(took a little bit of searching... but let us get spooky, shall we?)

The red is delectable

Savory and sweet

Medium rare

I look at the table

Stare at my feet

Savor each bite

As if it’s my last

I cut off another piece

I chuckle to myself

Everything "tastes like chicken"

So they say

I beg to differ

I think people taste different

this poem is almost a year old and remains my favorite

breathing the turquoise like lavender,

and sipping the blue summer.

bitter cold clouds glide and morph lava lather,

floating whispers cut by sweet pineapple sunshine.

soon, a moment, now

rhythms ripple the sky like skipping stones

we jump the music like puddles

splashing in the frequencies.

cobalt bass rumbles the earth hungry,

pumps the air with springing spirals

pushing and pulling the senses,

reverberating through cells.

heavy mud humming, stomping

echoes through our atoms dizzy;

balancing tuned body to innate electricity

the fizz of circulating lemonade energy.

we jump the music like puddles

splashing in the frequencies.

strawberry melodies spilling ribbons,

dolphin leaps of the spaces inbetween beats,

lines of colours overlapping,

colliding, mixing, merging, blending

in with the forest.

washing over souls the life fire sparkles

like a clear water cleansing harmonies,

sound waves crashing against inertia.

phosphorescent glow of re-charged love

for the world, for being, animation

flowing through burnt smoky ashes

of sapphire charcoal skies;

dimmed radiation of chlorophyll emerald days.

the smell of salt, dry bark, fluffy carbon mists,

trembling lights softening the eyes'

grip on outlines, loosening lies.

watching the cycles of patterns

tumbling colours through a mill rotating,

and the silence of listening

when the music comes to an end.

- Many years ago, our whole society got sick with a rare disease: the internet. It started innocently - emails, chats, Wikipedia, we used those big boxes where we store the eggs now. Computers. Later, it was transferred to something you can hold in one hand.

- The nutcrackers?

- Back then, these were called smartphones, their sole purpose being the internet, the thing that slowly and steadily took over our time and lives.

- Because you could find the whole knowledge of the world in just a few seconds and you didn’t need to go to the library like now?

- No. In fact, no.

- Because you could work without having to get up early and actually leave the house?

- Well, there was this work-from-home trend, but no.

- Because you could talk to the people you love, no matter where on the planet they were?

- There was this opportunity, but we used it at the very beginning only. Soon after, we stopped talking on the phone, we texted instead. Actually, this is not correct - there wasn't any text. We used to send messages of simple yellow pictures, emojis, to express our feelings. It was so much easier. On the rare occasions when we saw an acquaintance on the street, we didn't know what to say because there are no emojis in real life and the words for that were long-forgotten.

- Because you could work without having to get up early and actually leave the house?

- Well, there was this work-from-home trend, but no.

- Because you could talk to the people you love, no matter where on the planet they were?

- There was this opportunity, but we used it at the very beginning only. Soon after, we stopped talking on the phone, we texted instead. Actually, this is not correct - there wasn't any text. We used to send messages fof simple yellow pictures, emojis, to express our feelings. On the rare occasions when we met an acquaintance on the street, we didn't know what to say because there are no emojis in real life.

- You didn't gather with other people?

- It wasn't like now. The internet was so much more interesting than an actual meet-up with an old friend. There were social media, shopping apps, influencers, vloggers, tik-tokers… All these things that we willingly wasted our free time on...We were all sick with the same disease.

- And then?

- The depression came and no one was prepared for it. We turned to the internet, our master, once again.

- And?

- We asked for help, for a way to heal our souls.

The internet was silent.

One day, one man just had enough and he did something unthinkable. He shut his internet down! He didn't think he would survive. The next day came, then the other. The man endured a strange transformation. He started to hear the birds' songs; see the hues of green on the tree leaves; detect the different aromas of flowers in bloom; enjoy the gentle touch of the sunbeams. He felt he wasn't insatiable anymore, quite the opposite, he was content. It was then when he realized he was no longer sick. He wanted to share his cure with the world. So his long journey began. City after city, town after town, his speeches were so profound and honest, that all those sick people, they felt like they had to do what he did. They tore the "net" apart and just like him, they started to see, hear and feel. Real feelings. And they remembered the words for that. People made their final choice…

We chose freedom. The freedom to be the only masters of our lives. Now we have time.

I was out in the field with the dogs when Pa called me. I'd thought at first I was in trouble since I hadn't milked the cows yet, and it was already after seven. I know chores start right at sun-up, but my arm's been aching ever since I got thrown from our horse, Penny, two days ago, so I'd been laying in the tall grass with the dogs for a while. The summer sun had already soaked into the thin fabric of my dress, making me feel sleepy, like I was being hugged, but I sat up and ran across the field in the direction of Pa's voice.

I stopped when I could see the bridge, and the dogs, Tan and Ollie, yapped at each other and ran ahead. They cut little slices through the grass like shooting stars. I looked out at the field, the old, wooden bridge rising from the landscape of yellows and greens, two figures atop it. Our house was further across the field, a patch of red against the summer-blue sky. Bubbles of clouds hung in the sky, too still.

Pa shouted my name again, and I fisted my skirts in my hands and ran the rest of the way to the bridge, half-tripping on a jutting-out rock on the way there. Pa stood with his back to me, a stiff silhouette in his faded overalls. My sister Lynley was squatting down to pet Tan and Ollie, who were quiet now but both had their tails wagging madly. I could hear the stream gurgling beneath the bridge, and nobody said a word. I looked to Pa, but his expression was hidden underneath the shadow of his hat.

Lynley stood up then, and smiled warmly at me. She'd always been the calmest out of us kids, the most patient and responsible. I wondered why she was in her nicest dress, the pink one with the the white lacy details, instead of in her work clothes and in the stables.

"You've got paint in your hair," I tell her while I picked bits of grass off the skirt of my dress. Lynley's hair was blonde and straight, all pulled back with a ribbon except for her bangs, which stopped just above her brows. A clump of yellow paint stuck in the center of her bangs, and she went cross-eyed for a second trying to see it. With one hand she reached up and pulled it gently out.

"Roxy, Lynley's leaving," Pa says in his low, scratchy voice. His voice always reminded me of fire embers dying in the grate, the way it trailed off at the end.

I rub off a clump of dirt that'd stuck to my palm and eye Lynley. She reached down and picked up a traveling case I hadn't noticed, as it had been hidden by her pink skirt. It was Ma's old case, worn and fraying on all the edges, but it looked different now. As Lynley swung it in front of her, holding the bulging case's single handle with both hands, I saw the painting on the front. It was of Ollie, who was a brown and white border collie, but she'd painted him in all different colors: bright yellows and sunset oranges and soft green shadows against a background of even more scattered color. It was a clear picture from far away, and just a field of paint-strokes from up close. I don't know when Lynley might've painted it, or if Ma knew; she'd be furious.

Lynley was always a painter. Whenever us kids would get an extra silver to spend, which was rare, she'd spend hers on paints. And I remember one day she'd spent hours finely cutting up hairs from Penny's mane and binding them together to make brushes so that she had a whole kit. Lynley had started out painting on the backs of old wooden posts, or, with Pa's permission, the inside of the barn doors. She didn't get a proper canvas until some old woman a year back appeared at the market selling them.

Ma had always said painting was a nice hobby, nicer than mine, anyway, which she said is 'running amok and sticking your hands in things they shouldn't be stuck in'. And nicer than our brother Tucker's, which Ma claimed is lazing about. But Ma always said not to let any hobbies get in the way of work. Still, Pa liked to point out things for Lynley to paint, like the kitchen cabinets or the sign post at the edge of the cow pen.

"Where're you going?" I asked my sister, looking up at her now. I knew from what everyone else told us that we looked just alike: same heart-like face and fair hair and autumn-leaf colored eyes. It was just that Lynley was taller than me, by a few inches, and older than me by a few years. But in this moment she looked much more like a grown-up, with shoulders back like Pa and dress pressed like Ma. Meanwhile I had mud caked on the bottoms of my bare feet and the hem of my dress.

"I'll be an artist's apprentice," Lynley said, and she sounded dazed by her own words, a smile ever-present on her face.

I reached down and picked up Tan, who was still a small thing, and she licked my face as I cradled her. "Really?" I know it should be a good thing, but my insides felt heavy. "Pa?"

Pa looked at me now, his brown eyes like rocks in the center of a river. He gave a proud nod, his hat tipping back and a splash of morning sun falling across his jaw. "She's riding west," he said. "There's a wagon coming soon that'll pick her up."

I glanced across the field, as if the wagon might be there now, summoned by the mere mention of it. Instead, it's a familiar landscape, with the stream flowing south and splitting around the big apple tree, just like always.

"I'll visit in the winter," Lynley promised, and it was then that I noticed I'd let a tear track down my cheek. I hid my face in Tan's fur, and she wiggled against my hold. I set her back down.

"Say goodbye, and then it's back to work, alright Roxy?" Pa told me. He sniffed and reached down to pull a weed growing up in between the planks of wood that made the bridge. With a yank he had it in his hands, and tossed it over the railing behind him. We all heard it plop into the shallow water below.

"Bye," I said obediently, hugging my elbows. I didn't want to touch Lynley's best dress.

Lynley was still smiling. "Bye," she agreed.

Pa nodded at her. "You'll find your way out there," he said to her, quieter than usual. He reached out like he was going to hold her cheek, but stopped. His hands were rough and calloused, and his fingernails were stained and blackened from dirt and coal. Damp soil clung to his skin from the weed he'd pulled.

To my surprise, Lynley set down her case and took his hand in hers, guiding it to her face. I couldn't see Pa's expression from where I was standing, but Lynley glowed as she looked up at him, and she leaned her face against his palm. When he slowly pulled his hand away, she had dirt smudged across her cheek.

I touched my own cheek as I looked at her, silently pointing it out, and she just laughed a little and rubbed at her own face with the pad of her finger, but didn't try and remove it. "Bye," she said again, and this time I thought her face was going to crack in half from how fiercely she smiled.

I threw my arms around her then, and she rocked me back and forth and then let me go.

"Bye."

At the first, we were enemies.

I hated you for all you took from me.

You stole my flowers, my languid afternoons lounging beside the pool, the bite of summer sun on my skin– a heat that warmed me to the corners of my soul. You hid away the sunset behind blankets of mist and gloom. You crushed the ripeness of blackberries in your wicked palm, leaving behind nothing but stains of purply hue: shadows for evil deeds to hide amongst. You encroached upon my blissful ignorance, my late-night car rides with warm wind whipping my hair. The shiver of your touch gripped the breath of song from my lungs, wrenching away my notes of joy, and leaving seeds of crystalline dread instead. A silence. A heaviness. A death and deliverance into darkness.

I mourned for all I had lost, all you had ripped away, and I fell into despair, blown away on the wind like the last of summer’s dandelion wishes.

That’s when I saw it.

That’s when I saw you, cloaked in your regal robes of curdling red– exactly the color of the maple leaves that fluttered softer than a song to the dampness of earth. And I realized, now that the brightness of summer wasn’t straining my eyes, I could really look at you.

You. were. Beautiful.

I felt you steal into my heart, then.

The searing heat of summer was replaced with the slow bloom of a candle flaming to life in the darkness. The flame flickered as I breathed in all of your scent: the sweetness of fermenting fruit underlain with a heavenly rot. You showed me then, that my heart was not for the flowers. My heart was for you, in all of your splendor. You killed the flowers, but you turned the trees to glory. A million shades of warmth and wonder in synchrony with naked branches greeting a sunrise sky. You brought me clouds and raindrops to dance along my skin. You swallowed up all that was summer in a tide of mud puddles and rivers roaring back to life.

When you delivered the day into darkness, you played a light show across the clouds, giving me sunset shades that summer had never once shown me.

You. It was you. Always you.

You gave me night. And I fell into you, curling beneath blankets together and watching the light of a moon so overripe it must certainly burst– but it didn’t. You painted the world in long, moonlit shadows and dead things whispered to me from beneath your cloak. But I was not afraid, because I was with you, and you knew me, even before I loved you. You waited patiently for me to fall out of love with summer, to fold into you, home, at last.

And now that I’ve seen you, I will never love another. For who could offer so much as you? Who could speak to my shadows the way you do? Who could chill me to the bone and heat me in embrace like you? There is none for me but you.

You, October, have stolen my heart, now and forevermore.

The next morning when she woke up, she was hoping that Mickey would be gone. Except, her hopes were dashed when she heard loud cursing coming from the kitchen. She hurried down there to see what the hell was going on. Lucas was still asleep but she wanted to get up before him to be able to make breakfast. It appeared that Mickey had decided he wanted to make breakfast, or something. He wasn't doing a very good job of it. She started to yell at him in Italian because she definitely didn't want him to understand that she was calling him a moron who she should have let bleed out the night before, it would be less of a mess to clean up, and shoved him towards the kitchen table. 

"Wait hey...hold up...hang on...what slow down!" He yelled at her as he moved towards the table, she was shoving at his back the entire time. She wasn't short, really, but she was pretty slender and he was definitely considerably bigger than her in height and size so this wasn't easy to do. She was sure he was just allowing it as opposed to her really pushing him against his will. He sat down and looked at her. "Good morning to you too." 

"Ugh you....pain in my ass!" She yelled and went back into the kitchen to clean up whatever the fuck he was trying to do that was now burned to the pan. "Fucking moron, get your ass shot then come here and interrupt my fucking birthday sex I swear to God..." 

"If you wanted birthday sex that bad you could have just-" 

"NOT FROM YOU!" She yelled, "Why the...how did you get shot anyway? Sticking your big nose somewhere it doesn't belong?" 

"Does it matter?" He asked. 

"Yes because I want to make sure no one tried to follow you." She said and ended up throwing the pan in the trash because it was ruined and easier to buy a new one. She got out a new pan and some eggs from the fridge because that was quick and easy, bacon as well. She was too annoyed to make anything more than that for the morning and it would be more than enough for all of them. 

"No one else came here last night so...." 

"You're leaving, after breakfast." She told him as she started to crack the eggs open and into a bowl. He chuckled and shook his head before grunting softly in pain and shifting to get his phone out of his pocket. She looked at him and then went back to what he was doing, getting focused on beating the eggs to spend some of her excess energy. She shut him out until the point he was standing by the counter and she noticed him out of the corner of her eye. He set his phone down and slid it towards her. She looked down at it. A text message from her father.

You can lay low with Galina for a bit, she'll take good care of you and you can protect her as well.

"Mother fucker," She muttered. For now, she was going to accept that, but as soon as breakfast was over she intended to call him as fast as possible and explain why she didn't want that and it wouldn't be a good idea. She didn't even live out in the Hampton's, this was just a vacation home. She had her own loft in the city, it was closer to where she attended school. Though she could commute from where she was to school, she didn't want to have to do that because of the traffic and how long of a drive it was. She didn't know who Mickey was trying to run from but if he had to lay low now, it was bad. Dangerous even. She didn't think this guy could protect her with a bomb strapped to his chest either. "I'm going to have a word with him after we eat." 

"Suit yourself but it won't work." He said and went to sit down again, "Can I get some juice or something?" 

"You have hands, and legs, and can clearly see the fridge with your eyes that definitely work. Get it yourself." She snapped at him. He grumbled under his breath and went to the fridge then pulled out a carton of orange juice, which he started to drink directly from instead of trying to get a glass. She was about to scream at him to stop but took a deep breath instead. He was probably trying to push her limits and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. Besides, she preferred coffee with breakfast so it wouldn't matter. Lucas did as well. She went back to cooking trying to ignore him, even when he burped so loud it seemed to make the walls shake. 

"What are you making?" He asked, poking his head over her shoulder. 

"Eggs, I mean...fuck is that not obvious? I have literally one ingredient here other than the bacon." She told him. 

"Sorry," He laughed, taking the entire orange juice container with him to sit down at the table. He looked at her and she looked back for a moment before focusing on the eggs again. Normally they wouldn't have been so plain and boring but she didn't want to reward this guy for being an ass so she wasn't going to make him anything special. A moment later, Lucas came into the kitchen and pulled her into a kiss. This immediately melted her bitter exterior and she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around him for a moment as she did. "Who's this?" 

"Seriously?" She asked as she pulled away from Lucas, "This is my boyfriend, Lucas, and Lucas this is the fucking moron who got shot like an idiot and ruined one of my pans. His name is Mikey or something." She definitely knew it wasn't Mikey but she wanted to annoy him as much as he was annoying her in the moment. 

"Actually, it's Mickey but close enough." He said looking Lucas over almost like he was an instant threat. She didn't know why, seeing as how they'd only met once before and hadn't even gotten along when that happened. She told him to his face he was going to end up getting shot and he called her hot. He also didn't seem to care that she was the daughter of his boss who would definitely kill him for doing anything to her. "Nice to meet you." 

"Same," Lucas said and went to make himself some coffee, "Your father sure knows how to pick 'em." 

"Useful idiot," Galina said, then laughed, except she said it in Italian. Lucas laughed and leaned against the counter as he studied Mickey like he was also sizing the guy up. 

"I know one of those words means useful." Mickey said. 

"I see what you mean," Lucas told her, turning his head to speak to her momentarily before looking back. "What is it that you do then, Mickey? Drug mule? Getaway driver? Waste disposal?" 

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Mickey sneered. "Who the fuck is this guy and why does-" 

"He works for my father as well, just in a better position than you." Galina said, "That's how he knows you are below him." 

"Working my way up, it's only been a month." Mickey insisted. 

"Getting shot doesn't also usually get you a promotion." Lucas told him. They went silent then started to glare at each other before she broke the silence by holding a plate of food out to Lucas. 

"Please just...ignore him." She asked, "I'll get him out of here soon enough then we can head back to my place in the city." 

"Wouldn't count on that." Mickey told her. 

"I know how to handle my father better than you ever would." Galina snapped at him. She made another plate of food for herself then gave what very little was left over to a second plate. She picked them both up and headed for the table, setting the plate with the least amount of food in front of Mickey. She sat down across from him and Lucas came over with three forks so they could all eat and set them on the table. She grabbed hers and started to eat watching as Lucas moved back and forth to bring them both mugs of coffee. 

"You didn't answer my question," Lucas said, "What is it that you do?" 

"Jack of all trades," Mickey replied. 

"He's a gofer," Lucas laughed, "You were right...useful idiot." He said the last part in Italian as well. 

"Okay I know that can't be a good thing, whatever you keep calling me, but since I only understand half of it I'll pretend it is." Mickey told them. He started to eat hungrily, every once in a while drinking more juice. Galina was pretty sure he was going to finish it, just to spite them, or at least thinking that it would. She didn't know why he thought that would work. As long as he was drinking he couldn't say anything stupid which was nice for both of them. 

"Your father really told him to stay here?" Lucas asked, "There's no way that's a good idea." 

"I agree," She said, "But you know how I am with him, I can get him to change his mind." 

"Not if...well, you know how he is don't you?" Lucas replied. He was right about that. When her father had his mind set on something or whatever he wanted was important she never got a say. At that point, she couldn't really see how exactly Mickey was such a huge asset to the family that she couldn't talk her father into making him leave but she didn't know. She was privy to a lot of the information that filtered through but not all of it. Her father was training her to do a lot of things outside of the illegal medicine she was practicing so it was typically beneficial for her to know. 

"I will go take care of that right now, then, it'll be easy. I promise." She said, leaning over to kiss Lucas on the cheek before getting up to head out of there. 

"Good luck!" Mickey called after her. She tried to ignore the urge to scream at him again as she headed up to the bedroom where she had left her phone. She was hoping, beyond hope, that her father would change his mind but she had a sinking feeling that it wasn't going to be that easy. It never was.

*****

For some completely not at all surprising reason, her father really liked Mickey. He was still just a gofer, as Lucas had called him, but she knew why this was. He definitely turned out to be the type to take orders, follow them, never question anything about it and then collect money. If she had to guess, he wasn't much of a snitch either (if any) and he was probably desperate to work his way up the chain of command. Given that he was quite the bumbling idiot and had gotten himself shot in a month like she'd predicted, she didn't know how he was ever going to learn to be a hitman. The thing was that maybe, just maybe, his penchant for following orders without question would lead to him also being easy to train. That kind of concerned her. If her father didn't like him even slightly, he wouldn't be in this house right now. He wouldn't have even been sent here. No, he'd have been sent to the actual doctor or the doctor would have been sent to him. This was going to be a problem. 

She tried to explain to her father that she couldn't really watch him there or stay with him because of school. She was very close to graduating and she needed to make sure that she got there on time. City traffic was terrible and she would be better off at her penthouse. If he wanted her to work for the family and be good at what she did then he should be concerned about her grades and life so she could make it to graduation in the first place. He did agree to that but even worse, he told her to take Mickey to the penthouse in the city. It seemed like she wasn't going to be getting rid of this parasite any time soon. All of this angered her to a point of screaming and throwing her phone at the wall. It drew attention to what her state of mind was and brought Lucas into her room a moment later. 

"Looks like I'll be getting you another phone huh?" He asked. 

"It's not funny! He wants me to babysit that dumb pile of moron until he's better and I don't know why!" Galina snapped back at him, "Sweet Mother Mary help me to not kill him in his sleep." Lucas came over to her and pulled her into a hug. She struggled for a bit before just relaxing and allowing it because, for some reason, his hugs always made her feel better. This wasn't the life she had wanted, it wasn't exactly what he'd wanted either, but they both knew that they couldn't really be together if they didn't also play by the rules. Lucas was good at what he did, sure enough, but he had never gotten along with her father to the point where he wanted to approve of them dating. Since he wouldn't give any sort of blessings for them to get married, they were kind of still stuck in the dating phase. Lucas was attempting to win him over but nothing he'd done so far was working. 

"It'll be fine, I don't have to work until later tonight anyway. Your father wants me at the club to transport some cargo, take care of a few things." He said, "We do those runs at night because they aren't as monitored." 

"I know," She said, "He told me to take Mickey back to the penthouse. He's going to get into all my stuff, yours too." 

"We'll just lock him out of the master bedroom, how hard could that be? He couldn't find his ass with two hands and a flashlight." Lucas laughed. She chuckled and rested her head on his shoulder then closed her eyes. She sure hoped that he was right about that because she didn't need this asshole invading her life and privacy more than he already had, even if she was pretty sure the guy already knew how to pick locks.

*****

The move from the house in the Hampton's to the penthouse in the city hadn't been too bad. Lucas had forced Mickey into the back then they had just gone to ignoring him for the rest of the trip. It had only been a few hours, after all, and though Mickey had tried to make it as annoying as possible he gave up when he realized it wasn't working. When they got to her place, Galina took him to the guest room and explained to him that this was where he would be staying. He was not to go in any room with locked doors (or try to get them open) and he was to mind his own fucking business. She was only doing this because she had to, not because she wanted to, and he was going to have to learn that he was an unwanted guest. This didn't mean hospitality either. The building that her penthouse was in was one of the many properties in the city her father owned. It was secure and monitored. If the person or people who had shot Mickey were still after him they would know better than to try to get in here unless they wanted a massacre. 

When she had taken care of that, she gave him some more morphine, hoping it would make him less annoying (and cause him to pass out) then she headed back down to the kitchen where Lucas had made them both coffee. She took the mug that he held out to her and took a sip, only to find that a considerable amount of rum had been added to it. She normally wouldn't have minded but it was so early in the morning and she wasn't looking to get drunk at that point in time. She gave him a look. 

"Sorry, thought it would help relax you." He said and took the mug back. 

"I do appreciate the sentiment but I also have to watch that dumb turd upstairs and I think it's best if at least one of us is sober." She chuckled, "But you have all the fun you want, I know it takes a lot more to get you wasted." Alcohol wasn't her favorite thing in the universe, mostly because of the hangover it caused. Popping pills was far more preferable and easier to control and she could get them from just about anyone in the 'family' if she wanted them. It wasn't something she did often but she did it enough to know how to have fun. 

"Your father is a piece of work, you know that right?" Lucas asked and dumped her mug in the sink. He rinsed it out and then went to make her a normal cup of coffee without alcohol. She sat down on one of the stools at the island in the kitchen and rested her chin in her hands as her elbows rested on the surface of the counter. 

"Oh you don't say? The Godfather of the entire damn mafia is a piece of work." She replied with a smug little smirk. He laughed and turned to look at her running his hand over the skin of his clean shaven head. 

"I will marry you, no matter what annoying ass things he does to us to try to distract us both from that idea." Lucas insisted. 

"You think bringing Mickey here and making me watch him is a distraction?" She asked. 

"You don't think it is?" He replied. 

"Guess you have a point. I think he figures if there's another guy here I'll actually give a shit and not fuck you or something." She said, "You have a cigarette?" He nodded and got a pack out of his jacket, with a lighter, and slid it across the counter to her. She picked up the pack and got one out. 

"That's not true though, and you know it." Lucas told her. 

"Oh yeah I know," She said and lit the cigarette, taking a long drag, "However, I don't exactly like the idea of him walking in on us doing anything like that and you know he will because he was born to be that way." 

"So what?" He asked, "I'll just show him who really owns that ass." 

"Ha ha..." She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway, "You think some sort of macho display of dominance over me will put him in his place?" 

"Maybe...or he could possibly be way too stupid to understand that sort of thing." He smiled back at her and grabbed her new cup of coffee, moving to set it down in front of her. She reached for it after tapping off the ashes from her cigarette in a nearby ashtray and took a sip. "So...what do you want to do until he comes down here and starts bothering us again?" 

"How about a movie?" She asked. It was pure luck that her birthday had fallen on a Friday, so she wasn't really going to have to worry about anything for that day, which was a Saturday. It was kind of late in the day and she knew that she was going to be limited on what they could do. It wasn't a good idea to leave Mickey alone there so their options were watching a movie, watching TV, or playing a video game. Of course, the last option was sex but usually those activities turned into that anyway and it wasn't something she needed to mention. 

"Sounds good," He said and headed with her over to the couch. She hoped that they'd at least get a few hours of quiet before the obnoxious whining started again. There had to be a reason Mickey was there and her father was being so insistent about it. It wasn't like him to do this, in fact, he never had done this before, and that raised a lot of red flags. Still, without any sort of evidence to something being wrong, she couldn't start outright making accusations and that meant living in denial until the facts showed themselves. It was one thing she was very good at doing and had been her entire life.

Chapter 1

"You got this," Jessica told herself in the bathroom mirror. She adjusted her pencil skirt and tucked her blouse in. Giving herself one final nod, she smiles and opens the door. She takes a seat at one of the tables, as she was instructed when she first arrived. "Hi, Jessica?" the voice came from directly behind her. She jumped up and turned to locate the origin and found a tall young lady standing in front of her, she had dark skin with beautiful hazel colored eyes. Her braids fell on her shoulders and were wrapped with bright pink strands and beads. Jessica stared at the girl's hand for a moment, and then with both hands, she accepted the handshake and smiled shaking her crazily. Realizing what was happening, she quickly let go and scratched the back of her neck, laughing awkwardly.

"Oh! Sorry about that! Guess I'm just really excited." She smiled and said "That's okay. I am excited too!" She admits to Jessica, smiling widely. "I am Erika. It's nice to meet you! Would you like to start the interview?" Jessica smiled and nodded, then followed Erika through "western" style double doors that came up to Jessica's waist. They walked behind the order counter and Jessica became overwhelmed with all the coffee-making equipment. There was a huge espresso machine, French presses, grinders, and milk steamers. Only a quarter of what she saw was familiar and part of that calculation included mugs and spoons. She swallowed hard, Erika noticed this, "Don't worry, if you receive this position I will train you on everything in the Cafe. Honestly, it's not as hard as it looks." Erika smiled a warm and comforting smile. Jessica wasn't sure what it was, but something about Erika made her feel safe, and seen.

About an hour passed, and the two found that they had lots in common. Erika offered her the job without hesitation and Jessica happily accepted. "You start tomorrow!" Erika told her as she waved goodbye. Jessica floated to the bus stop, she had Mom drop her off for the interview so that she wouldn't mess up her skirt on the bus ride. This one time, she sat on bubble gum. It spread and stuck instantly to her jeans. She didn't find out until her brother saw her at home. "Your bum chewing gum?" He said laughing, it was stupid but it got to her. She boarded the bus and examined her seat thoroughly before sitting. Daydreaming about the new job, she stared out the window and envisioned all of the possibilities. It wasn't long before the bus reached her stop, she thanked the driver and carefully stepped off of the bus. Her house was just a block away from the stop. She walked home and imagined having her own car on the road and maybe her own apartment, too. Jessica would be 19 this year, she's finished school and was ready for a full-time job to kick off her summer. It made getting the job at the Cafe more desirable, and now she met Erika who was super cool too.

Jessica ran into the house and shouted, "I'm home!! Guess what happened to me today!?" but there was no answer. "H-e-l-l-o?" She shouted once more, awaiting some kind of answer. But nothing came. Curiously, she wandered the house popping her head through doorways and peeking around corners. There didn't seem to be anyone around. Maybe I'll see if Tom's home yet! She thought, running to the house phone. Tom is Jessica's boyfriend and her best friend. He was registering for summer camp today like he did every year and for the first time, without her. He and his father left early to get him registered and sign up for activities and stuff. Camp is pretty far away, this meant that Tom would be far away, too. Jessica felt bad about breaking their tradition, she wanted to support him, not discourage him from what he enjoys.

Dialing his number into the keypad, she patiently awaits his answer. The line buzzes as it rings. I wish I had a cell phone. She thought to herself, waiting for a response. The line went dead, and feeling defeated she hung up the phone. Suddenly, it rang. "Hello?" She answered urgently. "Oh! Hello? Carol, I've been trying to reach you-" The woman asked looking for her mother. Embarrassed, Jessica cuts off the woman calling. "Sorry mam' but my mother isn't in right now. I'm sure she will be back soon!" She said, hoping it was enough to free up the line. "Oh? What's that? Well, all right then." The lady responded hanging up. Jessica sighed and placed the receiver back down. There was immediately another ring. I didn't mean that soon. She thought to herself debating on answering. Relentlessly, she picked up. "Hello?" She asked kindly, "Hey, bumblebee. I saw you called the house, what's up?" It was Tom, calling her by the nickname he gave her over 2 years ago on Halloween when she dressed up like Odlaw from "Where's Waldo".

She lushed on and on about her day and the job and how excited she was, but as she was about to ask him about his day and camp, he was pulled away suddenly. "Hey, sorry but I got to go. I can call you tomorrow, how does 7 sound? Okay, I'll see you!" And then the line went dead. Flabbergasted is the only word she could think of to describe her feelings. Did she do something wrong? I guess I did kind of ignore his feelings by avoiding asking about camp. She shook off this sudden feeling of despair and ran up the stairs to her bedroom. Removing her "office" attire, she decides she will take a shower. She can hear the door open and shut downstairs. Must be Mom. She thinks to herself, finishing up quickly. Hopping out, she can hardly contain her excitement. Drying her hair, she screams over the banister "MOM!". But no one responds. Putting on her bathrobe, Jessica makes her way down the stairs still drying her hair.

"Hey, ding dong." Oh great. She rolls her eyes finding Derrick leaning against the wall eating a banana. Upset that it wasn't Mom but mildly amused with what she witnessed, Jessica heads back upstairs to her room. I wonder where Mom is. She thinks to herself as she walks up the stairs. Entering her bedroom, she is greeted by modest meows magically made mysteriously by mutinous Mindy - her calico. A++ for alliteration! She awarded herself mindfully. "Mindy! Where are you, sweetie? I can hear you, but I can't..." She trailed off as she noticed a blanket ball struggling to escape. "Hold on silly!' She said as she unfolded and unraveled the mess of blankets. Out popped a small orange and black colored fluffball with hints of white on the face and paws. "Mindy!" She cooed lovingly, taking the small cat into her arms for a cuddle. Cradling her beloved, she giggled as little paws lightly gripped her face and released it sweetly. She rubs her nose with Mindy and then places her down on the bed, back onto the blanket trap.

The door opened once more and Mom's voice echoed up the stairwell. "Jessica? Derrick? I brought pizza, who's in?" Her Mom moved to the kitchen and placed the pizza boxes down on the counter. Excited to share her news, Jessica hopped up, threw on her favorite pair of jammies, and ran down the stairs. "Mom!" She shouted, running into Mom and Derrick talking in the hallway. "Woah, slow down sister!" Mom said to her laughing and reaching to grab Jessica's nose. "Mom! Stop!" She yelled at her dodging her grabs. Sticking her tongue out at Derrick, she looked at her Mom and opened her mouth to start talking but instead, received a slice of pepperoni pizza. Scowling and chewing at the same time, she glared at her mother in disbelief. "I got you something." Mom said winking at Jessica. Suddenly, she was excited again. "I noticed how uncomfortable you looked in your pencil skirt today, and I know they don't provide uniforms there, aside from the apron... so I..." Mom gestured to the brown paper bag Jessica just noticed was sitting on the table. The logo FB was written in cursive on the bag in black letters. Fancy Boutique! Jessica thought to herself. Peering inside, she saw black clothing folded delicately beside equally delicately folded linens, only in white and a lovely creamy-pearlescent color.

Jessica swooned over the new clothes. She looked at her Mom, overcome by emotion her eyes began swelling as tears began to form. Mom panicked, thinking maybe she didn’t get the job after all. "Well, you know, and if you don't get it then I'm sure there can be other events you can wear these to. It's not all work clothing like it's pretty fashionable, at least I think.". Realizing what was happening, Jessica reassured her Mom. "Don't worry Mom! I got the job! The hiring manager was so cool! She liked me a lot and she's having me start tomorrow!!" Her mother's face went from ecstatic to concerned. "What's wrong?" Jessica asked. Her Mom gawked her head back and forth between Jessica and the clothing, knowing what must be done Jessica hugged the back and mouthed the word, 'no'. Her mother huffed and then laughed at her as she stole the bag away and ran down the hallway "All right! If you need me, I'll be in the laundry room!" she called from down the hall. Choking on her pizza, Jessica yelled after her, "But I didn't even look at them!!" Disappointed and anxious, she gobbled down more pizza. "Don't worry, Mommy still dresses you the way you l-i-k-e-y." Derrick mused at her in a childish voice.

She made a face at him and decided to peek at Mom in the laundry room. Hoping to catch a glimpse of her new clothes. She couldn't wait to design her outfit for the first day of work. She slides in her socks down the hall and manages to pass the opening to the laundry room. "You're too late," Mom says calmly as she folds towels. Jessica pops her head in the door frame and sees the clothing dancing around through the washer door. "Where're the pants?" She asked curiously, Mom winked and smiled. Not saying a word. Jessica rolled her eyes, hugged her mom tight, and thanked her. "I love you so much! Goodnight!" She said and then kissed her mom on the cheek. She made her way up the stairs to her room, and Mindy welcomed her once again. Jessica felt weird not being able to prepare any outfit or get something ready for tomorrow. This was her routine, organize her day, pick her outfit, cuddle with Mindy. She sat on her bed petting Mindy and staring at the walls, trying to avoid digging through her closet and making a mess. She tapped her feet nervously. I know Mom has good taste, and I LOVE what she buys me… but is Derrick right? She thinks to herself, It is my first day at a new job… I'll just sleep on it and get up early enough to pick something else if I need to. She crawled into bed, snuggled up with Mindy, and went to sleep. Excited about what tomorrow will bring.

Chapter 2

The sun streams in through the window waking Jessica up before her alarm. On her door hangs a pair of skinny jean-style dress pants paired with that gorgeous creamy-pearl blouse she saw yesterday. It was truly a beautiful fabric. Great job Mom. She thought to herself proudly as she removed her new outfit from the hanger and dressed up. "You got this.". She told herself again in the mirror before running out the door to catch her bus. The pants moved with her, hugging her snuggly in all the right places. Jessica felt all eyes on her, and it felt great! The flow of her blouse and the way her collar sat on her shoulders just felt so high fashion. Was it too much for a small-town Café? Probably. But that didn't matter because this was her first day at her first job, and she needed this. Hopping off the bus a few stops earlier, Jessica decided to walk a little while before getting to the Cafe. Tom had said he'd call her at 7 pm tonight and Jessica was worried she'd miss his call. She was hoping that if she arrived extra early at the Cafe, Erika might be willing to let her go early enough to catch her bus to be home before 7 p.m.

She passed by the Cafe window and saw Erika chatting with a customer, a scruffy-looking homeless man held the door open and cleared his throat. "After you." He said sweetly, standing in the Cafe door. His voice was velvety, surprisingly and Jessica blushed and thanked the man. She stepped into the Café and greeted Erika, who smiled at her and applauded Jessica's outfit. Erika gestured for Jessica to follow her behind the counter, the homeless man followed close behind her and then filed into the lineup for coffee. "You look amazing!" Erika lushed as she twirled her finger in the air, directing Jessica to do a spin. Gladly, she twirled and posed confidently. "My mom chose this for me! Can you even believe it? Is it too much?" She asked shyer now after revealing her secrets, but Erika's energy was high. "This is PERFECT! I love this, it's so fashionable yet practical. Like what the judges would wear on some fashion judging show." Jessica swooned from the compliments, her high pony dancing as she moved her head. "I think it'll even look good under the apron!"

Erika grabbed Jessica a vibrant burgundy apron, it was solid and rich in color. Jessica bowed her head to have it bestowed upon her. The string that now sat around her neck felt velvety and soft. She tied the waistband herself and pulled her collar through. "Awe, you look so pretty! I want one!! Tell your mom to find me one too!" Erika said winking at her. The girls giggled. "I'm going to clear this lineup and then I can get you trained on the machines. If you want, you can just watch for now." Erika finishes up with the customers and has a pleasant chat with the man who appeared homeless. Jessica came to this conclusion after watching Erika give him free coffee and a scone. After the man left to sit in his usual spot, Erika turned to Jessica and said "He's actually in here quite frequently," Erika gestured to him sitting in the lounger beside the great big window close to the order counter. She lowers her voice to a whisper and continues, "He tries to pay what he has, but I always tell him it's on the house. He's a regular, and very nice." Erika continued, "So I'm sure you drink coffee, let's get you trained so you can make yourself one!". Jessica was thrilled. Jackpot!

After a while, Jessica was starting to get the hang of things. She and Erika would get off-topic occasionally, talking about fashion, chocolates, and boys. Jessica swooned over Tomas telling Erika everything she needed to know. And Erika mentioned a certain somebody she went to school with by the name of Lincoln. They gushed the whole afternoon. It was getting close to 5 p.m. and Jessica realized she hadn't asked if she could leave early. She quickly tidied her area and finished washing the mugs at the back. She nervously walked over to Erika who was chatting with a customer, "Oh hey Jessica! This is Erma, she visits us twice a week and gets a very special blend that we make just for her! Erma, this is my newest member, Jessica. Today was her first day of training! I think she will fit right in." Erma smiled politely and said "Hello dear," and then told Erika she should be going. "Ta-ta, ladies." She said throwing her large bag over her shoulder.

"Hey, uh Erika?" Jessica asked, almost sounding mechanical. "Uh, yes Jessica?" Erika said jokingly, imitating a robotic voice. Jessica chuckled awkwardly and Erika could tell something was wrong. She waited patiently, giving her the time to collect the words. "I… I wanted to ask. Well, I meant to ask you earlier. But, um." Jessica kept stuttering, trying to find a way around asking her new boss what she wanted to ask. Erika smiled an encouraging smile, hoping it would cheer Jessica up. It did, she smiled back and took a deep breath. "I wanted to ask you if I could leave early today. You see Tom said he would call me by 7 pm and it's already past 5 pm, if I miss my bus then I won't be home in time and then I won't get to talk to Tom for like 2 weeks…" Jessica felt herself getting emotional and looked at her feet. Erika was giggling. "Um, you were done hours ago! Today is training so it's usually a 4-hour shift but you were doing so well and you were so eager to learn I just kept you on as extra support. You're free to go." Erika told her officially, laughing at how worried Jessica was.

Jessica smiled and tried to control the urge to hug Erika. She quickly ran to collect her things and her bag. Almost leaving with the apron on, she saw the homeless man chuckling at her innocently. "Oops," Jessica said out loud, acknowledging the man's laughter. He stopped but remained smiling. He had perfect teeth and intense green eyes. Jessica smiled at him and somehow almost got lost in his eyes. She took off her apron and hung it beside the extras. Putting her purse on and packing up her lunch she waves bye to Erika and the man and runs out the door. Jessica could hear the bus coming down the street. Thankfully there was a bus stop close to the Café. Jessica ran down the road to beat the bus to the stop. Sure enough, as she reached the stop breathing heavily and panting, the bus rolled up to the curb. The doors open and Jessica hops on. She pulls her riding pass out of her bag and smiles at the driver as she scans the barcode. A series of beeps confirm her card is valid and Jessica proceeds to the back of the bus. She routinely checks her seat and then relaxes into the chair. What an amazing day! I can't wait to tell Tom all about it! A short ride later, Jessica hopped off the bus and ran down the road to get home. If I get there sooner, I might have time for a shower. Maybe Tom will want to do something tonight before he leaves tomorrow! Jessica thinks to herself hopeful.

Running up the driveway, she hears a car horn right behind her. Startled, she jumps for the grass as if there were an imaginary barrier that would protect her from oncoming traffic. She looks over her shoulder and sees Derrick driving Mom's car. "Beep-beep" Derrick yells out the driver's window at Jessica, who scowls at him. Forget him. She thinks to herself making a run to the house to get that shower first. She enters the passcode into the door to unlock it and then quickly rearms it, to slow Derrick in the process. "Mom! I'm home! Are you here?" There was no answer. Derrick probably dropped her off at the hospital. Her mom was a nurse. She tried to be home most of the time for everyone, but she would pick up shifts here and there to help pay the bills. Jessica kicked off her work shoes and ran up the stairs. She grabbed her robe and towel and locked herself in the bathroom. The time was 6:15 p.m. Jessica planned to take a fifteen-minute shower and then get out with plenty of time to get dressed, find her fluffball, and eat her leftover lunch before Tom's call.

Chapter 3

Finishing her shower in record time, Jessica dries herself and wiggles into her robe. She throws a towel around her hair and opens the door to find Derrick with his towel draped around his shoulders. "Took you long enough," Derrick says pushing his way past Jessica. All she can do is roll her eyes. She closes her bedroom door behind her feeling like the bigger person for not engaging. 6:36 pm meaning 6 minutes were wasted on Derrick. That was how Jessica felt, wasting her precious time. She dried her hair and got into her pajamas, mentally preparing for her phone call with Tom. At 6:55 pm she would head downstairs to wait by the phone for his call. Till then, she would try to settle her nerves and keep calm.

She pulled the kitchen chair beside the phone on the wall and waited patiently for the phone to ring. She prayed that Derrick would leave her alone but suspected he might harass her at some point. 7:05 p.m., the phone finally rang. "Hello?" she asked eagerly waiting for his response. "Hey Becca," Tom said after sighing. Oh no, he never calls me that. Something must be wrong. Trying to take a more empathetic tone through her nerves, Jessica tries to keep cool. "Hey Tom, what's up?" She swallowed hard hoping he wouldn't see right through her. "Look, we. We need to talk." Tom was breathing hard, this made Jessica uncomfortable. "I think we should take a break over summer vacation." Jessica felt like she had just been struck with a ton of bricks, this news was so heavy, so upsetting. There were no words. Tears swelled in her eyes, making her vision blurry. He was silent on the other end as well. He knew he had caused her pain. She sharply got out the word "Fine," before disconnecting the call. Jessica ran up the stairs and straight into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Of course, Mom is working today. OF ALL DAYS! Jessica's mind was spinning, her thoughts getting the best of her. Absorbing her. Tears streamed down her face. Soft mews came from Mindy who desperately tried to comfort her and wipe away Jessica's tears.

"At least I still have you." She told her little fluffball and cuddled her until she fell asleep. Morning came faster than expected and Jessica hadn't done anything she had planned since hearing from Tom. She was feeling depressed and didn't want to do anything, but she knew that being around people might be helpful. Pulling the blankets off of her head, she notices the outfit hanging on the door just like yesterday. Black skinny dress pants, these ones were a bit shiny and they were paired beautifully with a sweetly textured blouse that was more matte. Seriously Mom, where do you get your fashion sense from? Jessica was so proud and grateful for her Mom, taking care of her even though she is eighteen now. She quickly gets dressed and makes her way downstairs. "Hungry?" Mom asks hearing Jessica barreling down. "Morning Mom! No, I'm okay I'll make something at the Café later. Thank you for the clothes, they fit perfectly! I love all of them!" She gives her Mom a big squeeze. "I'm glad you like them, sweetie," Mom tells her giving her a kiss on the forehead. Jessica debated about telling Mom about the news but decided to wait until later. No point in ruining her day too.

Hopping off the bus at the Café, Jessica noticed the homeless man making his way down the street. She instinctively waved to him and he waved back. She smiled and went into the Café. "Good Morning!" Erika called to her from behind the counter. Jessica smiled, actually happy to see her and relieved that she didn't have to share her news unless she wanted to. "Hey," Jessica said smiling. Unfortunately, Erika knew immediately that something was wrong. "Hey, is something the matter? You seem off today." Well, Erika knew immediately. Was there even a reason for hiding it now?" Tom broke up with me last night." The slam of the door closing behind the homeless man made the girls jump. "Good morning," they said smiling at him. Erika gestured her head back towards the stock room for Jessica to follow. Once in there, Erika asked, "Are you going to be okay to work today? Like, if you need time you certainly can take the day off." Jessica shook her head, "I'm fine. Honestly, I would much rather be around people right now than get stuck in my head." Erika smiled and put her hand on Jessica's shoulder. She then went to the front counter to help the man waiting patiently for his daily java.

Jessica took a few extra minutes to get ready, tied on her apron with care, and put her hair into a bun. With a deep breath, she walked out to the front. Already, the day felt like it was dragging on. There was plenty of chat about Tom, who was greatly hated throughout the Café that morning. By lunch, Jessica was no longer sad about the whole thing but instead was upset that she didn’t see it coming. "I guess we've been growing apart for a while. Like we can't even agree on movie genres, he only ever wants to watch the action. He hates comedies so I couldn't even share my favorite romantic comedy with him." Erika nods, "that sucks. I love comedies!" Erika left Jessica's side to give the homeless man a second refill and chat for a moment. Jessica cleaned up the counter space and went to stock the shelves so they were ready for the next rush. "Okay, so bad timing, but I'm curious. Describe your perfect date?" Erika holds a milk frother to Jessica's face like it's a microphone, wiping the other end with a towel patiently waiting for her response. Jessica chuckled and thought carefully about it. "I would want…" about to joke around, she hesitated and opted for a more truthful, heartfelt answer. "A candle-lit dinner, maybe not lit by just the candles, but candles on the table." She smiled, seeing it all in her mind. "At a table, on the beach." They laughed. "Maybe catch a movie after dinner. Something fun and then walking home under the stars…" Both girls sighed happily.

"That sounds like the perfect date." Jessica raised her eyebrows. "Oh, it doesn't stop there!" Intrigued, the older homeless man narrowed his attention on the girl's conversation, listening eagerly to what pleasures were about to spill out. "After he'd walk me home under the stars, we'd stop at like a bridge, or somewhere near water. Listening to the wind blowing the water, and the little waves crashing together. That would be the only sound we hear. He'd pin me against a rock or railing or something and look into my eyes." Erika leans in, eager to hear more. "And then?" Jessica lowers her voice a little and starts to blush. "Then, he'd caress my face with his hand and rest it on my neck, that's when he'd romantically kiss me, first gently, like he's asking for permission. Then more passionately, grabbing my body and pulling it into his." Jessica looks lost in fantasy. Suddenly, the older homeless man clears his throat at the counter and smiles at the two girls. Holding his empty cup, Erika grabs a pot of fresh coffee but he puts up his hand to stop her. "Please, you're always so good to me." He says returning the fancy clay mug Erika has for dine-in customers.

"You should write stories." He says to Jessica, who is now blushing after realizing he heard it all. He smiles and leaves the café. Jessica looks at Erika, and she returns the stare. "Did he hear ALL of that?" Jessica asks embarrassed. Erika laughs at her and says "It sounds like he did!" Jessica stares at the countertop, feeling a little silly for revealing so much information. "Hey, it's okay," Erika tells her, placing her hand on her shoulder. "Now we can get to the good stuff!" She says jokingly. "When does he ask you to marry him?" Jessica looks at her confused and laughs at her attempt to be funny. "It's not that kind of story," Jessica tells her. "That's a shame, I really thought this was a romantic comedy." Erika winks at Jessica before heading to the back to put the mug in the dishwasher. Jessica thought about that for a moment. Maybe it was, after all.

Chapter 4

Jessica tossed and turned that night, waking up in sweats. It was 2 hours before she had to start work. Jumping out of bed, Jessica reaches for her wrap towel hanging on the back of her computer chair and stumbles into the hallway. The coast is clear. Perfect. Jessica thinks to herself as she walks to the bathroom to shower.

The water is cold and shocks her body, she grabs her loofah and quickly washes up. As the water warms, the bathroom becomes steamy. When she climbs out, all the mirrors are fogged. She leans over the sink to wipe one clean, there you are, Jessica thinks to herself when she sees her reflection. "It's a new day." She says to herself, in an attempt to brighten her mood. Wrapping the towel around herself, she sneaks out to her bedroom. She scans her closet for something that matches her apron and decides on a pair of black dress pants and a tight-fitting black tee shirt. Tying her hair into a bun, Jessica gives herself a reassuring look in her bedroom mirror before heading downstairs. Mom is in the kitchen toasting bagels. "Hey, honey!" She calls out to her, "Do you want a bagel with cream cheese?" Jessica's stomach rumbles, but she doesn’t have an appetite. "Can I take it for lunch?" Jessica asks, stopping at the door to put on her shoes. Her Mom laughs and wraps the bagel in wax paper.

"Here is your breakfast," her mother says passing her the bagel. Then she grabs a brown paper bag and hands it to Jessica. "And here is your lunch. Eat what you can, no skipping meals!" Her Mom kisses her on the cheek, Jessica knows her Mom loves her. Her job as a nurse keeps her away from home a lot, but when she's here, she makes it count. "Thanks, Mom," Jessica says, feeling sensitive. "What's wrong, sweetie?" Mom asks. How does she always know? Jessica thinks to herself trying to come up with an answer. "Nothing Mom, just stressed." Jessica hopes her Mom will be satisfied with the answer. Not sure if she was still upset with Tom or afraid of meeting someone new, Jessica didn't know why she was feeling this way. Mom just wraps Jessica a big hug before she runs out the door. Hearing the bus coming down the road, Jessica picks up the pace and jogs down the road. "Good morning." She says out of breath to the driver. "Morning." He says back. "Don't worry, I won't leave you behind." The driver asked kindly. Jessica nod's before taking her seat close to the front. "Thanks." She says.

Jessica presses the button on the bus for the next stop. She waits for the bus to come to a halt and wishes the driver a good day as she exits the front doors. She's early so she takes her time walking to the Café. When she arrives, nobody is outside at the tables, and she can see the image of the cup and saucer with the word 'Café' painted on the glass. The door opens and the little bell rings, announcing her entrance. Erika is at the counter with their friend, the homeless man and they both wave and smile at Jessica. She returns the smiles and waves and walks over to the counter. The Café is such a warm and inviting environment. "Good morning." She says to them. The homeless man nods to her and takes his usual seat by the window. "Good morning! No fancy blouse today?" Erika asks sadly while wiping the counter. Jessica pretends to be offended. "Even supermodels have laundry days!" The girls laugh and Jessica leaves to get ready in the back.

She grabs a towel and spray bottle and starts wiping tables, working her way from the back of the lobby to the front. "Good morning." A man's voice says behind her. Jessica looks over her shoulder, the homeless man is sitting at his usual table behind her. Straightening up, she smiles and says "Good morning. Can I get you a refill?" The man holds up his hand and shakes his head no. "Are you enjoying working here?" He asks her politely. Jessica nods and says "Very much, it's a wonderful environment, very friendly and welcoming." The man nods in agreement. He smiles at her, his green eyes piercing hers. Jessica stared into his eyes, observing his long black eyelashes. He breaks their gaze and looks down at his coffee. Jessica awkwardly turns around and returns to cleaning the table. "Jessica, can you help me with something?" Erika calls from behind the counter. Jessica calls back, "coming" and she collects her cleaning materials and heads to the counter. The man watches her closely over his shoulder.

Erika waves her around to the back shipping door. "I need your help with the new espresso machine. I have no idea how heavy it'll be, but the last one was really big." Erika waves at the truck driver, who is watching from the mirror. He reverses the delivery truck, lining it up with the shipping dock. The driver puts the truck in park and pulls paperwork from the cab, he then hops out of the truck. "Morning." He calls out waving folded papers in the air. Erika turns to Jessica and explains the shipping process. "He's going to bring up the invoice. We sign a copy and then he gives us a copy. You will compare what was received against what was ordered and sign off again if everything looks good." Jessica nods and watches the driver, he opens the back door to the truck and reveals piles of boxes, strapped and wrapped in what looks like cling wrap. "Delivery for Miss Erika Charles." He says passing Erika the paperwork, she signs it and shows Jessica what was done. Then she smiles at the driver and hands him back the documents. "This is Jessica, our newest member," Erika says proudly. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you!" The man said, tipping his hat and passing her the papers. "I'll see you next time." He said as he walked away, leaving the box at their feet.

"You ready?" Asked Erika, with raised eyebrows she squats down to the package and tips it to get a grip under one corner. With wide eyes, Jessica drops down and does the same. Erika counts them out. "Okay, on three. Ready? One, two, three." The box lifted with ease and the two carried it into the café together. "This isn’t so bad," Jessica told Erika as they walked. "Well, I might have miscalculated since the last time I did this by myself." Jessica's jaw dropped and Erika laughed. "Just place it here on the counter," she gestured to the open space in the back room. They placed it securely on the countertop. "Mind checking the front?" Erika said to her, Jessica nodded and ran to the front counter. No new customers, just the homeless man by the window. Jessica thought checking up on him might be useful before returning to Erika. She grabbed a fresh pot of coffee and wandered over. "Do you need a refill?" She asked him sweetly, he smiled at her and nodded politely. He started to rummage around his pockets, looking for change. "I’d like to buy one of your delicious scones." He tells her, pulling a small amount of change from his pocket. "Please," Jessica told him, placing her hand gently on his. "My treat." She said smiling.

Jessica places the pot back onto its warmer and grabs a napkin then places it on a plate. Jessica picks the biggest, scrumptious-looking scone with tongs and places it onto the napkin. She walks carefully back to the man and presents him with the scone. "Ta-da!" She says handing it to him. He laughed and said, "That looks delicious, thank you so much!" Jessica smiled at him, said warmly "Enjoy." and then walked back to Erika. In the back room. Erika had already stripped the machine of its cardboard containment. Surprised, Jessica observed all the new parts of the machine and its shiny appearance. "Ou." Jessica said, "Ahh" Erika replied mockingly. "It's so pretty." Said Jessica, Erika nodded in agreement. "Pop Quiz," Erika said to her slyly. "Where does the coffee go?" Jessica looked from the machine to Erika in disbelief. Erika laughed, "I'll show you. First, let's double-check the invoice." Jessica sighed in relief and followed Erika to the small space in the back that they called the office.

Just then, the door opened to the café sending the bell into a song of jingles. Erika looked at Jessica with disappointed eyes. "There'll be more deliveries," Jessica reassured her then she walked out to the front counter. A young man and woman were standing reading the menu. "Hi there, what can I get started for you?" Jessica said to the couple as they rambled off their drink orders. Erika listened from the back, feeling proud of the effort Jessica had been putting into her new position. She was impressed at how confidently Jessica greets customers and the warm language she uses with them. She'll go far. Erika thought to herself as she finished her process. Erika files away the documents and starts up the machine, there is a humming and then a grinding, and then a light comes on near a door on the top of the machine. FILL COFFEE. The light flashes and Erika is blown away by her new toy.

She reads through the instructions and fills the machine with fresh coffee beans. She then sets the grind and selects her option, latte, with foam. After pressing a sequence of buttons, the machine hums into action, happily crunching beans and heating the fresh milk Erika just poured into its compartment. "Wow, you're a real pro at this!" Jessica says, she places down the mug she was drying and walks over to Erika, who is wiping her head from imaginary sweat. She laughs and nudges Jessica. "This is our new baby." She says to her proudly. "What can it do?" Jessica curiously asks, observing the machine a little closer. "What can't it do?" Erika corrects her, "Let's just say I'll be able to extend the drink menu to add 'fancy' options." Erika pauses a moment. "Are you artistic?" She asks Jessica. "Not really, why?" Erika sighs and walks over to the office. "I mean, I can like color within the lines if that's what you mean," Jessica says in a desperate attempt to save her job. Erika jots something down on a piece of paper and then adds a block to the schedule.

"Training?" Jessica asks puzzled looking at the schedule. "Yeah, looks like I need to teach you coffee art. We'll start easy by decorating steamed foam with sauces and then, if you're ready… I'll teach you how to pour a cappuccino with a leaf pattern on top." Just then, Jessica remembered her initial reason for applying at the café. She loved coffee! She would stay up all night watching people on Pinterest pouring decorative coffee beverages, some hot, some cold, and all beautiful works of art. "So you'll be starting with me at 6 a.m. tomorrow. Don't sleep in on me!" Jessica shook out of her daydream and nodded to Erika. She was so excited she could barely find words, but Erika could see it on her face. "I'll make the deal sweeter okay?" Erika put up her hand to whisper in Jessica's ear. "I'll let you drink as many of the practice coffees as you want. But you have to try your best, okay?" Jessica nodded and told her, "Deal!"

Chapter 5

The day flew by and the two girls worked hard, gossiping about boys and their all-time dream dates. They had two big rushes before the day was over and still managed to stay in good spirits. Erika scans the restaurant to see who is all left, a couple of teens near the back watching TikTok videos, the homeless man, an older woman who seems annoyed with the teens, and that cute guy that Jessica has been talking to for the past 20 minutes. Erika thinks it might be a good idea to let Jessica off early since she's starting early tomorrow. Perhaps she and this guy can catch a movie. Erika thinks as she grabs some cleaning bottles and makes her way over to Jessica. Spying Erika coming her way, Jessica clears her throat and smiles at the guy apologetically. He stops his story, looks over his shoulder, and sees her too. "Uh oh, I don't want to get you in trouble." He says sweetly. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Jessica, I'd love to talk to you again." He smiles and Jessica melts.

"Hello there, are you enjoying your coffee?" Erika says sweetly, placing her cleaning supplies down on a neighboring table. "Very much, you have the best coffee in town, and you two lovely ladies have been so hospitable to me. I'll be giving you a 5-star review on Google." Erika beams in appreciation, "Why thank you so much! We are always happy to have you back!" Erika turns her attention to Jessica. "Hey, did you want to skip out early today? You're starting early tomorrow so if you go home now, I won't have to adjust your schedule for the rest of the week." Jessica lights up, this could give her the chance to go home and get cleaned up then possibly fill her evening with a special event. "Shawn, will you excuse me one second," Jessica says to him and pulls Erika over to another table. "Are you sure I can go home? You won't need me?" Jessica asks anxiously. Erika places a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure. As I said, it will save me from adjusting the schedule. I'll be fine! Go have fun with Shawn." Erika hints.

The way Erika said Shawn's name, all lovey-dovely, made Jessica feel warm and fuzzy inside. "Thank you!" Jessica says to her before running back to the table. "So, you want to catch that movie we were talking about? I can be ready in an hour, I just have to run home and get changed." Jessica tries to sound calm but she is bursting with excitement. "Cool. Let me grab your number." Shawn says pulling out his flip phone. The homeless man clears his throat loudly and then returns his attention to his paper napkin. Jessica watches as he doodles something down. She returns her attention back to Shawn, his curly red hair bouncing at the top of his head when nods to Jessica to let her know he's ready. His big brown eyes and high cheekbones brighten as he smiles widely at her. His lips beckoned her to kiss them.

"It's a house number, just so you know. My Mom is usually home early in the morning, but she's a nurse so she is gone most nights. My brother is annoying and will probably give you a hard time if he answers. He's not home a lot either." Jessica swallows hard embarrassed of the speech she had to give and then rhythmically says the number. "577-896-7746." Shawn smiles at her and says, "Got it. I'll call you soon." He winks at her, and she just dies. Thankfully, Shawn isn’t too bothered that she's almost 19 and still doesn't have a cell phone. This is the reason Jessica has been fighting with her mom for over a year. She's so embarrassed to have to give her phone number out all the time and then explain it’s a house number.

Jessica is almost 19, she did what her Mom asked and focused on school. She got really good grades and was accepted into her chosen college. She avoided partying with her friends and spent a great deal maturing into the responsible woman she is. But she would give anything to have her own independence. This is why Jessica chose to work the summer before going to college. If she could make enough to buy a cell phone, then she could keep a part-time job throughout school to cover the bills. Mom wouldn't know any better since Jessica would be living on campus. Jessica sighs, as he gets up and walks over to the door, the homeless man is standing outside and politely holding the door for him. Shawn takes one last sip of his coffee before discarding it into the trash and then leaves as the homeless man follows behind.

Waving bye, Jessica turns to the counter and runs to give Erika a hug. "Thank you so much! Did you see him? Did you see how tall he was? Oh my god, and that hair. He's so cute!" Erika laughs at all the excitement. "Yes, yes I saw him. He is real! And now, you should be leaving so you can get ready." Jessica nods and runs to the back, removes her apron, and grabs her bag. "Can I use the office phone?" She shouts to Erika. "Yeah, go for it," Erika replies back. Jessica dials the home phone, hoping someone is home to pick it up. "Hello?" Great it's Derrick.

"Oh Hi Derrick, is Mom home?" Jessica asks hopefully. "Nope, she's got a late shift at the Hospital. Is that it?" Derrick says impatiently. Jessica takes a deep breath and exhales. "Derrick, do you think you can pick me up from the café?" She hopes he doesn't give her a hard time. Not today. "No way!" He snaps at her. "Even if I wanted to come get you, I wouldn't" He laughs on the other end of the line. Angered, Jessica snaps back. "Oh, you're rotten. I’ll just call a cab then and give them my money." Derrick is persuaded by this. "Oh yeah? You give me twenty dollars and I'll come to get you." That's absurd! Jessica thinks to herself. "The cab will only cost me twelve bucks!" "Take it or leave it," Derrick tells her, leaving her to make a costly decision. "Fine! But you better get here now!" Jessica growls at him. "See you soon." He says as he hangs up the phone.

Overhearing the conversation, Erika pours her famous handcrafted salted caramel vanilla bean latte and caps it with a lid. "Is your brother a coffee drinker?" Erika asks her. "Yeah, why?" Jessica replies, trying to control the attitude in her voice. "Why don't you give him this? Sometimes it's better to fight back, with kindness." Jessica took the drink and smelled the beautiful aromas of the caramel and vanilla bean. "But what about mine?" Jessica jokes with Erika. "You'll be having enough free coffee tomorrow. How about you go get a taste of that tall handsome guy you just met? Shawn? I believe." Erika reminds her. "Oh right!" Jessica smiles at her and gives her one last hug. "Thank you." She whispers to Erika and then carefully carries Derrick's special drink outside. It isn't long before Derrick arrives. "Took you long enough," Jessica says to him. Before he can answer she shoves the coffee at him. "Here, this is for you." Derrick smells it and takes a sip. "Wow, this is amazing! You didn't make this did you?" He asks sarcastically. "No, my manager did." Derrick takes another sip. "Yeah, there's no way you could ever make something this beautiful." Derrick takes another sip and they head home.

Pulling into the driveway, Jessica hops out of the car before Derrick even parks it. She runs up the stone path to the door and Derrick yells after her, "Hey! Where's my money?" Jessica pushes the door open, "It'll come off my next pay!" Aggravated, Derrick turns off the engine and sits in the car while he enjoys the coffee. Jessica checked the house phone to see if there were any calls or messages. Nothing yet. She thinks to herself, running up the stairs to shower. Throwing off her clothes, she hops in the shower and starts to imagine what she and Shawn might do tonight. We could go to the movies, I wonder if he likes romantic comedies? Maybe we could grab food first, I'm starving! She struggles to escape shampoo bubbles from getting into her eyes. Rinsing off quickly, she turns off the water hops out, and puts on her towel wrap. She scrunches her hair a few times in the mirror and then runs down the stairs to check the house phone. Still nothing. She thinks to herself disappointed. Derrick is stuck in the recliner with the coffee cup glued to his hand, Jessica can't help but laugh at how something as simple as a coffee could have such an impact on her annoying brother.

"Did anyone call?" She asked him kindly. "No." He snapped at her. Well, that was short-lived. She thought about how sweet her brother looked moments before that mouth of his opened. Sadly, she walked back upstairs. Trying to think positively, Jessica goes through her closet, scanning outfit after outfit. It's hard to decide when you don't know what you're doing. Just then, a crash of thunder broke her thoughts. Climbing over her bed to her window, Jessica watched as the beautiful evening was overtaken by dark clouds and heavy rain. This gave Jessica an idea. She pulls open one of her dresser drawers and finds her best pair of black jeans and lays them on the bed. Then she pulls out her favorite black shoulder top with the gold decals on the sleeves and the neckline. Arranging the two together, Jessica can see the outfit coming through. "This will be cute with my yellow rubber rain boots!" She exclaims, but then reconsiders. "Boots aren’t really sexy though." She says, trying to think of something else. They are practical, who doesn't want a practical girl around? Her brain tries to convince her.

She gets dressed in her chosen outfit and hopes that Shawn has a car so she can wear different shoes. Time passed and Jessica anxiously waited by the phone. Derrick would throw her the occasional insult like, "desperate" and "loser" knowing far too well that if she was waiting by the phone, she was definitely waiting on a guy. The storm raged on and it got darker and later. Jessica finally gave up at about 9:30 p.m. She sadly made her way up to her room where she retreated and reflected. What did I do wrong? She thought to herself, replaying her day in her head. Why would he say he would call and then not call? That night, Jessica tossed and turned, lying in bed in her carefully picked outfit. She dreamt about Tom, the breakup, and then Shawn breaking up with her. Jessica awoke in a cold sweat and tears streaming down her face. Lighting cracked the sky and thunder rolled loudly just outside her window sending Jessica into a fright. She slipped out of her clothes and tucked herself under the covers. Tomorrow is a new day. She thought as she drifted back to sleep.

Chapter 6

5:00 am came early and Jessica felt like she hadn't gotten any sleep at all. Her body shook and she felt stiff and sore. She was still upset that Shawn didn't call her but that didn't matter, she would fill her day today with good intentions and lots of coffee. That was something to be happy about. She got dressed and then went down the stairs to put on her shoes. Oh crap, buses don't run this early. Jessica had forgotten about the bus route. She had opted for the 8:00 a.m. start because that was the earliest time she could catch a bus for. Jessica sneaks up the stairs to her Mom's room and gently taps on the door. She pushes it open, but no one is there. Hmmm. Mom must still be at work. Jessica looks over her shoulder and sees Derrick's room, the door open just a crack. Jessica rolls her eyes and tries to think of how she can ask Derrick for a ride. She slowly tip-toes to the room and peaks through the crack.

His room is a disaster, there's clothing all over the place, dirty and clean. Socks litter the floor and hoodies hang from hockey sticks, hooks, and his computer chair. Jessica swallows hard and pushes the door open but stops to laugh, Derrick had brought the coffee cup to bed. Oh, brother. She thinks to herself. Derrick is in love with coffee. Maybe she can use that to her advantage. She lightly taps on his bedroom door. He grunts and rolls over. "Derrick." She whispers softly, trying not to wake him up too rough. "Derrick, wake up." She whispers again. "No." He says sleepily. "Go away." He pulls the blanket over his head and pretends like he's not there. "Derrick, I need a ride to work. Can you please take me?" Derrick moans. "You still owe me twenty bucks." He says from his blanket cave. "I know, and I will pay you. But I need to work to make the money… see?" She says convincingly.

He grunts, possibly thinking about it. Jessica sweetens the deal. "I'll ask Erika to make you another coffee." Derrick sits up looking like Frankenstein rising from one of those old black-and-white films. He pulls the blanket down from his face and says, "I want a big one this time." Jessica laughs at him, "What do you mean? You got the biggest serving." Derrick rolls his eyes at her disobedience. "Then I want two of them! And my twenty dollars." He bargains, Jessica thinks, and then nods offering her hand to shake. Derrick pulls his arm from under the blankets and his hand is grimy and covered in chip crumbs. Gross. Jessica thinks as her brother's hand squeezes hers. "Now I got to sanitize my hand. Get ready." She says pulling away from him. "I am ready." He says throwing off his blanket bearing yesterday's jeans and t-shirt. He even slept with his sneakers on.

Jessica rolls her eyes and steps into the bathroom to wash her hands. Drying her hands on the plush towel, she sees the time on her Mother's old battery-powered clock. 5:46 am. How have I wasted almost 30 minutes!!! Jessica frantically runs out of the bathroom and down the stairs. Derrick is digging in the cabinets for a snack when Jessica yells at him, "We need to leave NOW! I am LATE!" She throws open the door and runs out to Derrick's car. Derrick follows behind slowly, knowing he's irritating her with every step. "Come on, come on!" She repeats outside the passenger door. "It's unlocked." He says smugly. "No, YOU!" She says opening the car door and swinging herself into the seat. Derrick slowly gets in, starts the engine, pointlessly adjusts his rearview mirror, and smiles at Jessica. " No coffee," Jessica says to him sternly. Derrick puts on a sad face and reverses the car.

It's 5:58 a.m. by the time they arrive at the Café. Jessica shouts at Derrick to just drop her off and then park. The street is usually pretty full of parked cars from the residents who live in the loft-style homes above the stores along the strip. Derrick allows her to get out and then finds a parking spot. Jessica walks up to the café, Erika has just unlocked the door and is already serving the homeless man his usual. Jessica smiles and waves at both of them. "How was your date?" Erika shouts excitedly. The homeless man gives her a look without any expression. "Was that the nice man outside?" He asked curiously. Confused Jessica tried to follow and then realized he must mean Derrick. "No, actually he never called. And that's just my brother. Actually, Erika, I was hoping I could pay him for his services with one of your coffees?" Jessica begged her sweetly giving her the best impression of puppy dog eyes she could do. Erika laughed and rolled her eyes. "Erika makes the best coffee in town." Says the homeless man. Erika blushes and thanks him and he takes his seat at the window. Derrick walks in shortly, and the homeless man smiles at him. Derrick awkwardly smiles back and walks up to the counter.

"You must be Derrick," Erika says to him as he approaches the front counter. "I am." He says. She's busily working on his coffee, he watches in amazement. "So you like my coffee?" She asks him confidently. He smiles and tilts his head down, his bangs fall and cover his eyes before he looks back up at her and playfully says, "I do." Erika smiles back at him. Oh my god, Jessica's brother is cute! She thinks to herself smiling at Derrick. "I don’t know if Jess told you, but I was promised two coffees." He tells her, as he gestures with his fingers, Erika laughs at this, "Is that right?" She says seductively. She passes him his coffee with a beautiful leaf design drawn on top of the foam in caramel sauce. "Then you’re going to have to come back and pick Jessica up for the second one," Erika tells him with a wink, he stares intensely at her and smiles. She grabs his hand and flips it over, she then places a cup lid into his hand and lets go. Derrick is intrigued by Erika, her dark skin is glowing beautifully, and her touch is so warm. "All right, when should I be back?" He says to her, trying to make his voice sound velvety. "Jess should be done by 2:00 pm today, but I finish around 7:30 pm."

Derrick picks up on Erika's flirting and seems to be into it. "Well then, I might have to come twice." He says smiling and tasting his drink. "Maybe you will," Erika responds not missing a beat. He licks the foam off his lips slowly and then says "Yum." He walks backward, keeping his eye contact with Erika. Jessica walks out of the back room and sees what's happening. She makes a disgusted face at her brother and rolls her eyes. He smiles and waves. "My card is tucked in the cup sleeve," Erika calls out to Derrick as he leaves. He turns the cup and then nods at her when he sees her contact information. Erika cleans up the counter and Jessica interrogates her. "What are you doing with my brother?" Jessica asks her. Erika feels embarrassed and admits "He's cute Jess." Her cheeks grow red and are visible even on her dark skin, Jessica pretends to throw up and Erika laughs at her. "Is that okay? Can I think your older brother is cute? Maybe I can make him nicer to you." Erika jokes with Jessica. "It would be cool to have you around all the time. You could make our coffee and clean his room." Jessica jokes back.

"Well, let's see what happens," Erika says, trying to change the subject. "Are you ready for some learning?" She asks holding a sauce bottle. Jessica nods but isn’t sure she is. Her night was so long, and she was so disappointed in Shawn and his broken promise. Even though she is trying to look and feel confident on the outside, inside she really just feels like a mess. "Okay, because I need you alert, I'm going to show you how to decorate a latte and then you can drink that one in the back room. While you enjoy your latte, you will practice leaf designs with caramel sauce on napkins. Sound good?" Erika asked as she readied her sauce bottle. Jessica nodded and watched as Erika beautifully decorated the foam with an intricate leaf design with many veins and detailed lines. Jessica swallowed hard. "Don't worry. Do your best and try as many times as you want. This bottle is yours today, I already adjusted inventory." Jessica felt a little better, grabbing her latte and the sauce bottle she went to the back room and hoped for the best.

Chapter 7

Twenty minutes pass and Jessica struggles with getting the design just right. "How's it going back here?" Erika asks as she brings back a tray of mugs to load up the dishwasher. "Horribly," Jessica admits feeling hopeless. "Let me take a look," Erika says putting the tray down on the counter. She investigates the napkins and observes each design carefully. "They look pretty good to me," Erika says trying to reassure her. "Remember, it's a design. So long as your lines are neat and we can make out what you've drawn, that’s a pass in my books." Erika said patting her on the back. "Do you want to keep going with this? Or do you want to do something else?" She figured Jessica might be getting in her head about this and needed a change of scenery. Besides, she wanted to ask her about what happened last night.

The two walked around the front counter, Erika pointed out tables that needed more napkins or where people had just left and their tables needed to be wiped. She explained the plan for the day and the expectations with training and then asked, "So what happened yesterday?" Jessica's heart sank, she could die of embarrassment. Erika could tell by her reaction that she didn’t want to talk about it. "Well, it sucks to be him," Erica says, not digging any further into it. "Yeah, but it sucks to be me too." Says Jessica, feeling overwhelmed with emotion. "Is it too much to want a guy to spoil me rotten with affection?" Jessica starts. "All I wanted was a cute little dinner date, maybe some candles, and a movie, or a walk on the beach, or something romantic!" Erika listened patiently. "Ever since Tom, I've been thinking more and more about what I want. I want a guy, so just have it all, and be able to give me it all. You know?" Jessica said looking at Erika. "Oh yeah, me too girl. Rich guy, with a nice house. Maybe so extra cash to buy my nice clothes. I feel you." Erika told her in agreeance. "But that is what we call a "mister right". And he doesn’t exist." Jessica nodded sadly, but it was clear that it was exactly what she wanted.

Erika accompanied Jessica cleaning tables in the lobby. One would start a whistle or hum a tune and the other would catch on and join merrily. The homeless man had finished his coffee a long time ago but was enjoying watching the girls star in their own invisible Broadway picture. He would watch and then doodle on a napkin, and then watch again. Catching his eye, Erika smiled and danced over to the homeless man's table, "Can I interest you in a refill?" she asked him playfully, folding her towel in half over her arm and imitating a fancy waiter. "Ah, but of course. You've convinced me!" The old man played along with her as she waltzed to the counter with his mug. He chuckled at her enthusiasm and then turned his attention to Jessica, who was dancing with the broom in her own fantasy world. He smiled, and for a moment the restaurant was nothing but hopeful thoughts and fantastic daydreams. Suddenly, that feeling of calm was broken by the chimes of the bell hanging above the café's door.

"Good day, we are hoping to speak with… um." The woman paused to check her notebook. "Jessica Wright." The woman removed her cap and lowered her notepad revealing the shiny badge and radio pinned to her chest. A second officer came through the door and removed his sunglasses and cap upon entering. He scans the café's entirety and then approaches his partner who patiently waits for Jessica to put away her cleaning materials. Jessica's eyes are wide and she's struck with fear. Placing all of the cleaning supplies against the wall Jessica walks stiffly to the woman cop, who is now smiling and extending her hand to her.

"I'm Officer Campbell. This is Officer Dickson. We wanted to ask Jessica Wright a few questions about a missing person's case. Are you Jessica?" Jessica nodded, her expression was frozen. She appeared terrified. This intrigued the officers. Realizing Erika was the manager, the woman called her over and asked if there was a more private area where they could speak. "Of course, please follow me." Erika walked the group behind the counter and into the back room. The officers observed it and thanked Erika. "If you need more privacy, you may use the office, Jessica please show them if they need it?" Jessica nodded and the woman told her, "This will be just fine, thank you. I'll let you know if we need to speak with you as well."

Erika left the back room and Jessica was alone with the two Officers. Swallowing hard, Jessica tries to find the words. "What… What's this all about?" She finally gets out, her voice is shaky and dry. Officer Campbell walked around her looking at the backroom and putting her hands on her hips. "Did you know a Shawn Edwards?" She asks smoothly, only glancing at Jessica once in a while. "Uh, I met a Shawn yesterday, but I don't know what his last name was." The woman nodded thoughtfully. "First time meeting him?" She asked. "Yes," Jessica responded, not missing a beat. "How long have you worked here?" The cop asked. "This is my first week." "Did you give Shawn your number?" She asked, hammering question after question, still circling Jessica who was getting dizzy. "Yes, yesterday when I met him. I thought we were going to catch a movie or something. What did he do?" The Officer stopped and looked at her partner who returned the stare.

Officer Campbell starts again, "Phone records show that he had dialed your number last night but the call never connected. Did you see him later that evening?" She asked her very seriously. "No," Jessica answered honestly, tears swelling at the corners of her eyes. "I didn’t even know he called." Jessica sniffled trying to hold back tears. "We're not sure what's happened, yet. He's been reported missing. We are trying to collect information to start a case." Officer Campbell tells her, trying to make her feel better. "Do you have any information on where he might be?" She asked Jessica hopefully. "No. I'm so sorry." Jessica tells them both. The Officers exchange looks and then ask if Erika can come to talk to them.

Jessica nervously returns to the front counter. "They want to talk to you as well." She tells Erika, scanning the restaurant for any new customers. Erika thanks her and heads to the back room. Jessica grabs a spray bottle and cloth and walks around the lobby looking for tables clean. "Psst." She hears a hushed call from behind her. She turns to see the old homeless man calling her over quietly. She cautiously walks over to him, and he waves her over, trying not to be seen by the cops. Once Jessica was close enough, he asked in a lowered voice. "Hey, is everything okay?" Jessica looks over her shoulders to the back room and replies softly. "Yes, just some bad news about a customer we had yesterday." She sniffles, trying to hide her concern. "Did something happen to him?" He asked her gently. "Not sure, they say he's missing." She feels his hand on top of hers, his soft skin caresses hers as he gives her a squeeze causing her to face him. "I'm sure he'll turn up." He said smiling at her. She smiled back, slightly. Staring into his green eyes, his skin is so very soft, his eyes are so green. His complexion does not match his rugged grey hair and overgrown beard.

He lets go of Jessica causing her to jerk her hand back suddenly and he jumps to his feet. Reaching in his pocket for change he throws on the table everything he has. "Please." Jessica said, collecting it and trying to give it back to him but he held up his hands, staring at the floor he said, "Please. Let me keep my dignity." And then he shuffles between her and the table to get to the door. The bell rings as the man leaves and two young girls walk in gabbing about Starbucks. Maybe today has been too much, but whatever it is, Jessica has had enough. Tears streamed down her face as she felt herself breaking down. "I'll be there in one minute," Jessica called out, her voice strained as she fought the urge to cry. As if Erica knew, she called the girls to the counter and Jessica ran to the customer's bathroom before the police saw her all worked up.

She blows her nose with tissue paper and stares at her red face in the mirror. Thank goodness for these big single-person bathrooms. She thought to herself, worried by the idea of someone walking in on her. A few minutes passed and Jessica was trying to find the courage to go back out there. A quiet "tap, tap, tap." On the door startled Jessica, "They're gone. You okay?" She heard Erica ask her softly from the door. Jessica ran to open the door. Erica was leaning against the door frame with her arms folded across her chest. "They asked me about Shawn." Erika started, feeling the tension. "I told them what I knew, how he promised me a great review, he talked to you, how you said he never called and was upset about it. I never did get that review he promised." Erika tried to lighten the tone. "Apparently, he did call." Jessica said to Erika, avoiding eye contact. "He did?" Erika asked shocked. "He dialed my number, but the call didn't complete. Or something like that. They told me that." Erika thought for a moment then sighed. "Strange."

Chapter 8

The bell chimes and both girls jump. "Hello?" Derrick calls as he wanders the café. "Is that my brother?!" Jessica says frantically. "Looks like it," Erika says trying to hide from him. "Is it 2 already?" Jessica questions trying to find a clock. "No, it was just before eleven when the cops got here. It’s probably noon." The girls spy on Derrick from the bathroom door down the short hallway at the back of the lobby. He walks up to the counter and then bends over to see the back room. Hoping to scare Derrick, Erika calls out, "Hey, what are you doing?!" Just as the girls hoped, Derrick straightened up and looked around to find the source. The girls burst out laughing and Derrick spy's them out.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." Derrick says as he walks towards the girls. "Jess, cops came by the house looking for you." "They just left here," Erika said. Derrick scratched the back of his neck and awkwardly asked Jessica, "Is there something I need to know?" Jessica, filled Derrick in on everything while Erika made him an extra special treat. "Woah, how are you feeling?" Derrick asked Jessica after hearing her side of things. "I'm okay, but I'm worried about what happened to Shawn." Derrick clears his throat and sarcastically says, "I'm worried about the psycho killer who has our number now!" "Oh stop it," Erika says popping behind Derrick with a giant coffee cup. "Here, take this and take her home. Jessica your done for the day. Good work today." Jessica was so mentally exhausted that she was relieved to get the hours off. Today had been enough.

The car ride home with Derrick was quiet. Between the sounds of him drinking his precious coffee, Jessica took that time to reflect on everything. Once home, Jessica dragged herself up the stairs and into the shower. Derrick checked the messages, Mom had called twice and left a voicemail each time. "Hey guys, it's Mom… I had a visit with a couple of Officers here at the hospital, just hoping everything is okay. I'll try back." Derrick deleted the message and played the next one. "Hey, it’s me again. Mom. I am getting a little worried, D? Can you please call me? I love you guys." Derrick deleted the final message. He lifted the receiver and dialed Mom's cell. He figured he might as well clear things up with Mom before she had an attack.

Jessica finishes her shower upstairs and slumps onto the bed. She lazily puts on pajamas and decides she is finished with today. She slips on her pink fuzzy bunny slippers and then lays in bed over the blankets. Her little furball, Mindy is buried as always beneath the blankets and they snuggle and fall asleep. Derrick opens her door hurriedly and has a horrific look on his face. "You look like you've just seen a ghost," Jessica says to him as she wakes up. "You need to see this." He says to her, more serious than he's ever been in his life. The two jog down the stairs and Derrick points to the television in the living room. Banners flood the screen as the image shows people pulling a body from the lake that runs under the bridge out of town. Jessica looked at Derrick, reflecting the same horrific look.

"A couple on a bike ride this afternoon found what looked to be a body floating in the lake. 'I saw it on the edge, face down and bobbing. I stopped my bike and hopped off to double-check check what I saw was real, and sure enough.' Thank you, Peter. Peter Winter and his wife alerted the police immediately and they arrived on site in record time. The boy's family has been notified and will confirm with investigators if the body does in fact match the case of the missing person announced via amber alert this morning. Back to you Charles." The news announcer was gone and a man in a suit was explaining financial gains in the market and something about holding. Derrick watched as Jessica digested what she had just seen.

"That's him, isn’t it." He asked her. Tears fell from her eyes, she looked at her brother and started to sob. He wrapped an arm around her and she buried her face in his shoulder and cried. "He's wearing the same clothes." She sobbed into him. He just stood there, for as long as she needed. Jessica pulls away and wipes her eyes with her shirt sleeves. He looks just as emotionally fragile. "How did you know?" She asked sniffing and wiping her eyes. "I didn't. Mom told me, his body is at the hospital right now. She said he's been all over the news. Mom says doctors are assuming he jumped but she saw marks of possible foul play." Jessica swallowed hard, this was turning out to be a murder case and they had no idea if they were a target.

Just then the phone rings from an unknown number. "It's probably Mom," Derrick says confidently. Jessica reaches for the receiver. "I want to talk to her," Jessica says as she brings the phone to her ear. "Hello?" She says into the phone. There is no one on the line. Jessica turns up the volume on the phone and asks again, "Hello?" but she is only met with quiet distant breathing. Jessica's eyes widen and she covers the speaking part of the receiver. "There's someone on the line." She whispers, frightened. Derrick becomes white as a ghost, he reaches for the phone and says in the scariest voice he can, "Back off! We don't take kindly to prank calls around here!" And he slammed the receiver down.

Jessica cracked an awkward smile that puzzled Derrick. "What?" He asked confused. "We don't take kindly round here," Jessica repeated in her best cowboy accent. She burst out laughing and Derrick chuckled as well. Perhaps the stress was getting to them, but things felt a little lighter in the house that evening. Derrick ordered pizza for dinner and they stayed up late watching movies. The phone didn't ring again that night, but Jessica was still shaken by that call. "Do you really think it was a prank?" She asked Derrick, feeling like her four-year-old self asking if there was a monster in her closet. "Yeah, kids probably dialing random numbers. Don’t sweat it." Jessica sighed. It made sense, but she still felt uneasy. "I wish mom was home." She told Derrick, who shrugged and said, "She'll be home soon enough." Derrick yawned and started to fall asleep on the recliner. Jessica gently pulled the light blanket up to his chin and went upstairs to get some sleep.

The night seemed long, Jessica tossed and turned, praying for day break. As exhausted as she was, she just wanted it to be morning so she could fill her day with other distractions. All she could think about was Shawn. Would he jump off the bridge? He didn't seem like the type. But like, what is that type after all? Mom saw his body, she thought it looked like foul play. Is that why Mom isn’t here? Could she be observing the body right now? Thoughts drowned Jessica in a frenzy of cold sweats and a racing heart rate. She tried to calm down, but it was no use. The digital clock beside her bed changed to 3:33 a.m. She rolled her eyes, frustrated with her mind and its racing tendencies. She watched as the minutes changed, one after another. 3:44 am, she felt herself yawning, her eyes fluttering and finally giving in to sleep.

Chapter 9

Jessica wakes up late for work and scrambles to get ready. Hearing the ruckus from downstairs, Derrick wakes abruptly. "You okay?" He calls out from downstairs. "I'm late!" She calls back, running down the stairs. "Do, you want a ride?" Derrick says, his arms outstretched over his head and folding at the elbows as he stretches his stiffened back. Jessica wasn't surprised by the hesitation in his voice as he asked, but she was surprised that he had asked. Before putting on her shoes, Jessica looked at Derrick with sincerity in her eyes and said, "Yes please." Derrick rolls his eyes and tells her, "Fine. But it's going to cost you." "I want a coffee." They say at the same time, Jessica mocking her brother, knowing exactly what he would be after. He fought a smirk and grabbed his keys. "See you outside." He said. Jessica rethought how she felt about people sleeping with their shoes on. Derrick is ready to go at a moment's notice.

Jessica finishes lacing her shoes and then grabs her key for the house. She steps outside and locks the door. After securing her key in her bag, she runs down the steps and hops into the car. "You didn’t have to lock up, I'll be right back," Derrick tells her as he reverses out of the driveway. Jessica buckles her seat belt and sharply says, "A boy gets murdered, and you want to leave the house unlocked?" Derrick looks at her, then replies, "You know, I've been reading into the case further, and I think I agree. He did jump." Derrick studies Jessica's face and her confusion. "I mean, one look at that face and I'd jump too!" He says giggling to himself. Jessica screams at him and hesitates to slug him on the arm. Once in front of the café, she winds up and hits him hard. "Ow!" He said, still laughing. "You deserve it, consider it today's payment."

Jessica hops out of the car and darts into the road to get across to the café. A shiny silver BMW honks as they come to a stop and park the car in the middle of the road. Jessica shields herself with her arms, covering her eyes from the headlights. Derrick comes running to Jessica and shouts at the driver of the silver BMW. The man steps out of the BMW and runs, concerned about the two of them. "I am, so sorry. This is entirely my fault!" The man says apologetically. "I made a wrong turn and then got lost along the streets. I must have been going way too fast. Sorry, my daily vehicle is in the shop. This one's a rental." Derrick and Jessica could sense how sorry this man was, and they could feel the sincerity in his voice. "It's okay, I probably should have been more careful and checked for cars first. This street isn’t usually busy with traffic." Jessica told him.

The man smiled and said, "I appreciate that. Truly. But this is my fault. I should have been paying attention." Jessica smiles at him. Wow, he is really, really cute! She thinks to herself. "I have to get going, I'm late for work." She excuses herself and walks toward the café with Derrick. Going on a limb, Jessica turns back to him and shouts, "You can buy me a coffee? That might even things out." She smiled a flirtatious smile and the man returned the grin. "I'd like that very much." He says to her, making her blush bright red. She turns towards the café and coolly walks through the glass door, hoping he can't tell how nervous she actually is. "Are you serious?" Derrick asks her once inside the café. "What? He's cute!" Jessica tells him. "Besides, you have the hots for Erika." She tells him as she runs to the back room. She gets ready and then rushes back to the front counter.

Erika and Derrick are chatting at the counter as she makes him a heart-filled caffeinated beverage. Erika can see in Jessica's face that something big was happening, it made her stop what she was doing. "Oh my god, spill," Erika says, not joking around. Derrick starts to explain that Jessica had almost been hit by a car outside and is probably still shaky. But Jessica cuts him off, "And he's really cute and I just invited him to buy me coffee!" She squeals and hops up and down for a moment. "So let me get this straight." Erika starts, "You almost get hit by a beamer, by Prince Charming? And then you awkwardly invite him on a date, at your work." Jessica nods, "And he's parking outside now." Erika laughs at her excitement. "Girl, you're living a romantic comedy right now. No wonder you like them!" Erika laughs to herself as she watches Jessica run to fix her hair.

The café door swings open and the bell rings loudly. The handsome man enters the café and even Erika can't help but drop her jaw a little. He wore shiny black dress shoes, brown fitted dress pants, a white Tee Shirt, and a striking blue blazer. He had milky, smooth skin and his dark, sandy brown hair lay slicked back, held together by the volume of it all, and his eyes pierced through you with a green as bright as jade. He rubbed his chin awkwardly, as men do when they have a beard, and then walked up to the counter, looking around. "You must be looking for Jessica," Erika asks him confidently. "Yes." He says with a chuckle, knowing his looks gave him away. He nonchalantly waltzed slowly through the café, whistling as he moved. Erika watched him with hungry eyes and Derrick felt a little jealous. "So, what do you want with my sister?" Derrick asked him, bearing his feelings on his sleeve. Before the man could answer, Jessica was out of the back and scolding Derrick.

She almost skips over to the man and asks him, "Do you like coffee?" She smiled and guided him to the counter. "Who doesn't?" He asked playfully. Jessica proudly sparks up the coffee machine and starts making him her favorite coffee drink. He stands there with his eyes locked on her. Watching her every move with admiration. Erika walks Derrick to the door to give the two a little more privacy. "I don’t like this guy," Derrick says to Erika. "She's your sister, you'll never like any guy she does. Give him a chance. It's just coffee." Erika jokes, trying to smooth things over. "Yeah, but it’s the way he looks at her that I don't like. It's like he thinks he knows her, owns her. Look at him, just staring at her." Erika raises an eyebrow and comments, "Somebody watches too many thrillers." Laughing at her own joke she realizes that Derrick isn’t laughing. "I got her," Erika reassured him. "Go. Come back at 2 pm. Okay?"

Derrick looked towards Erika, finally. Her sweet smile, and eyes looking into his. He softens and yearns to lock lips with her so badly, her chocolate-colored lips, full and beautiful. He looks again at the guy and then back at Erika. "She never leaves your site." He says sternly. Erika laughs and replies, "Yes boss." Derrick leaves out the glass door and Erika watches as he carefully crosses the road, holding her cup in the air like it's fragile. "So, what's your name?" Jessica asks the man, capping his coffee. "It's Matthew." He says watching her carefully. "I'm Jessica, here. I hope you like it!" He smiles as he takes a sip. She starts to make her own while he enjoys the aromas of caramel and toffee. "Wow, this is really good!" He tells her taking another sip. "How much for all your labors?" He asks jokingly. "Ah, this one is on me," Jessica tells him playfully. "But I thought you said." He starts to say, but Jessica cuts him off. "I think dinner is much more fitting, don't you?" She looks at him, trying to become as flirty as she can. He smiles, catching on, and says, "You're absolutely right. Candle lit, along the beach with the water crashing beside us." Jessica laughs and agrees. "Exactly. Can you make it happen?" She says giggling. "I think I can." He says with a wink. Jessica is surprised by his confidence and walks him through the café exchanging looks with Erika who is smiling at them.

Matthew attempts to take a seat at one of the tables when Jessica stops him. "Wait! Uh, that one is reserved. We have an older gentleman who comes in and likes to sit there." Jessica clears Matthew away from the homeless man's usual spot. She thought about his absence and grew concerned for his whereabouts. "He hasn't been in yet. Which is odd." Matthew smiles at her, touches her hand, and says, "I’m sure he'll turn up." He says to her, sounding familiar like Jessica has had déjà vu. "I'll be right back," Jessica tells him after seating him at a different table. She runs back to the counter and asks Erika, "Hey, has our buddy been in yet today?" Erika scans the lobby and stares mindfully at his usual spot. "No, that's strange. Do you think the police presence scared him off yesterday?" Erica asked while drying a mug. "Why, would they arrest him for being homeless?" Jessica said, poking a little fun.

She reflected on yesterday's events and remembered him seeming a bit concerned with them being at the Café. "He was asking about them," Jessica admitted, staring at the table too. "I hope he's okay," Erika says. "So what about mister suit and tie over there?" Erika says to Jessica who’s now blushing from the excitement. "I know, where did he come from?" Jessica says swooning. The girls watched as he scrolled through his phone. "Probably some important business," Jessica says, daydreaming of what kind of job he would have. Just then Erika got a buzz in her pocket. "Oh." Erika shuffles to free her phone from beneath her apron. "We just got a 5-star review!" She squealed excitedly! "From a Google Reviewer named… Matt. Hmm." She says curiously eyeballing Matthew. Erika nods at Jessica and struts over to the table, peering over his shoulder as she passes him she sees him scrolling through the comments on her restaurant page.

"Thanks for the rating." She says kindly, wiping crumbs off of a neighboring table. Startled, Matthew smiled at her and scratched behind his neck. "You're welcome, small businesses don't get enough love these days. I've. Uh, I always like to support places that truly deserve it." Erika smiles and feels like she may melt. "Awe, thank you so much!" She makes a heart shape with her hands and then walks back to the counter. "Yup, he's a keeper." She says to Jessica who is bouncing behind the counter. "So, why don't you tell lover boy that you have some training to catch up on but to be back by 1:30 pm to pick you up?" Jessica looked at Erika surprised. "But I'm here till 2:00 pm today?" Erika raises a hand to calm her. "You're a hard worker. You'll make it up somewhere. What I need is for you to gain confidence in decorating coffee so I can start scheduling you alone." Erika smiles at her warmly. Jessica looks dreamily at Matthew, she thinks of all the fun they could have together. Then she looks back at Erika again more concerned. "What about Derrick?" She asks, Erika thinks a moment and says, "Leave Derrick to me."

******Thank you for reading! We are at our halfway point of the book and I am not able to post any more here. You can find my whole book available to read over in the Books section. So glad you've come this far, and I hope you enjoy the story!******

As my world burned,

I looked at the match I lit.

Twisted moon, twisted ’T’.

Twirling curls, tired fingers.

A frost bitten perusal,

Of its own accord.

The solstice of summer,

A memory of war and gore.

Grim I am for the grey.

Color does not touch these cheeks

Brains smooth as,

Grapes.