up at me. I took a step backward. If Mac was going to block our path, we would simply take another one.
“He even runs away from a fight.”
I turned back to face down Mac. With my eyes locked on Mac, I grabbed Kenzie to me, lifting her to her toes. I stopped looking at him when I kissed her. I pressed my lips against hers and forgot everything. Kissing her had been a show of power, but the reality of my lips against hers left me completely powerless. Her lips were even softer than I had imagined. She tasted like strawberries and cream. I didn’t want to set her back on her feet. I didn’t want to stop kissing her at all.
“Kenzie, you’re making a fool out of yourself.” Mac wrapped his meaty hand around her arm, pulling her back and off balance.
She yanked her arm away. “Get away from me.”
“You’re making a mistake, little girl, and when you realize it, I’ll still be here like I always am. I’ll take you in. I know how to be patient.”
“You’re going to be waiting a long time,” Kenzie said through clenched teeth. She grabbed my hand and pulled me from the store. The axe was left where I had set it down.
