Chapter 19 Eden
Chapter nineteen
Eden
“I Found God in a Takeout Box”
Monday morning, I sat behind the counter at Ginger & Black, going down the list of things I thought I might need to buy.
The espresso grinder was getting touchy already (that’s what I get for buying refurbished), we were running low on vanilla syrup, and we had just burned through most of our compostable to-go lids.
But honestly, it was just a distraction, busywork.
Today was a busy day, almost every table occupied by at least one person. A low murmur of conversation hummed inside. I had been told that people were upset when I didn’t open the day that I went to the rec center. I apologized profusely, but honestly it felt good to be missed.
All of the usuals were here today, plus plenty of new faces. A grad student writing her thesis, a lawyer who liked his macchiato extra frothy, some guy reading Kafka like it was his entire personality. The only thing I could truly notice was that Halo wasn’t sitting at the corner table. Again.
Jay had been kicking ass today: running orders, mixing drinks, small talking with the customers.
He was bright and energetic and in such a great mood.
He had noticed early in the day that something was off with me, and I’d tried to reassure him, but I could see the way he looked at me as the day went on.
He had also expressed concern for my healing road rash.
I told him I was riding a mountain bike and took a spill.
It’s worth mentioning that I can’t even ride a bike, but he didn’t know that.
I spent a lot of weekends trapped alone in my apartment by choice, but there was something especially oppressive about knowing I couldn’t leave that had made this weekend particularly difficult. I couldn’t wait to get back to work just so I could breathe again.
The crowd thinned out in the afternoon, and I moved to wipe down the table tops in the silence. My eyes moved to the blueberry muffin sitting in a plastic container on the counter and I sighed.
Jay came up behind me with a rag in his hands too. Instead of helping, he stood there and squeezed it between his hands.
“Are you sure everything is okay?” he finally asked.
I turned to smile at him. “Yeah, just an off day. You know?”
“Yeah, I get that… and I don’t mean to push it. I’ve just never seen you sit behind the counter like that. It just isn’t your vibe. Is there anything I can do to help?”
This kid was gold, absolute solid gold.
“Actually, I do have something I need help with. Do you know anyone who pet sits?”
“Like a dog? Or like Regret?”
“Regret,” I confirmed. “You know, I mentioned I’d be going out of town for a little bit. I don’t know who I can trust him with. Could I pay you to come to my apartment and feed him and just… I don’t know. Let him know he’s not been abandoned?”
“Of course, I can do that. You know you don’t have to pay me.”
“You’re a lifesaver.”
“Is there anything else?”
“No, thank you, though. Really. I don’t think you understand what this means to me.”
The bell above the door tinkled, and I turned with a reflexive smile, but it quickly faltered.
The cop that had come to my apartment was standing in the doorway. He looked smug. Smiling like we shared a secret. Like he owned something he could use against me. He sauntered in with the relaxed confidence of someone who thought the badge on his chest made him bulletproof.
“Smells great in here.”
Jay retreated behind the counter, clearly distrustful of the man based on the uniform alone.
“Oh, hello, Officer. Can we get you something?” I asked evenly.
He smiled, strolling over to the counter and leaning heavily on it as I rounded the corner and stood behind the register.
“Thought I’d stop in and follow up with you about that report you made. Also—” He tapped the counter twice. “I’ll take an Americano.”
“You want a donut with it?” Jay deadpanned, not missing a beat.
I would’ve laughed any other time, but Jay didn’t understand how dangerous this situation was. I swallowed back an anxious fear and refused to let it show on my face as I responded.
“No problem, that’ll be four twenty-five.”
“So… about the report.”
“I’ve moved on,” I interjected flatly. “You were right, I didn’t see anything. It was a stressful day, and I wanted to get home that night. I was on edge. Delirious.”
“Smart woman.”
He counted exact change on the counter: four dollar bills, two dimes, and a nickel. I reached for them, and he grabbed my arm with lightning reflexes. I almost made a surprised sound but managed to catch it before it was born. I fixed him with my own venomous glare.
“You didn’t see anything. What about him?
Did he see anything?” He nodded towards Jay, who I could see in my periphery.
He had straightened up, bristling. I could tell he was on the verge of reacting, and I couldn’t let that happen.
I raised my free hand at my side, flat and low, where the cop couldn’t see it, hoping that he’d understand not to escalate.
“No, I was walking home alone that night.”
I pulled my arm, but he held it tight, turning it over to look at the wounds on my arm. He cranked it outwards, causing my elbow to burn with the unnatural pressure. I winced despite myself.
“What happened here?”
“Fell off of my mountain bike. Was going pretty fast. Hit the pavement.”
I jerked my arm away this time, out of his grasp. Jay approached, setting his drink on the counter and sliding it across to him so roughly that it sloshed.
He took the cup, smiled at me and Jay. “Thanks for the coffee. I’ll check back in.”
He started to leave the counter but hesitated, reaching out to grab the container with the blueberry muffin. Then he left.
I exhaled as he went out the door, my entire body relaxing all at once.
“What the hell was that about?” Jay asked, voice rising in a concerned pitch.
“It’s—”
How did I explain this to him? I couldn’t tell him what had happened, what I had seen.
I couldn’t tell him that someone wanted to kill me over this because what if then they wanted to kill him too?
Oh my God, what if I had implicated Jay just by having him here with me?
He was just a kid. My heart started pounding in my chest.
“Eden?”
“It’s nothing. A really long and stupid story. Just promise me if you see that guy again you’ll give him what he wants and let him leave. Please, just trust me on this…”
“Yeah, I got really bad vibes from that guy.”
“Jay, why don’t you go home now?”
“Oh, hell no,” he said, shaking his head so forcefully that his hair bounced. “I am not leaving you here by yourself after that.”
“I’ll be fine. We’ll be closing soon, and I’ll be okay. I would feel better if I knew you were home and safe.”
I could tell he didn’t want to go. He had never turned down an opportunity to take off early, but he had genuine concern for my wellbeing. I hoped he could see the sincerity in my plea with him. He exhaled and shrugged his shoulders in defeat.
“Okay, fine.”
“And please text me when you get home safely.”
“You should be careful too,” he said, taking off his apron and laying it over the countertop.
I nodded at him. He gathered up his keys, hesitating at the door again before he left.
I shooed him with a wave and when he was gone down the street and out of sight, I collapsed into a chair.
Was the dirty cop one of the men Halo was going to kill?
Maybe I wouldn’t be as bothered by that…
but what if the guy had a family? Kids? A mother or father who loved him? My stomach did a nervous flip.
The bell chimed again, and I felt my hair stand on end. I couldn’t see the door from where I sat behind the counter. Should I duck and run out the back? Hide?
No. This was my fucking shop. I wasn’t going to be run out of my own business. I stood up suddenly, back straight, jaw set.
Halo stood at the door. He looked furious. I had rarely seen much emotion in those eyes of his, but the absolute rage I saw there was terrifying.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
It took me a minute to figure out what he meant. Was I okay? Like, in general? I guess, in the grand scheme of things…
Then I realized he meant the interaction with the cop, because he’d been watching. Always watching.
“Yeah,” I responded, my voice not as confident as I wanted it to be.
He didn’t look convinced.
“Yeah, I’m fine. He was just trying to intimidate me.”
“He put his fucking hands on you.”
Was I flattered? Okay, I was flattered.
“Well, technically just one hand…”
He wasn’t impressed with my joke. He leaned across the counter, resting his forearms on it as he made eye contact with me.
I walked towards him, standing just across from him.
He looked me up and down in a way that was almost like he was taking inventory: making sure all my body parts were attached and uninjured.
“I’m not scared of him,” I assured him.
I was, though, for both me and Jay.
“He won’t be a problem much longer. The minute he steps outside and I can find him, he’s dead.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but words fled me.
Halo ran a hand over his face, stepping back and taking a deep breath.
I turned away to gather my own bearings while making his coffee.
I put it in a to-go cup today, drawing a little heart on the outside with a Sharpie.
I put it on the counter and then instinctively reached for the muffin…
but it was gone. I stared at the empty place on the counter.
“What is it?” he asked.
“He took your muffin.”
“My muffin?”
“I save you one every day. Just in case,” I admitted.
He didn’t say anything right away, just stood there, looking at the empty place where the muffin had been, like its absence was a personal offense. I moved around the counter and leaned my hip against it, suddenly aware of how tense I had been.
“You haven’t been coming in lately,” I said, more softly than I intended.