Page 74 of Escape

“Large?” I questioned him.

He shrugged. “We’ll take the leftovers home.”

I gave him a nod of understanding in return.

“Perfect. And anything to drink?”

Huck pointed at me, urging me to answer first.

“I’ll have a root beer,” I said.

“And just a water for me.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back with your drinks, and your pizza will be out shortly.”

“Thank you,” Huck said.

Erica walked off, leaving Huck and I alone with one another, but I was distracted as I looked around the restaurant.

“Josie?” Huck called.

I quickly returned my attention to him. “Yeah?”

“Is everything okay?”

The disappointment moved through me as I dropped my ear to my shoulder and contemplated telling Huck the truth. He was probably going to think I was crazy. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s okay. It’s just… well, being here reminded me of work.”

His expression turned curious. “Work?”

I nodded. “Yes. I really miss being able to go to work. I kind of miss my coworkers, but I also can’t deny how much I enjoyed being able to do something with myself. I realize it’s not the best job in the world or the one I wanted to do forever, but it’s still a job. And if I’d been able to keep all my money from every shift I worked since I started, I would have been happy with how much I made. I could have survived on that, if I was living modestly.”

“I can understand that. You’ll get back there soon. Unfortunately, you can’t really do that until you get the clearance from your doctor, though.”

“I know. I’m hoping I can rehab this shoulder quickly,” I murmured.

“Don’t rush it,” he advised. “The last thing you want to do is hurry the recovery and either injure yourself in the process or get back to doing something you’re not physically ready to do. It’s no different than the self-defense lessons you want to take. We’ll do them, but you need to be able to do it safely.”

He was right.

I knew he was right.

But understanding logic didn’t necessarily help when it came to what I felt in my heart.

“I just want some kind of purpose again,” I explained. “I want to feel useful. Plus, let’s face it. The money you were able to recover for me when you grabbed my purse from Kurt’s house isn’t much and won’t last forever. I’ve been in the hospital, Huck. Medical bills are surely on the way.”

Huck reached across the table. “One thing at a time, honey. We’ll get it figured out.”

I liked how Huck always worked hard to make it so I didn’t feel so alone. While I believed he was genuine with his words—he’d absolutely be there with me to figure it all out—the reality was that I was going to have a financial mess on my hands. I’d already learned a lot about what I’d done wrong in the situation with Kurt, and this was just one more lesson. I was never going to put myself in a place where I didn’t have any money, where I no longer had a way to get out and save myself.

Maybe the better thing to do would be to make sure I didn’t put myself in a position where I needed to get out and save myself.

I didn’t share any of these thoughts with Huck. Instead, I gave him a nod and confirmed, “I know. It’s just that I’ve made so many mistakes, and I want the chance to do it right. I want to have a real career.”

Erica returned at that moment with our drinks, which led to Huck releasing my hand and sitting back in his seat.

“What do you want to do?” Huck asked once Erica walked off.

Did he not remember? “I want to be an obstetric sonographer.”