A Luna Scorned

Chapter 17

I awoke alone in my room. The sun shone brightly through the curtains. I looked at my alarm clock, 8:23, it read. I sighed and stared at the trees outside the curtains. Liam had never shown back up last night. I'm pretty sure he spent the whole night with Rachel. We had planned to go on our first date, but he completely bailed on me. I got up and got dressed, threw on some makeup and piled my curly hair into a bun atop my head. I pulled out my boots and slid them on. I really should get another pair. They were the only shoes I owned, aside from the heels I bought with Ari, and they were trashed. I decided that today I would head to the mall myself and get some more pairs of shoes. I had to figure out a job situation as well. Now that I wasn't living with my family pack and earning money at the ranch, I would need my own source of income. I decided to purchase some nice clothes that were acceptable for a job interview and that I would find a job in town. Maybe they had a feed store. That would be a decent gig.

I hurried downstairs for a bite to eat before I left. As I entered the dining hall I was greeted to the sight of Rachel and Liam together at breakfast. She was sitting on his lap, his hands around her legs, holding her there. Liam looked in my direction and our eyes locked on each other. I wondered if I would get the same attention if I cried. He frowned and attempted to push Rachel off his lap. She laughed, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his face into her chest. I took the opportunity while he was blinded by her boobs to grab a chocolate chip bagel and book it out the door. I would grab breakfast in town. I hurried up the stairs, grabbed my purse and flew to my truck. I wasn't about to let Liam interfere with my plans today. I was not in the mood to entertain him. He had Rachel for that.

I found a cute little Cafe near the mall. I slid into a booth and browsed the menu.

"Hey honey. What can I get you?" A middle aged woman dressed in a white apron with pink lace trim asked me.

"Good morning. I smiled. Can I have two chocolate chip pancakes, a ham, egg and cheese omelet with a side of bacon, a small glass of orange juice and your largest hot chocolate in a to-go cup, please?"

"Yes ma'am. She quickly scribbled in her notebook, grabbed my menu and scurried off to the kitchen. I had purchased a newspaper at the stand outside of the Cafe. I opened it and scanned the help wanted section.

"Hmm. Caretaker. We could do that."

"Nope. I need something more challenging." Nat said.

"Okay, how about this one. HR assistant."

"Do you really want to be stuck in an office all day long?" She had a point.

"We have to find something, Nat. We can't be picky. I need to be able to pay for stuff."

"Alright". The waitress brought out my food on a large tray. "Can I get you anything else, hun?"

"No thank you." She smiled and began to walk away, when I stopped her. "Are there any feed stores or riding stables around here?"

"There are. There's a feed store about two miles from here, on the edge of town." She quickly jotted down directions in her notepad and handed me the torn out page.

"Thank you!"

"No problem. Let me know if I can get you anything else, hun." She disappeared into the kitchen. The food looked really good. I was a little embarrassed to be eating all of this myself, but I hadn't had dinner the night before and I was quite famished. I decided to hit the feed store first. A job is much more important than shopping right now.

"How is everything?" The waitress slipped me my bill.

"It was wonderful, thank you." I slipped some cash into the folder and slid out of the booth. Making sure I had the directions to the feed store.

"Thanks for coming in!" A chipper Raven haired woman about my age greeted me as I walked through the doors. I was excited to see the store carried clothes and boots along with the feed. "Is there anything I can help you find?"

"No. Thank you. But I was wondering if you were hiring?"

"It's your lucky day. We are. Here's an application." She slid it across the counter at me.

"Do you mind if I fill it out here?"

"Not at all." She smiled and handed me a pen. I completed the application and handed it back.

"Thank you." She scanned over the form. "It all looks good. You'll probably be getting a call from us in the next day or so."

"Thank you." I wandered around the store, taking in all of the inventory. They had much nicer clothes than the feed store back home. I grabbed a couple pairs of new jeans. One pair were very flashy, with lots of rhinestones on the back pockets. I also grabbed several nice shirts and made my way over to the boot section. I quickly picked out a pair of nice boots and headed to the register.

"Do you ride?" The woman asked me.

"I do. My family owns a cattle ranch about two hours south of here."

"Oh, really? Do you just run cattle, or do you do other things?"

"Mainly just the cattle. I don't compete or anything."

"Well, if you're ever interested, there's a rodeo down at the arena. Usually it's once a month, but in the summers you can always find events going on over there every Friday night. This Friday there's a rodeo, then next Friday it's a barrel race. You should definitely check it out."

"I'd love to!" I jotted down the arena address in my phone and headed out the door. I was still going to stop at the mall for some nice everyday shoes.

"Hey girl. Where have you been all day?" Ari caught me on the way to my room.

"Out shopping."

"Wasn't Liam supposed to take you?"

"He said he would, but he was pretty tied up with Rachel this morning, so I went on my own."

"Yeah, he's been pretty tied up with her all morning. She hasn't left this side. If you ask me, she's doing it on purpose to keep him away from you."

"Well, that's fine. I don't need to be near him either."

"Good for you. So, what'd you get?" She began digging through my bags.

"Oooooh! These pants are pretty!" She held up the bedazzled pocket jeans.

"Right! I loved them."

"Girl, I NEED them! Where did you find them?" She begged.

"At the tack store."

"Really? They carry clothes?"

"Yep. I usually only buy clothes from tack stores."

"Okay, next time you go, I need to go with you. I must have a pair of these." She demanded.

"I might be there a lot in the near future."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, don't tell anyone, especially Liam, but I applied for a job there." I practically whispered.

"YOU DID!" Ari almost screamed it.

"Yeah. I need some income, and I didn't want to bother Liam to ask him for a job. I didn't think he'd let me work here anyway. Plus, I think spending time away from the pack, and Rachel, will be good for me. Hey, what are you and Cole doing Friday? Got plans?"

"I don't. I don't believe he does either."

"Good." I said. "We're going out."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yep. There's a rodeo on Friday, I want to go, and I want you guys to come too. It should be fun."

"That sounds good. I'll talk to Cole and see if he wants to go, but I bet he's down." She held up one of my shirts to herself, trying it on. "Did you get this at the feed store too?"

"I did."

"Okay, I have to check this place out. This is all so cute." She handed me the shirt and finished rummaging through my bags. "You did good. I taught you well." She laughed.

"Thank you. I'm starving. I'm gonna go get something to eat. Want to come?"

"I ate already. Plus, my mom asked me to help her with some stuff tonight. Sorry."

"No worries. I'll see you tomorrow." I opened the door and stepped out into the hall. Ari hugged me before she happily strode down the hall. I turned to see Liam standing alone outside his door. He began to walk towards me. I didn't feel like hearing any more excuses about how Rachel was hurting. Now I was hurting, but he didn't seem to care about my pain. I smiled and waved, then turned and practically jogged down the stairs and into the dining hall. I was going to grab some dinner and eat in my room. Just me, my food and a good movie. That's all a girl really needs, right?