Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 48730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48730 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
“Please,” I groaned. “Dear God, please tell me you don’t have fucking herpes.”
“Of course not.” Cian grinned. “I always wrap it before I pack it.”
“Ew!” Saoirse made retching noises.
“If you’re having sex, I will lock you in your room for the entire fucking summer,” I spat, glaring at him.
“I’m jokin’!” He lifted his hands in surrender.
“Thank the good Lord,” Saoirse mumbled in our dad’s accent.
Cian laughed.
CHAPTER 4
Aoife
“Are you excited for your new job?”
“Yeah, and kind of nervous,” Richie said with a chuckle, glancing over at me.
We’d already grabbed dinner and were headed out to the viewpoint. It was in the middle of nowhere, and we’d never seen another car on the road that led there. It was our secret spot. We’d found it the first year we were dating when neither of us had any money, so Richie had used what little he had to put gas in his truck, and we’d driven around aimlessly for hours. It was one of the only places we’d been able to be completely alone.
“You’re going to do so great,” I assured him, smiling at the thought of it. Even after my argument with Saoirse, I was in a good mood. The worry about social services was behind us, Richie was going to start the career he was excited for, and all felt right in our little world. “You’re a people person. You get along with everyone.”
“I’m more nervous that I won’t like it,” he confessed with an embarrassed laugh.
“Valid concern,” I pointed out. “You’ll be dealing with other people’s poop.”
“Thanks,” he replied wryly. “Good visual.”
“Hey, man, plumbers are essential. At least you know there will always be work. People need plumbers.”
“Very true.”
“Tell me about this company you’ll be working for,” I said, sneaking a bite of tortilla from one of the tacos.
“I see you,” he said, looking my way again.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Richie shook his head. “The company is kind of small, well, not small I guess, but not huge either—which I thought was probably good, right? I won’t just get lost in a couple hundred employees. I met the owner, did I tell you that?”
“You did.”
“Yeah, so he interviewed me, which I thought was pretty cool. He was all about how the company is one big family and all that.”
“That’s cool.”
“They had pictures in the reception area—”
“Please tell me they weren’t of toilets they’d repaired,” I cut in.
“No, they weren’t,” he replied. “Smartass.”
I snickered.
“They were pictures of babies in little shirts with the company logo on the front.”
“That’s kind of an odd marketing scheme,” I pointed out. “Babies don’t use toilets.”
“That’s what I thought at first.” He nodded. “But they’re the employees’ kids.”
“Oh.” I thought about it for a moment. “Okay, that’s kind of cute.”
“Right? The receptionist saw me looking at them and said they send home little gift baskets whenever someone has a baby.”
“That’s nice of them.”
“That’s what I’m saying! They just seem cool. I think I’ll like it there. I met a couple of the warehouse guys while I was there, and they were super welcoming. One of them is this really old grizzled guy who should’ve retired like ten years ago. He was out there carrying pipe around like it was a roll of toilet paper. Wild.”
“That’s awesome,” I replied, watching him as we pulled onto the little gravel oasis we’d made for ourselves. “You know that like ninety-five percent of being happy at work is who you work with.”
“Who says that?” he asked as he put the truck in reverse and parked.
“I say that. Take it from someone who works a mind-numbing job—it’s all about the coworkers.”
Richie chuckled.
“I’ve got Kathy, who’s a complete riot. Jasmine, who is always so full of drama that she can spend an entire shift telling a story so well that it’s like I’m listening to an audiobook. Who else? Oh, and Kenny, who is the nicest old guy you’ll probably ever meet, and I get to see his wife come in every day to give him a kiss halfway through the shift. It’s the cutest thing ever. And that, my friend, equals workplace satisfaction.”
“I’ll make good money,” he said, reaching out to unbuckle both of our seat belts. “Eventually. That’s enough incentive for me.”
“Life’s not all about money,” I replied mockingly. The only people who ever said that were people with money. If you didn’t have it, you knew it made life a fuck of a lot easier.
“Grab the food,” Richie ordered, reaching behind his seat to grab a sleeping bag.
I hopped out of the truck and waited for him to lay it out in the bed for us before using the tire like a step stool to climb up there.
“This is the perfect date,” I called out as Richie grabbed our sodas from the cab.
“Agreed,” he said. “You, good view, street tacos, and no interruptions.”