In fact, I don’t think he paid attention to any of my argument.
I tried another tactic.
“I really don’t like my roommate. That’s why I don’t want to stay here.”
I thought my honesty would appeal to him.
“Why? Does he know you’re a woman? Is that it? Because he’s going to find out and it shouldn’t be that big of a deal—”
“It’s not that.”
I know the men here will slowly start to realize who—or rather what I am. I’m not going to great lengths to hide it. These boobs and hips don’t lie, people.
He shrugged and held the door for me. “Then why don’t you just ignore him and sleep? I’m not driving home every day. Just suck it up. You only have to be with him at night. What’s the big deal?”
The big deal is that night is the worst time to be with the man! I’m supposed to get shut-eye with him lying directly underneath me? It’s impossible. I barely slept. I was an overly caffeinated psycho by the time lunch rolled around, so I doubled down on trying to convince Jeremy to go along with my plan while we were watching the never-ending training videos.
“C’mon, 4:45 AM isn’t that early!”
My words fell on deaf ears.
I realized then that I wouldn’t be getting my way with him. We weren’t going to commute every day, so I needed to find a new place to sleep.
I found Max at dinner, or rather he found me. I was sitting outside the mess hall with Jeremy, eating a turkey sandwich when he joined us.
He flicked the brim of my hat and smiled.
“You really aren’t fooling anyone with this—you know that, right? I’ve already heard a couple guys asking about you.”
I frowned, and he must have sensed my unease because he continued, “Nothing bad though. They were just curious about why a girl would sign on for something like this. I told them to mind their own business.”
I aimed a grateful smile his way. “I appreciate it.” Then the idea sparked. “Wait, where are you rooming?”
He nodded his head in the direction of the bunkhouses. “The last one there at the end.”
“Is there a spare bed?”
He smirked. “No, and the guy next to me snores so loudly I had to throw a pillow at his head last night. Besides, Jeremy told me you’re over in one of the cabins. That’s probably the best place for you, away from all this.”
I frowned, disheartened.
I’d managed one night in that cabin with Ethan; there was no way I’d survive another unscathed. I’d be better off just quitting and going home, and I was tempted to, really tempted, up until that night when my phone finally picked up a signal in the center of camp and I called my mom. The place was cleared out. Most of the guys were showering or back in the bunks, getting ready for bed. I’d been delaying my return to the cabin, trying to think my way out of this mess I’d found myself in when the call connected.
It felt so good to hear her voice, tears burned the edges of my eyes.
“I’ve been thinking about you so much since you left,” my mom said, a smile clear as day in her voice. “How are things going? Have they put you to work yet?”
My throat squeezed tight and words were hard to come by. I dragged my toe along the dirt, drawing a line. “Not yet. Tomorrow.”
“HI SIS!” McKenna shouted in the background.
My mom laughed. “Your sister says hi.”
I chuckled and wiped my eyes. “Yeah, I heard. Tell her I said hi.”
“You sound off. Are things all right?”
I heaved a big, clearing breath. “Just a little homesick, that’s all. How are things with you guys?”
I was planning to introduce the idea of quitting and coming back, of returning to my job at the motel, but I didn’t get the chance. The grocery store had apparently cut my mom’s hours. “Just not enough work to go around, and I’m the last one added to the schedule since they have to work around my classes on the weekends,” she explained.
My heart sank as I squeezed my eyes closed, knowing I was truly stuck here. There was no way for me to quit. How would we make ends meet without this job?
“That’s okay, Mom. I should be getting my first paycheck soon. Some say it might even come at the end of this week.”
McKenna grabbed the phone then, jumping into any and all updates about her