The Scavenger's Daughters (Tales of the Scavenger's Daughters, Book One) by Kay Bratt Read Free Book Online Page B

lowered her head in an attempt at a sincere apology, her cheeks flaming with the indignation she tried to hide. “Please, don’t do this. I need this job.”
    When she raised her eyes to see his response, he still pointed at the street, adamant in his decision. Linnea picked up her bag and that was that. She was officially unemployed.

    Linnea stayed on the sidewalk, walking along the busy town street and kicking at the few pieces of trash that found their way in front of her path. She felt humiliated, angry, and scared. All sorts of ill feelings wrapped up in one heavy lump sat in the pit of her stomach. Her pride had lost her a good job—one she was good at. Lao Joh had refused her apology and told her to leave. She didn’t want to go home and tell Nai Nai what had happened. Even though she knew that her Nai Nai would probably comfort her and assure her it wasn’t her fault, she dreaded seeing the flicker of concern her loss of income would surely bring to the old woman’s eyes.
    She stopped when she came to a low wall in front of the Bank of China. She sat down and pulled her notebook out of her bag, along with a pencil from the bottom. She flipped through until she found a blank page, then staring up at the majestic gold-flecked lion statues on either side of the glass doors, she began doing the only thing she knew would calm her nerves. She sketched.
    A half hour had sped by as she stayed bent over her paper, making lions come alive under her pencil. The rapid movement of her pencil and the concentration on the lines calmed her and let her forget for many precious moments that she was in a tough predicament.
    Suddenly she felt someone tug at her sleeve and jerked around. It was a tall guy and at first she didn’t recognize him. But then suddenly she remembered.
    “You!” she spat at the stranger accusingly as he grinned at her. Her abrupt movement made his hand slide down her arm and rest on top of her hand. Linnea jumped at the slight tingle that climbed up her arms at his touch on her skin, then jerked her hand away. She wasn’t used to being touched by strange guys, even if they were cute.
    “Me what?”
    “If you hadn’t tossed me your lighter, I wouldn’t have made my boss so mad. Now I don’t have a job. And we have a month-old-baby in the house forwhom I had hoped to buy some milk powder today. There goes her milk powder and the bushel of corn I was going to get for a treat for my sisters. So thanks. Thanks a lot.”
    “Wow, you’re going to blame me for all that? It looked to me like you were determined to show your
laoban
up in front of his customers. It’s not my fault he got angry. I was just there to see what was drawing such a crowd. And if not for me, you’d have landed on the concrete on that little round butt of yours.”
    Though he kept his voice neutral and didn’t seem to be offended, Linnea’s cheeks burned at the truth he spoke. He had disappeared from her view for a moment and had obviously walked around to stand behind her. It really could have been his arms that caught her when Lao Joh shoved her so roughly. If that was the case, she was glad he had broken her fall, as she didn’t know if her pride would have withstood that much humiliation.
    “You’re right.
Dui bu qi
.” She apologized and turned away from him.
    She stuffed her pencil and pad into her bag and began walking. She’d gone only a few paces when the guy caught up with her again. He wasn’t giving up easily.
    “Hold on a minute. No need to apologize. Tell me your name. Where are you going so fast?”
    Linnea was irritated that even her rudeness hadn’t removed the smile still plastered on his face, along with an expression of determination.
    She didn’t have anywhere to go, honestly. She no longer had a job and couldn’t go home yet. She was still trying to think how she was going to confess her mistake.
    “I’m Linnea. And I don’t know where I’m going. Just going.”
    The guy laughed and linked his