Read The Reason I Stay for Free Online Page A

“Where’re my burgers?”
    “Almost done,” Jimmy yells.
    Annoyed, I look at Jen with a crooked brow, but she simply waves me off. “C’mon, Lex, your panties have been in twist all day, and the way you were lookin’ at Ky told me I could be spending my Saturday night paying bail. As much fun as that’d be, I’m working ‘til one, and there’s half-sick boy waiting for me at home with a daddy who has no clue what he’s doing most of the time.”
    She rolls her eyes up to the ceiling, and shakes her head. I laugh at her frustration, but I understand it. Since we started working together and became friends four years ago, Jared, her boyfriend, has become a brother to me. But aside from playing ball and butchering meat, the man’s clueless.
    “Tanie’s in town. She would have done it,” I tell her.
    She pokes her tongue out at me. “Fine, but how about instead of punching your good-for-nothin’ ex and getting fired—and thrown in jail—you go fix the problem with your panties.”
    “I have good reasons for the twisted panties, Jen.” She squints with that “really?” expression on her face. I sigh. “I do! I had a shitty day yesterday, I barely slept, got kicked out of my own bed by my damn dog, got yelled at for no reason by the most annoying woman in this town, have been on my feet for nine hours waiting on a bunch of stupid rednecks that think they’re somehow better than me, and, as the frosting on this ass-cake, I’m stuck serving those dickheads. I can’t take them anymore, Jen. I want to set my vagina on fire every time I remember that they’ve been near it.”
    “Well, at least you didn’t make it four and sleep with Gary, otherwise your vagina would be on fire, and you’d never forget them. I hear he has the gift that keeps on givin’.”
    I cock a brow.
    She sighs animatedly. “Herpes, you know? That gift.”
    “Ew! Thanks for the visual.”
    Giggling, she grabs the hem of her dress and makes a little curtsy. “I’ll be here all night.” Then, her lips curl up in an apologetic smile. “Fine, you get a twisted undies pass, though you should keep your voice down if you want them rednecks to keep tipping you.” Her chestnut ponytail bounces, and she suppresses chuckle. “But still . . . that ain’t the only problem with your panties, sweetie.”
    Rookie starts to place my burger order over the small counter under the window, and I focus on relocating all of the items to my tray. I know where this going and I don’t like it, but still, I ask, “And what other problem do they have?”
    She cocks a brow. “Well, they have the worst problem of all. They haven’t been removed by a man in a very long time.” Like I knew I would, I regret asking. The feeling increases when I see Rookie looking at me with a cheeky smile that is definitely in the offering-to-help territory. I’m about to tell him to take a hike, when Jen says, “Less dreaming, more burgers.”
    I fight a laugh, and turn to stare at her beaming face. I want to fight her accusation, but there’s no point. It really has been forever, and we both know it. I lift my shoulders in defeat, and continue to place the plates on my tray.
    She steals a fry from the basket on my tray and stuffs it in her mouth. “Glad you agree, but as I said . . . you could fix that problem, and something tells me I just sat the man for the job at booth nine.”
    I steal a glance toward her, and pull my brows together. “Explain.”
    “Well . . . first of all, you can’t say no to him. That man could take my panties off if he wanted to, and I wouldn’t object. Quite honestly, I’m pretty sure Jared would understand that you don’t just say no to a guy who looks like that.” I laugh, but she ignores me and continues, “Besides, he’s asking for you.”
    The moment she says that, a cold chill runs down my spine. Painstakingly slowly, I turn my head toward goddamned booth nine.
    The first thing I see is a head of shaggy blond hair. My