Paths Crossing Ep. One: Alex & Josie

Chapter 1

Alex Stockton

~

Missoula, Montana

Waking up in Montana felt natural. That was a good thing because Alex would soon start a film project that would keep him there for a few months.

It was a glorious May morning, and the view from his hotel balcony showcased a scenic mountain range in the distance.

He found himself in Big Sky Country on what must've been the most peaceful, brisk morning he had ever seen.

Alex lived in a coastal California city and had seen his share of beautiful days back home, but the views and the vibe were completely different there in Montana.

He couldn't help but be in good spirits.

The landscape and the weather were an added bonus to what seemed like an already amazing trip. Everything was falling into place. Alex had only been in Missoula since yesterday, but it felt right. He had the sense that things were coming together.

He knew his grandfather was going to love this city, and that was the whole point of the trip. Donald Stockton was his sole investor for the film project. He was not an easy man to impress, but this place was charming, and that would make Alex's request a lot easier.

The project was a six-episode miniseries that Alex wrote based on the true story of his own family.

The whole thing had been meticulously planned, and within a year, Alex would have filmed and edited it.

He had made a few short films in college, one as long as forty minutes, but this project was more substantial than anything he had done by leaps and bounds.

The story had been an absolute passion for over a year of his life, and now it was almost time for him to produce it and share it with the world.

This trip was crucial part of the puzzle.

Alex would have to convince his grandfather that he needed more funding. But he figured that would be easy once Donald made it to Montana and could see how perfect everything was.

Alex would ask his grandfather if they could up the investment at breakfast tomorrow morning, and he would take it upon himself to make sure that happened under perfect conditions.

That was his mission for today—tracking down the perfect breakfast. He had already done some research.

His grandfather was a sucker for Eggs Benedict, and there happened to be a well-rated restaurant in the heart of Missoula called The Poached Egg.

Alex was on his way there now.

It was only five blocks from his hotel, so he walked.

He was smiling when he walked through the door of the restaurant, but it faded somewhat when he made it inside.

This was not what he expected.

It was tiny and chaotic inside, and not the type of place that would charm his grandfather. He made his way into the small, cramped dining area, toward a counter, thinking it was not an environment where he would be able to have a serious conversation.

"Hello, how are you?" said the young woman at the counter when she looked up and saw him coming her way.

"Hello," he said, answering her. There were six or eight tables in the small room, and all of them were full.

He made his way through them to get to the counter.

The whole place was no bigger than his bedroom.

There was music and murmuring, and it was not quiet, so he waited until he got closer to the counter to say anything else to her.

She was a jolly looking girl with rosy cheeks and curly dark hair that was pulled back.

She gave him a big smile as she waited for him to approach. Her nametag said her name was Luna.

Alex heard the door open behind him and saw that she looked that way. He turned and glanced over his shoulder to find that another man had come in behind him. He had just walked around on the streets of Missoula, and he had marveled at what a low-key town it was.

"You guys are busy in here," he said to the cashier in somewhat disbelief.

"Oh, yes sir, always, but Friday and Saturday are our busiest days. Excuse me for just one second. I'll be right back with you." She stooped and picked up a bag and then held it over the counter, offering it to the guy who had come in behind Alex.

"Here you go, Mr. Scott," she said to him.

"Thanks," he said to her, reaching around Alex. "Nice name tag."

"Thanks," she said with a smile.

He leaned in and spoke quietly. "Is it Josie making 'em today?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, tell her they're just as good as her sister's."

"Oh, thanks, I'll make sure to tell her."

"All right, well, I'll see you next Tuesday. Same time, same place."

"Yes, sir, have a good weekend," she said.

"You too," he agreed as he turned and headed back out.

Luna shifted her attention to Alex. "Sorry about that," she said. "I knew that would be quick. Welcome to The Poached Egg. How can I help you?"

"Is this the menu?" Alex asked, pointing to the chalkboard that was on the wall behind her.

"Yes, oh, is it your first time here?"

"Yes."

"Welcome!"

"Thanks."

"Yeah, this is our menu," she said. "It's pretty simple."

That was an understatement.

Alex blinked at the menu, which had all of five items. It was basically eggs five different ways, including one item that was called a 'five-dollar protein cup'.

"The protein cup is our best seller," she said. "They're bigger than they look."

"It's the best five bucks you'll spend all day," someone else said, coming up beside Alex. It was another man, and he had come from one of the tables. He reached into a case for a small to-go cup with a lid. "We paid our tab already, but I'll take another one of these to go, if you don't mind."

"Sure, yeah, it's five dollars."

He held up a twenty.

"See? They're popular," Luna said, looking at Alex. "If you need a second to decide, I'll take a second to make change for this gentleman."

"Yeah, of course," Alex said, stepping out of the way.

The internet had lied. The reviews had all raved about how this place had the best poached eggs in the whole world. They failed to mention that it was cramped and busy and not a place to have a decent conversation over breakfast.

"Two Benedicts and two Hungry Man's in the window," a man's voice said, coming from behind her.

"Heard you, Cal, thanks," Luna said, projecting her voice over her shoulder.

She helped that other customer, and Alex felt the urge to turn and walk out. He would have if there had been another breakfast place that had good reviews for Eggs Benedict. He took a deep breath and decided to be patient as the cashier finished what she was doing.

A young guy came out of a door that was behind the counter. "Oh, hey, Cal just put those plates in the window. Can you please take them to table four?"

"Yes," the guy agreed easily.

The cashier checked out the customer, and Alex stepped to the side when the other employee passed by him with a tray of food.

The cashier smiled at him after the customer left the counter. "Sorry about that," she said.

"Yeah, no, it's fine. I see you're busy. Is there a, does there happen to be a different dining room? Something quiet?"

She laughed. "No, this is it," she said. "We have Luna's table in the back. It's quiet. We eat back there, but it's not usually for customers."

"Is it your table?" he asked, gesturing to her name tag.

The girl laughed a little and covered the tag with her hand. "Oh, no, I'm Carly. This name tag belongs to my little friend, Luna. She's four years old. She's the chef's daughter, and she dared me to wear it."

"Oh, okay. So, is it a little kid's table… the one in the back?"

"No, it's full-size. But it's just a two-top, and it's tucked back in a corner back there. Not that we tuck her in a corner or anything. Her aunt bought her some new toys the other day. And she's only here on days when she's not in school."

"What about tomorrow?"

"Are you asking if Luna will be here tomorrow?" She craned her neck a little and glanced behind Alex. "Bye, you guys, thanks for coming in!"

"It was wonderful, thanks!" someone in the group yelled back to her as they walked out.

"My grandfather will be with me tomorrow. We're just visiting this town. His favorite breakfast is Eggs Benedict."

"Oh, well, he's in for a treat."

"Well, no, I, I need to talk to him. That's the thing. We need a quiet place to talk while we eat, if that's possible. Is there any way I could pay you extra, and we could use that table you're talking about? Luna's table? Could I possibly see it? I'll pay."

"I know Lu's going to spend the night with another little girl tonight, but I don’t know what time she'll be back tomorrow. Let me go ask for you. Hang on just a second. Good morning, Maggie! I'll be back in just a minute!" she said to a lady who walked in the door at that moment.

That lady came to stand next to Alex while the cashier walked into the back.

He turned and looked around, surveying the room and wondering if there was any possible way he could have a serious conversation with his grandfather in there.

There was so much noise. He needed time to explain his process and sell his grandfather on making a significantly larger investment.

That wasn't something he wanted to rush.

The stereo was playing classic rock. It had been a slower song—something by Fleetwood Mac when he first came in. But now there was a faster song playing. He thought the name was Stranglehold, but he didn't know who sang it. All the noise was too much for his grandfather.

Alex glanced at the food that was sitting on one of the tables. One of the ladies had the Eggs Benedict, and it looked delicious. He knew the food itself would be perfect for his grandfather, but there may be no hope for this place.

"Hey, Maggie," he heard the cashier say. He turned and saw that she was standing in the doorway, holding the swinging door open. "Is it the usual?"

The lady at the counter answered with a nod.

"Sounds good," the cashier said. She focused on Alex, and she saw that he was looking at her, so she gestured for him to follow her. He did. They walked through a kitchen where a man was cooking on one side and someone else was washing dishes in a sink on the far wall.

"This is our poacher's room," she said, turning to a wide doorway on the right.

This room had a table on the right side of the entrance with heat lamps.

There were plates and to-go boxes that were waiting for eggs.

Beyond that was a large stove lining the wall, with a woman working.

She was concentrating on poaching eggs—staring at pots with timers.

It was quieter in this room, more relaxed.

She had a ponytail and an apron, and there was some low classical music coming from a small speaker.

There was a bit of noise from the kitchen, but this room was different.

The young woman working was facing the stove, so he could only see her back and a little of the side of her face.

There was a heavy-duty partition in the middle of the room, and on the left side of it was a cozy seating area.

Alex figured this was the table he was being offered.

It was a normal, full-size table for two, and besides a few toys, the area was decorated like the rest of the restaurant.

He knew right away that this was a perfectly good area to share breakfast. Alex glanced at the row of toys that was neatly lined up on the far wall.

The table was tucked in the corner, and the whole area was in a spot where they would be out of everyone's way. It was quiet and wonderful, and Alex didn’t mind at all that it was sharing a room with the woman who was cooking eggs. His grandfather would like it.

"This is perfect," he said, glancing at the cashier with an excited smile as he pointed at the table.

She returned the smile cautiously and shrugged. "Well, I'll let you talk to Josie and see if she thinks it'll work out for you to use it."