Burnt (Marine Raiders Alpha Book 3) by Allyson Charles

Author:Allyson Charles [Charles, Allyson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2022-10-05T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

The bill wouldn’t put her in the red for this month, but it would be close. Willow stared at her accounting program, then the bill with the hefty penalty from the IRS, then back at her computer. She sat at the small desk wedged into the shop’s kitchen and wondered where she had gone wrong. With the payroll tax return. With her business.

With her life.

She sighed heavily. If the federal payroll tax return was wrong, dollars to donuts the state return was wrong, as well. There was nothing for it. She’d have to file an amended return. Another task to add to her ever increasing to-do list.

Something nudged the toe of her pump. She looked down to see a marble careening lazily away from her foot.

She rubbed her forehead. “Please don’t play with marbles in the shop,” she told Tilda for the thousandth time. “That’s an accident waiting to happen.” She couldn’t have Mandi breaking her ankle. Aside from the fact she’d hate to see her hurt, her worker’s comp insurance would go through the roof.

Tilda scooted along the floor and grabbed for the marble. “When can we go to the library? You said I could borrow a movie.”

“Maybe in a little while.” Willow forced a smile for her daughter.

Tilda bounced her marble on the wood floor. “Jenny taught me a new game at recess today. Wanna play? I can teach it to you.”

Her temple began to throb. “I’m sorry, baby, but I’m busy right now. Maybe later.”

“You’re always busy.” Tilda threw her marble at the wall. It ricocheted off the panel and rolled under the refrigerator.

“That wasn’t too smart.” Willow tried to keep her voice even. “Now you’re down a marble.” There was no way she was muscling her fridge out to retrieve the damn thing. Maybe next deep clean.

“Like I care.” Her daughter scowled.

“Hey.” Willow turned her chair to face her daughter as her phone buzzed. She snapped it up, grateful for the reprieve. She couldn’t let Tilda get away with the attitude, but she also couldn’t blame her daughter for being mad at her. There had been so many broken promises on Willow’s end. Days at the park that had never happened. Board game nights that had turned into Tilda watching TV alone.

She was screwing up as a parent. She knew it. She also knew Tilda had to eat and get new clothes each year. But little girls didn’t understand the compromises their moms had to make.

The text was from Travis. Been thinking about you. How’s your day going?

God, she was tempted to unload on him. Tell him just how crappy the day was treating her, get some sympathy. But that would only take up more time, time that she didn’t have. She put her phone down on the desk. When she was with Travis, everything was amazing. He made her remember who she was before bills and greedy developers and parent teacher conferences got in the way. She liked who she was with Travis. And she really liked him.

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