Sam.” She tried to take the card, but he held it tight.
“Is everything ok?” he asked, his voice tinged with concern.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” she said.
He stared at her for another moment, debating, and then let go of the card. She leaned over the desk and kissed his cheek.
“Thanks, Sam,” she repeated with sincerity.
“Get outta here.” He dismissed her with a wave and a hint of a blush.
Olivia clocked in, found her smock and took a deep breath for courage before pushing through the vinyl curtain to the Quality Control room. At once, she was surrounded by the women who were her nighttime sisters. They gushed and worried and pawed all over her, and as they passed her from one hug to the next she fought back tears. A hundred questions were fired at once. She tried to answer them all without the truth, but Izzie’s eyes settled on the faint, greenish-yellow hue around her eye that still betrayed her circumstances, and Olivia knew in an instant that Izzie knew.
Izzie clapped her hands. “Let’s get back to work and let Liv breathe.” As soon as everyone else dispersed, she asked in whisper, “Why didn’t you call me?”
“I couldn’t,” Olivia whispered in reply. “I’m sorry.”
Izzie wrapped Olivia in a fierce hug. “I’m gonna boil his balls and feed ‘em to my cat for a midnight snack.”
“You don’t have a cat,” Olivia reminded her.
“I’ll buy one special for the occasion.”
Olivia lost the battle with the tears. She held on tight as she buried her face in Izzie’s neck. “I love you, Iz.”
“I love you, too, Liv,” Izzie whispered and squeezed harder.
“All right, you two lovebirds, get back to work,” Sam said, then announced to the room, “Mandatory Saturdays until further notice.”
Everyone groaned except Olivia. She needed the money.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell it to someone who cares.” Sam turned to Stephie. “I need you to spot-check a few pallets for me in Shipping. Here’s the list.”
He shoved a piece of paper at Stephie then locked himself in his office. Stephie’s face fell as she pushed through the curtain into the Shipping and Receiving area. Olivia’s eyebrows flew up in surprise. What the heck was that all about? There was never an actual list of pallets to check. It was just code for a little slapadapadingdong in the racks.
“They split,” Izzie explained in response to Olivia’s surprise as they settled onto their matching stools.
“What happened?” Olivia asked.
Izzie shrugged, but Carla said, “I hear he’s sweet on Yvette.”
“George’s Yvette?” Olivia gasped. The hussy!
“I heard Stephie’s pregnant, and that’s why Sam dumped her,” Louise whispered a little too loudly over the sound of the whirring conveyor.
Usually the first one to jump in on gossip, Melanie stayed quiet in the corner. Olivia watched her out of the corner of her eye as she leaned in and asked Izzie, “What’s wrong with Mel?”
“Her man was denied parole,” Izzie said. “The wedding’s canceled.”
“What happened? I thought it was a sure thing.”
“It was… until he made a shiv out of his toothbrush and stabbed a guard.”
“Nuh-uh!”
Izzie shrugged. “That’s what I heard.”
“Huh.” Olivia huffed. She kept one eye on Melanie as she plugged into her iPod and took a pull off her Dr. Pepper. Melanie glanced up for a moment, eyes to heaven, then immediately turned her attention back to her calipers. Her eyes were red and puffy and she looked like she hadn’t slept in a week. Poor girl. Olivia knew exactly how she felt.
At lunch, Olivia sought Melanie out, but she wasn’t easy to find. After searching the entire plant top to bottom, she finally found her sitting in her minivan, which was one of Garretson’s biggest lunchtime no-no’s. The employee manual stated safety reasons for the rule, but it was bullshit. The real reason was the idiots in upper-management were convinced every single hourly employee was a crack
“Is everything ok?” he asked, his voice tinged with concern.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” she said.
He stared at her for another moment, debating, and then let go of the card. She leaned over the desk and kissed his cheek.
“Thanks, Sam,” she repeated with sincerity.
“Get outta here.” He dismissed her with a wave and a hint of a blush.
Olivia clocked in, found her smock and took a deep breath for courage before pushing through the vinyl curtain to the Quality Control room. At once, she was surrounded by the women who were her nighttime sisters. They gushed and worried and pawed all over her, and as they passed her from one hug to the next she fought back tears. A hundred questions were fired at once. She tried to answer them all without the truth, but Izzie’s eyes settled on the faint, greenish-yellow hue around her eye that still betrayed her circumstances, and Olivia knew in an instant that Izzie knew.
Izzie clapped her hands. “Let’s get back to work and let Liv breathe.” As soon as everyone else dispersed, she asked in whisper, “Why didn’t you call me?”
“I couldn’t,” Olivia whispered in reply. “I’m sorry.”
Izzie wrapped Olivia in a fierce hug. “I’m gonna boil his balls and feed ‘em to my cat for a midnight snack.”
“You don’t have a cat,” Olivia reminded her.
“I’ll buy one special for the occasion.”
Olivia lost the battle with the tears. She held on tight as she buried her face in Izzie’s neck. “I love you, Iz.”
“I love you, too, Liv,” Izzie whispered and squeezed harder.
“All right, you two lovebirds, get back to work,” Sam said, then announced to the room, “Mandatory Saturdays until further notice.”
Everyone groaned except Olivia. She needed the money.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell it to someone who cares.” Sam turned to Stephie. “I need you to spot-check a few pallets for me in Shipping. Here’s the list.”
He shoved a piece of paper at Stephie then locked himself in his office. Stephie’s face fell as she pushed through the curtain into the Shipping and Receiving area. Olivia’s eyebrows flew up in surprise. What the heck was that all about? There was never an actual list of pallets to check. It was just code for a little slapadapadingdong in the racks.
“They split,” Izzie explained in response to Olivia’s surprise as they settled onto their matching stools.
“What happened?” Olivia asked.
Izzie shrugged, but Carla said, “I hear he’s sweet on Yvette.”
“George’s Yvette?” Olivia gasped. The hussy!
“I heard Stephie’s pregnant, and that’s why Sam dumped her,” Louise whispered a little too loudly over the sound of the whirring conveyor.
Usually the first one to jump in on gossip, Melanie stayed quiet in the corner. Olivia watched her out of the corner of her eye as she leaned in and asked Izzie, “What’s wrong with Mel?”
“Her man was denied parole,” Izzie said. “The wedding’s canceled.”
“What happened? I thought it was a sure thing.”
“It was… until he made a shiv out of his toothbrush and stabbed a guard.”
“Nuh-uh!”
Izzie shrugged. “That’s what I heard.”
“Huh.” Olivia huffed. She kept one eye on Melanie as she plugged into her iPod and took a pull off her Dr. Pepper. Melanie glanced up for a moment, eyes to heaven, then immediately turned her attention back to her calipers. Her eyes were red and puffy and she looked like she hadn’t slept in a week. Poor girl. Olivia knew exactly how she felt.
At lunch, Olivia sought Melanie out, but she wasn’t easy to find. After searching the entire plant top to bottom, she finally found her sitting in her minivan, which was one of Garretson’s biggest lunchtime no-no’s. The employee manual stated safety reasons for the rule, but it was bullshit. The real reason was the idiots in upper-management were convinced every single hourly employee was a crack
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