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“Oh, my god!” she cried, crashing into Mitzi. “You think you can just walk in here and order a drink like you do it every day?”
Billie smelled like coffee and flowers, and she held her friend for a long hug, all of which made Mitzi feel calm and welcome.
“What are you doin’ here?” she asked when she finally pulled away.
Before Mitzi could answer, Billie looked down and spotted Titan. She gasped and then immediately dropped to her knees. “I finally get to meet this Instagram star? You areadorable.I mean, I’m sure havin’ you in here breaks at least a dozen food/safety codes, but it’s worth it.”
“Sorry about that,” murmured Mitzi guiltily. “He kind of comes with me everywhere.”
“Oh, it’s fine,” she said, scratching behind Titan’s ears. “Nobody’s goin’ to report me.” She peeked up at Bishop and Jed, tossing them a wink before she smiled at Mitzi.
“I’ve got to run,” said Nora, lifting her coffee. “I don’t want to be late. Can I leave Evie with you?”
“Of course,” Mitzi replied. “We’ll be just behind you.”
“’Kay. Bye, y’all,” she said to the others before making her way toward the exit.
“How long are you in town?” asked Billie as she stood.
“Uhm…” Mitzi hesitated, thoughts of her conversation earlier that morning flittering across her mind. Thinking about going back to New York twisted her stomach, but she tried to ignore it as she vaguely replied, “A few days.”
“Okay, well—how do you feel about girl’s night? Tonight? My place? Jay’s gonna flip when she finds out you’re here.”
“Sounds fun. Your place pet-friendly?”
“For that little guy? Yeah.”
“Then we’ll be there.”
“Donahue. Sharpe,” called out another barista.
Billie glanced back behind the counter and then grimaced apologetically. “I’ve got to get back to it. I’ll text you and Nora-Jean the details later today.”
Before getting back to work, Billie tapped the tip of Evie’s nose, making her giggle. As she headed to the sink to wash herhands, Mitzi, Bishop, and Jed grabbed their coffees and made their way to the door.
“I’m sure you’ve got a lot of people to see, but if you’ve got time before you head back to the Big Apple, swing by the house. Bring that dog of yours. The boys would love it.”
“Yeah, okay,” Mitzi agreed, handing Titan’s leash to Evie.
“It was good seein’ you, Mitz,” said Jed. He waved as he and Bishop headed for their radio car, parked right up front.
“You, too, Donahue.”
As the two men folded into their seats, Mitzi paused a moment and watched them depart. There was something about being on a first name basis with guys who wore a shield. She knew it was unfair to compare her situation in Brooklyn to the life she knew in Shelby, but she couldn’t help it. It put her at ease knowing, if anything were to happen to her, the police officers in town would take it personally.
“Auntie Belle?”
Mitzi shook away her wandering thoughts and looked down at Evie, who peered up at her curiously. “Sorry, babe. Got distracted for a second. Ready?”
Evie nodded and then they were on their way, walking through a downtown area she’d taken for granted growing up. The Town Square was full of mom-and-pop shops which colored her childhood and adolescent years. It was quiet in comparison to what she’d gotten used to up north, but the storefront windows they passed were a statement that businesses got the foot traffic they needed to keep their doors open.
Mitzi listened as Evie chatted about what she was learning in preschool. She knew from Nora that Evie was in a program that met weekday mornings, and she’d started a little over a month ago. It was obvious Evie loved it so far. She’d even made a friend whose name was Olivia. Oliviaalwayshad a pretty bow in her hair, which was a trait Evie seemed to admire.
Just as they were nearing the end of the block, Mitzi caught sight of an empty storefront. The windows were covered, save for the glass front door, but she found herself stopping to get a better look. With most of the natural light blocked out, Mitzi couldn’t see all the details of the vacant space, but she saw enough to know it was a decent size floorplan. Whatever was in there before had been cleared out entirely. All Mitzi could see was a stretch of counter near the back wall, which might have been the check-out area.
“Auntie Belle!” called Evie.
“One second, Evie-B. Wait for me, okay?” Mitzi mumbled, barely tearing her eyes away from the empty shop.
