Chapter 1
One day in school I was hanging out with my friends. We were sitting in lunch, talking over what to do this weekend.
"Well I can't do much, I have to work at the shop." I told my friends.
"Damnit Crystal." Lilly said.
Yes, Crystal was my name. But sometimes people called me Cris for short. Like my friends sometimes.
"What?" I said.
"When are you ever gonna get a weekend off from the shop?" Lilly asked.
Lilly was my best friend ever. I've known her since preschool and we stood by each other since. We got into fights together, we skipped school together, we even kissed the same boy back in middle school. We done everything together. Even our periods were synced together. She was like my sister but only prettier than me.
She was 5'6", 135 pounds where I was 5'3", 115 pounds. She had brown pixie hair cut, brown eyes, and dark tan skin almost Mexican lookin. Me, I had long blonde hair, ocean blue eyes, and fair skin with a little tan color to it.
"I don't know Lilly." I told her. "I can talk to mom about me getting off a little early or taking the weekend off. But you know I can't do it every weekend."
"Okay, at least try." Lilly said.
I nodded. She was pushy at times but I loved her for it.
After school, we walked to the shop like every day after school to get us a snack from my mom. When we got there, my mom was in the office talking to since people.
"Ah, excuse me." She told the people she was talking to. "Honey, you're off of school already?"
"Yea, it's 3:30."
"Oh, mine where does the time go." My mother said. "Go talk to Kyle. He has y'all's snack for today."
I nodded and she went back to talking to the people in her office. Lilly and I went out on the floor and went to the food court where Kyle was working at.
"Hey, Cris!" Kyle called out. "I have your snacks for today. Your mother is busy with a meeting."
"Yea, I saw. What's going on?" I asked.
"A new land owner moved into town a few weeks ago, up in the country part of town."
"Wait, Mr Oakland property?" Lilly asked.
"Yea, he passed away about a month ago and one of his family members moved down and took it over. I hear he's loaded." Kyle said. "But anyways, he wanted to hold a meeting with your mother about bringing in certain things that he needs and that he'll pay triple the price for it just for him."
"Wow," both Lilly and I said.
"Your mom's gonna have to hire more people for that." Kyle said.
"Yea, and ask her about hire more people for the weekends so you can have them off." Lilly said.
"I told you I try to ask her. Don't be pushy." I told her.
"I'm pushy for a reason." Lilly said.
I rolled my eyes at her as I grabbed our snacks. Kyle packed us, bbq chicken bites and jalapeño bites. He loaded us up too. After he handed us our snacks, we went to the dinning room area and ate until I saw my mother again. While we were in there, we done our homework until it was time for us to head home.
About quarter til 5, my mother had came out with her purse and keys and told us it was time to go. By the time we got home, Lilly walked home from there, saying her goodbyes to us.
"So how did the meeting go?" I asked.
"It was okay. The new land owner wants me to orders supplies for his pack family."
"Pack family?"
"Yea, I said the same thing baby. But he says his family and who stays on his land is huge." My mother said. "Then again, that is Mr. Oakland's land, it’s huge. You could build like a whole city on that property."
"Seriously? And he wants you to order all that stuff for how much?" I asked.
Only reason I have to ask is because I help her with the logs and inventory and everything. I know what comes and goes.
"Well he gave me a list of s**t that he needs and I told him to give me a week to find everything and come up with a price. I told him it's gonna be expensive but he said money isn't the issue. He said he pay triple what it is if he has to.” My mother told me. “If that’s the case this man is loaded. He is kinda cute too. He said he has a son about your age. Maybe you’ll get to see him and who knows, become a thing.”
“Mom, no.” I told her.
“If you don’t, I will with the father.” She said.
I just shook my head and went up to my room while she started dinner. How could she do that, that being a gold digger. And on top of that he’s like your client. I swear if she does that, the whole town is gonna talk.
About an hour later, dinner was done. I came down to eat and watch a little tv while I did. After I was done, I put my plate in the sink, washed it off before putting it in the dishwasher. I put a pod in there so it was ready for the rest of the dishes after mom was done. Then I went back up to my room, got ready for bed.
It didn’t take me long to do my nightly routine; just a little washing the face, brush my teeth, brush my hair some, then change my clothes into my night clothes. I slide on my favorite slink nightie. It was pink with leopard print on it. Have a match robe and slippers to go with it too. My mother got it for me 5 ago after father passed away.
And speaking of that, I see why mother is drooling over this man. She says he’s good looking. I know it’s been awhile since father but I just don’t want my mother to find a man like that. I don’t want her to date him just because he has money. It’s just wrong. But I can’t stop her.
I walked over to my bed and sat down. I grabbed the picture frame that was on my nightstand and looked at it. It was a picture of me and my father together right before he passed away.
“Lord father, I miss you so much. I get mom’s lonely, but I don’t want her to become something she’s not. I don’t want her to date a man that is loaded. I mean yes, date a man that has money but not become a gold digger. Please give me a sign to help me stop this from happening.”
