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Chapter Six
Teagan
Julianna looked up from the paperwork in front of her when I walked into the shop. Her silver-streaked hair was short and pushed off her face with a soft headband. The combination of soft pinks and purples in her outfit might have made her look grandmotherly, but it was a ruse. “You’re early. That’s a first.”
I nodded. “Well, I’m here.” I straightened the boxes of chocolates on a shelf nearby and strode behind the counter, plucking the pink apron from the hook inside the back room. “I wanted to ask you something, if you have a few minutes.”
“You can’t take any time off. I know you’re leaving in a few days, but I can’t just be giving people time off to prepare to gallivant around the world as a creative writer. You’re already leaving me in the lurch.” She hadn’t looked back up at me yet somehow communicated complete disdain through her posture. I’d told her about the trip months earlier, as soon as I found out I could go, but I ignored her tone.
“I’ll work all my shifts.” I settled next to her behind the counter. I’d actually picked up more shifts this week to make a little more money for the trip. Working every day was a lot, but it was worth it to squeeze in a little more money. “Could I ask you a personal question, though?”
Julianna signed something with a flourish and then stacked the papers. “I can’t guess why you’d want to, but fine.”
I tried to imagine someone besotted with the woman in front of me, toiling over a pros and cons list about wooing her, and I came up empty. “Are you dating someone?”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, not in her normal derision but like she was trying to tease out my hidden meaning, before she laughed, a genuine belly laugh. “Why on earth would you ask that?”
I hadn’t expected the humor, the delight in me asking that question. I could have pulled the list from my bag, but I paused. If I showed it to her, she’d tell me it was trash like Silas had. It was trash, but I didn’t want to let it go. I was saved from having to answer when a customer entered and I helped them decide between three kinds of truffles. My answer was always to just get all three and try a few more because who didn’t need more chocolate, but apparently others had more restraint than me. Candy was the one thing Silas had no restraint around. He never bought it himself, but when I’d bring some over to his place or with us to a movie, he was a man on a mission to eat it. When I first told him I’d gotten the job here, after I had to leave school, his eyes lit up like a kid’s on Christmas morning. Total sweet tooth.
By the time I’d finished with the customers, who finally decided on one white chocolate cookie butter truffle and one dark chocolate espresso one for their flight, Julianna was gathering her things to leave. “So, not seeing anyone, then?” I asked, peeking my head into the office.
“Girl, why are you asking? Is this for one of your stories or something?”
I bit my lower lip. “No, just heard about a budding relationship between staff in the terminal. I thought maybe it might be your love story.”
She hoisted the world’s largest purse onto her shoulder and grazed a hand over the desk. “Gossip. It’s probably one of those annoying pet-grooming women, who treat this place like their personal dating show.” She checked her watch. “Ask Martin. He always knows all the rumors. Gossips like an old hen, too. If there’s something going on, he’d know.”
“Okay, thanks.” I smoothed down the apron and clocked in for my shift on the computer, entering my employee code. “I’ll ask him.” I glanced at the customer service counter across the way. Silas wasn’t there but James was, and he caught my eye and waved. James was cute and a nice guy, but it was always hard to pay attention to him when Silas was nearby.
Alone in the shop once Julianna left, I texted an update.
Teagan:Not Julianna.
Silas:Not surprised.
Teagan:She said to talk to Martin.
Teagan:Where are you? I can only see James.
Silas:Stalker much?
He walked into the shop, all long legs and easy strides, pushing his copper-colored hair back off his forehead. “I was on my break.” He set a notebook down on the counter between us. “I started this.” Since I had met Silas over a video call, I’d been surprised months later when we met in person and I saw his full height. I’d seen his photos on social media, but I still wasn’t prepared for the size of him.
I took the notebook, reading through the list of people quickly. “You made a list of suspects?”
Silas scratched the back of his neck and shrugged. “You seem to care about figuring this out and we only have a few days.” It was the thing he did when he wanted to play something off like it wasn’t a big deal. He’d always done it, like when he’d told off a drunk guy who wouldn’t leave me alone at a bar, changed my tire when I went to visit him for a weekend in college, or after that night we’d never seemed to fully get past. “There aren’t that many people, but maybe it’s a start,” he added, motioning to the list and then picking up a toothpick from our free sample tray.
“They’re chocolate-and-caramel-dipped crispy rice treats,” I said as he examined it. “They might be good for your difficult customers in the future.”
Silas didn’t respond as he chewed the sample, and I laughed at his yummy noises, pushing forward with the task at hand. “Jess at the pet-grooming place,” I said, reading the first name. “I love her. She’s divorced, so maybe this is a second chance! Ooh, I want this to be her epic love story.”
Silas chuckled. “You would.”
“Why is everyone so cynical? I asked Julianna if she was seeing someone and she reacted like I’d been practicing a stand-up set.”
“I think it’s just that you believe in love stories more than most people.” He took back the notebook, turning it on the counter and reading his own notes. “That’s not a bad thing. It’s why you’re such a good writer. You look for stories.”
I toyed with the corner of the page, our fingers brushing briefly, the spark I’d felt longer than I could remember when we touched lingering under my skin as it always did. “I know life isn’t a fairy tale or a rom-com, but imagine there being one person you’re meant to be with no matter the obstacles, no matter the cons on the list. It would be nice to live in that world.”
He didn’t look up. “Sometimes the cons on the list are what we should pay attention to.”
“Yeah,” I said, pushing thoughts of him and Erin from my head. “Anyway, Jess is a start. Who is Ada?”
“Works with operations. She takes a walk through here every day and has talked about her walking buddy. I don’t know his name, but he’s in security and she seems kind of into him. She said he comes in here sometimes.”
I nodded, scanning his list. “This is great, Si.”
He shrugged again. “Well, if we’re going to make sure love wins out, we have to get going.” He nodded toward James. “I gotta get back.”
I was excited about my trip, more excited than I’d been in years, but he kept reminding me I was leaving, and the distance it would put between us made me a little sad. I had a fantasy that he went with me. The first time around, we’d always planned to do it together.
