Good Night Sweetheart

Broke

Libby’s POV

Another day sitting behind the counter at the deli, everything is finished for the moment, and I haven’t had a customer an over an hour. It’s pretty quiet for a Saturday, but it’s still early. I hope the rest of my shift doesn’t drag like the last hour has. I plop myself in the back, rummaging through my bag and grabbing the latest lit assignment.

“Shouldn’t you be working for me and not studying?” My boss strolls in, her arms full of a large box packed with fresh produce. I hop up to help her before she drops it.

“I would if there was anything left to do,” I smirk as she peeks over the box.

“Well, we are pretty slow, aren’t we.” She sets the box on a table, onions spilling out. She looks and sees I have done everything I can do, and as I unpack the box to put things away. She takes my hand. “Why don’t you take off for the day, hun.”

“Oh well, I’m sure I can find something to do.” I begin looking for some kind of busy work, but she stops me, clearing her throat. I like my boss. She’s a sweet woman, but if she keeps sending me home early, I may have to look for another job. I need the money, and school makes it hard to work around all my classes.

“Jan, I really need the hours,” I confess, looking down. “It’s why I agreed to cover today.”

“I know that deer, but I can’t afford to pay you when I don’t have any customers. Business will pick up soon. It’s just too slow right now. Besides, you have an exam coming up. You should be studying right now.”

While that is true, it’s also true that I need to make rent. Maybe I should move in with Megan and her boyfriend. I hate to be a third wheel in their love fest, though. I sigh, defeated. I know Jan will send me home no matter what I say, and I know she’s right. She can’t afford to have me sit here and do nothing.

“All right,” I reluctantly agree, gathering up my things and mentally kicking myself for getting everything done too quickly.

“Hey, why don’t you come in early tomorrow? I have a big order going out tomorrow afternoon and could use you then. Okay?” Jan is trying to make me feel better, and I know it, but I love her for it all the same. I smile brightly at her and nod. “Great, be here by nine.”

I lift my heavy bag onto my shoulder, adjusting its weight. I swear this bag is going to give me back problems one day. I take a few measured breaths, wondering if I can work nights at a gas station or something anything to make ends meet.

As I walk back home to the little studio apartment I rent, my mind wanders. It’s small, but it’s mine. Megan picks me up on her way to class in the mornings. I can’t afford a car of my own, at least not one that actually runs.

My mind is still wandering, and it takes me back to yesterday and my surprisingly pleasant afternoon. I should have gone home to study, but when he asked me to have lunch with him, he looked so sweet I couldn’t tell him no, even though he was clearly avoiding me for two whole weeks. He’s a puzzle to me, and I want to figure him out. I don’t really understand why I am so curious about him, but I can’t deny it.

Even Megan was ogling at him. He’s hard not to gape at, tall with light brown hair and the perfect amount of five o’clock shadow. Not to mention his baby blue eyes, he’s sexy, that’s for sure, and when he smiles, he looks so sweet and charming; Doctor Morgan has made an impression on many of the single women in town.

I can hardly believe he asked me to lunch yesterday. He seemed uncomfortable at first, but soon he smiled, listening to me chatter about classes and books. He remarked about some of my favorite books, commenting on the writing of particular authors. He had read all the books I love, which impressed me more than his good looks.

I walk into my little studio apartment and drop my bag with a heavy thud. Blowing out a labored breath of air. I don’t have a chance with someone like him. I look around at my tiny room filled with handy-me-down furniture and things I picked up off the curb destined for the trash. I repaired most of the furniture myself and painted everything, so it all looks cute but still. I have never had anything new. I grew up poor and am still undeniably poor.

Walking to my small sofa and sitting down hard, melting into it. “I need another job,” I mutter, pulling out my phone and scrolling through social media, wondering if there is anything I can do when my phone rings suddenly, I nearly drop it. Professor Barns is calling me. Why in the hell is he calling me? I wonder as I answer it. I did some work grading for one of the freshmen classes before, so maybe that’s what he wants again.

“Hello, professor,” I reply sweetly, trying to hide how much I don’t care for him. He has a creepy vibe I can’t explain.

“Miss Carson, I’m glad I caught you. I was wondering if you wanted a job. I need some help again in the freshman class. It won’t pay great, but it would help me out immensely, and you will get credit in my class for your work.” He emphasized how much I would be helping him, and his buttery voice make me roll my eyes but paying me this time it might be worth it.

“How much will I be getting paid,” I ask tentatively but bluntly.

“Come to my office before class tomorrow, and we’ll talk it over.” He remarks curtly, but I can hear the smile in his voice; it makes me cringe. I don’t know what it is about him, but he’s creepy to me. Maybe it’s the fact that I have caught the man checking out more than one of his female students, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

“Sure, I’ll be there,” I reply shortly, trying to get off the phone with him.

“Great, see you in the morning.” He hangs up, and I drop my phone next to me.

“Great,” I mutter, resting my head on the back of the sofa and staring up at the ceiling. My mind drifting back to the surprisingly sweet lunch of yesterday. Why can’t I stop thinking about him? I’m not the type to fall for someone I barely know. Especially someone I can tell is hiding something no matter how sweet they look.

“What are you hiding, Doctor Morgan, and why the hell am I so interested anyway,” I ask the white ceiling sighing. I turn to my dining table, which only has two chairs. It isn’t big enough for any more than that. The stack of bills sitting there reminds me of my current situation.

“Oh well, at least I found another source of income,” I mutter to the stack of bills. “I really need to stop talking to myself.” I shake my head, sit up and grab my phone, and going to my bag to get what I need to study for my exams.

“Well, if I don’t talk to myself, who else would I have to talk to right now?” I muse, piling my books and papers on the table. Still, my mind drifts back to the sweet man talking about classic literature. It would have bored most people, but he was genuinely engaged in talking with me. Megan would have run from the room board out of her skull; I giggle thinking about it.

Don’t get me wrong, I read everything, but the classics are where my love of books truly started, and they hold a place in my heart. Megan likes to read, but the classics bore her to death, and if it weren’t for my notes, she would be having a much harder time in Barns’ class than she is, and she knows it. She helps me out in math class, and I help her with lit; it’s a fair trade.

I work for hours on the paper I need to write and study for the exam when my stomach growls, prompting me to look up for the first time in god knows how long exactly. Looking around to see the sun is setting, I gasp, grabbing my phone and checking the time. How did it get so late? It was noon the last time I looked, and now it’s well past six.

I get up, stretching to look in the fridge and open it, just to remember I haven’t gotten groceries in days. “Well, that’s great, Libby.” I scold myself finding my wallet. Ten bucks is all I have in cash and won’t get me much, but it’s better than nothing, I guess. Rolling my eyes, I grab my jacket heading to the door to walk to the corner market. Being a broke college student sucks, but at least I’m here and not back home. Anything is better than being there.