Just a City Boy (Midnight Train Series) by V. L. Holt Read Free Book Online Page A

from my door. I don’t need to escort you because my job applicants never know to expect this as part of the application process. Either you’re clean or you’re not,” she said and he took the cup.
    “I’m glad you showed up, Zack. I’m too cheap to put an ad in the paper,” she said without watching him walk out. She was already making notes in a book and then tapping things into her computer.
    “Start tomorrow night. It’s a Friday, so expect some action. Most of my clients can hold their liquor, but one of my singers really drives them wild,” she explained.
    He walked out and got the job done, and then returned to the hostel. He had to secure a locker and use their computer. He needed to know exactly how much money to save in order to make his trip.

Chapter Ten
    Bracing myself for disappointment, I entered my apartment with my bags of groceries. His crap was all over the place, but he was nowhere to be seen.
    Small favors.
    I put my things away and started the bacon for lunch. I was having a BLT and I would not be swayed. I also grabbed my phone out of my room. I was thinking I had left it charging, but the cable was out, so I must have forgotten and had to plug it back in. Sometimes I couldn’t keep up with technology.
    I fried my bacon, twiddled with Facebook and Twitter on my phone, and mulled over things. I could throw his things out the window onto the sidewalk.
    But my mama didn’t raise no white trash. I was not going to make a scene like a Jerry Springer debutante. Besides, I’d already done that a month ago, and he calmly brought everything back up.
    I was as spineless as grandma’s fried calamari and okra. I even sheepishly helped him get his heavier suitcase through the door.
    My inability to kick him out really embarrassed me.
    Lunch was delicious; I cleaned up after myself and started bagging up his things in grocery sacks. I would just line the wall with his junk. I looked at my couch.
    It had been a great find at a Salvation Army, nice vintage fabric and quality wood. Now there was a permanent dent in the cushions from Ray’s sorry butt.
    What if?
    I had a fantastic idea. I got my phone and snapped some photos. It was a little difficult on my small screen, but I managed to enter the text just the way I liked it and then uploaded the photos.
    Feeling proud of myself for taking action, I decided to finish out my day with a walk to the library. I snagged some sappy romance titles and stopped by another thrift store on my way home.
    A dress in the window caught my eye and I sashayed in to talk to Margaret.
    “Lauren honey!” she cried when she saw me. “I haven’t seen you in a while! I’ve missed your smiling face!” she said.
    “Hi Margaret. I just had some stuff, you know?” I said.
    “Of course. Let me guess, you saw that dress in the window!” she said.
    I nodded.
    “I said to myself, if Lauren sees this, she won’t be able to help herself,” Margaret chuckled. “Let me help you get it off the dummy. Do you still have that discount coupon you were saving for a rainy day?”
    I had to laugh. I held up my massive purse. “You know I do,” I said.
    We got the green jeweled dress off and I carried it reverently into the dressing room.
    I stared in the mirror.
    It was glorious. It form-fitted to my breasts, then gently cascaded over my hips and flared out at my knees. It was a cocktail dress like no other, and I had to have it. I mentally ticked off the dollars and cents and did the math with my coupon. Yes!
    Thank goodness Margaret didn’t mind my paying in change, as I emptied most of my tip money onto the counter. We counted out the price and I used a credit card to make up the small amount of difference.
    “So worth it,” I said as I took my bag and smiled at Margaret on my way out.
    “Don’t be a stranger, darlin’!” she called out to me when I jingled the bell while exiting through the glass doors.
    “I won’t!” I shouted.
    I floated all the way home, imagining