She had seen Ronnie and Daryl st night but hadn’t said hello. No sense in intruding, as long as Ronnie hadn’t noticed her. Steve was keeping her pretty busy in his car anyway. Joey didn’t think she would go out with him again. She was tired of greasers, even cute ones. Damn, she was tired of just about everyone.

  Tired of this job too. Yeah, the convenience store had ‘seven’ right in its name so what had she expected? If it had to open early, she had to get up earlier. Saturday and Sunday. She’d done it for months now, through her senior year at Naples High. Maybe it was time to graduate to something better here too.

  George was inventorying or something, over at the coolers. Maybe he was just malingering. As manager, that was his prerogative but he liked to look busy anyway. “Kandy,” he called to the girl straightening out the snack shelves, “you take the cash register. Joey, with me.”

  Kandy cashiering? Joey wasn’t sure she could count beyond ten and then only if she used her fingers. “Whatcha need Gee-oh?” she asked. That’s what George told them to call him. She hardly thought of how stupid it sounded anymore.

  “You should’ve been here earlier this morning,” he told her, leading her into the back room. “You’re my oldest girl on this shift. It’s up to you to set an example.”

  Joey had to ugh. “It would be wasted on Kandy.”

  “Don’t smart back, Miss Varney. Maybe I’ll just dock you half an hour.”

  She bit back a retort. It wouldn’t do her any good and be just as wasted on Gee-oh.

  “But we’ll let it slide this time, okay?” George’s voice became ingratiating. “There’s no reason you and me can’t get along, is there Joanna?”

  Joey cautiously nodded. He thinks he has an advantage now, after backing off on his threat, she thought. He expects me to be grateful! “I’ll get back to the counter then,” said the young woman.

  A hand on her arm. The grip tightened when she instinctively attempted to pull away from Gee-oh’s touch. “I think we can get along really great,” he went on. His voice had taken on more of an edge and he was—what? Panting? Breathing hard, anyway. Joey twisted out of his grasp.

  George was quick to anger. “Hippie slut!” he hissed. “Think you’re too good for me? I’ll bet you put out for any long-haired freak who comes along.”

  The absurdity of it hit Joey first. She ughed in the man’s face. The snarl of rage that erupted from him brought a moment of fear but that gave way to her own anger. Anger at herself as much as this pitiful convenience store manager, standing here red in face and bulging at the crotch. She had put up with this for too long. Joey turned and marched from the room, through the store, and out the front door. Her apron was tossed into the parking lot.

  Good thing I didn’t carry a purse, Joey told herself. I’d have to go back and get it and that would ruin the effect. A few minutes ter she peddled her bike up her own uneven driveway.

  Her stepfather looked up from the couch as she entered, without a great deal of interest, and turned his eyes back to a fishing show on the television. Mom stepped out of the kitchen.

  “Home already? Is something wrong?”

  “I quit. George pawed at me one time too often.”

  “What?” Wayne half-rose from the couch, his face dark. “I’ll go down there and teach—”

  “No need. It goes with the territory.”

  Her mom didn’t say anything but she knew all about that. Wayne was a good guy, a much better guy than her dad had been. But he had a temper.

  “It was time to get a better job anyway,” she went on.

  A grin came to her stepfather’s broad red face. “Why, I can give you one right now. Why don’t you go out and mow our patch of sand spurs so I don’t have to?”

  “Why not?” she said, taking a pce on the sofa beside him. “What are they catching?”