Spoiled by Her Second Chance

Chapter Two

Tessa POV

By the time I woke up the following day, it was well past morning. My phone said two o'clock, and I could already hear movement downstairs. Remembering my deal with Jessie, I forced myself to get up and get dressed. After riffling through the meager amount of clothes in the dresser I settled on a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. In the bathroom, I brushed my hair and teeth, dabbed some light make-up on to help hide the shadows under my eyes, and at the last second pulled my hair up into a ponytail. I stood looking in the mirror, turning this way and that to make sure all my bruises were hidden. Happy with how I looked, I grabbed the keys, locked the door, and started down the stairs to my first day of work.

Jessie was standing behind the bar, unloading a case of something into the fridge. When she caught sight of me, she waved me over, pointing for me to sit down. She reached into a bag behind her, pulling out a container of pancakes and a large cup of coffee.

"Eat while I talk hun. Then we'll get you started. " I dug into the pancakes, happy for my first true meal in days.

"Doors open at four. Tonight, you'll only work behind the bar, but once you're more comfortable, you'll do table service too. We have a lot of regulars that roll through. We're cash only to make my life easier. If anyone gives you trouble, tell me right off, and I'll have Heath remove them. He'll be here about three thirty and I'll introduce you then. Any questions so far?" As she talked, she had continued to finish stalking the fridge and had moved on to stalking the shelf behind the bar with more liquor than I had ever seen before. With a mouth full of pancakes, I shook my head. It all seemed pretty straightforward.

By three thirty, a large burly guy with red hair and a beard had arrived that Jessie introduced as Heath. He grunted his hello before retreating to stand by the kitchen door. As four o'clock rolled around, I was finishing polishing the glasses and stacking them under the bar. Jessie went to the window, flipping on the neon sign and turning the closed sign over to open. My first night of work had just begun.

Last call came at two o'clock and by three we were finishing sweeping up. I had been a true disaster all night. Pouring the wrong liquor, getting the wrong beer, and even breaking a brand new bottle of whiskey when I dropped it. Through it all, Jessie had been nothing but kind. Even the patrons had been nice about it all. It made me feel all the more foolish that these kind people had to put up with my shortcomings. When Jessie tipped me out, I felt the blush that had been in my cheeks all night get even darker. Over a hundred dollars in one night when I had done nothing right. The people of the Red Moon Pack had to be the kindest and most understanding people I had ever encountered. Even the cook, Bradley, a small mousy boy with glasses, had boxed me up a meal before ducking out for the night. I had never known people could be this kind. The Black Crest Pack had never been known to extend kindness to each other, let alone someone new to the pack. I bit back tears as Jessie shooed me off to bed.

Once upstairs, I tucked into the burger and fries Bradley had packed. I made a mental note to look up the closest market tomorrow. There was a quickly growing list of things I needed, and at the top of that list was food, and since Jessie had tipped me out, I now had money to get some stuff. I ran my hand across the small stack of bills tucked in my pocket. For the first time in almost three years, I had money I had earned. It was a whole new feeling of freedom having money that was yours to spend. I tucked the cash away in my dresser drawer before getting ready for bed. Surely, my second day had to be better than the first.

By noon, my stomach had forced me from bed, protesting at the lack of food. After a brief search of the internet, I found a market about three miles from Jessies. It was a walk, but nothing that wasn't manageable. With my money tucked in my pocket, I trekked out to the market. The small two lane road wound around curves and trees. It really was a pretty place in the daylight. A little less than a mile out of houses began dotting the road, followed by more roads and store fronts. I stopped here and there peeking into store windows. I made mental notes to come back to the bookstore and consignment shop I passed on my way through town.

The market proved to be well stocked. Everything I needed was found easy enough. At the register, a gray-haired lady smiled and made small talk as she rang up my purchases. I couldn't help but smile as I headed back out towards Jessies. This place may not have been a planned stop, but it was turning into the best one.