Chapter 5
Hazel
My shift ended two hours ago, but I decided to stay longer so Laney and I could go together. She needed help anyway. The coffee shop was packed, and the kitchen was a mess. I finished up there before the next shift took over while Laney counted the cash.
“All done here,” she said, closing the register, and disappeared into the back to get changed.
“Here you go,” Thomas said, handing me a to-go cup. Thomas was my colleague and trainer here at O’Riley’s when I first started. Cool dude.
“Thanks,” I said, forcing a smile to hide my exhaustion.
“I heard you had a visitor today.” Thomas raised his eyebrow. “You okay?”
“Yeah, of course. Jackson has a habit of showing up when I don’t need him here lately. No worries.” But I was worried, even though it was much easier to convince myself it was no big deal.
“Just say the word, and I’ll add him to the Do Not Serve and Get the Hell Out list if he gives you more trouble.”
I laughed, picturing that scenario playing out.
“It’s fine. Really.” I sipped the caramel-infused liquid, its warmth instantly calming me.
“Thank you for covering for Laney last week, by the way. We’re so short-staffed lately, thanks to all the allergy-prone Gen Zers calling in sick this spring.”
“Well, spring is a tough time for everyone,” I chuckled, just as Laney stepped out of the staff room, tossing her bag over her shoulder.
We stepped into the fresh spring air, and I instinctively scanned the street. We were headed downtown. Laney had errands there, and my apartment was on the way. It was a bit of a walk, but I didn’t mind.
I loved spring. Actually, I loved all the seasons.
Well, not really the seasons themselves, more the moments between them.
If you do the math, it checks out: four beautiful seasons.
By the end of each, you’ve fully adjusted to the new one, and it starts to feel repetitive.
Then, the next one shows up and suddenly becomes my new favorite.
I mean, who doesn’t love winter—snowfall, hot cocoa, and Christmas tree fresheners?
But by the time late February hits, it’s just gray, freezing, and draining.
That’s when spring arrives, bringing warmth, while I repot my plants and get lost in the weeds.
By May, you’re ready for beach days. Or, in my case, the strawberry tarts from The Bakehouse.
And don’t even get me started on fall—it’s a season I’d gladly ink into my skin, if only I could do it justice.
And so it goes. Whenever the season turns, that exact moment becomes my favorite—the fifth season, as I call it.
But since explaining all this was a hassle, I just avoided the topic altogether.
After chatting about new book releases and our weirdest recent customers, we finally made it to my place.
I wasn’t expecting Mady for another couple of hours, so I slipped into a bath to unwind, put on some good old Taylor Swift, and tried to space out for a moment surrounded by pine-scented candles.
After “Cardigan” had played for the sixth time, I figured I should probably get out.
Half an hour later, I was curled up on the couch, brushing through damp hair and scrolling through Craigslist apartment listings, when the doorbell rang.
“Sushi?” Mady said and lifted the takeaway bags like a trophy, smiling so brightly it lit up the entire hall.
“You already know the answer to that,” I said, letting her breeze past me into the apartment.
Before long, we were tipsy, lying on the floor, laughing about the time she lost a dare in college and had to deliver an entire group presentation in a fake British accent, barely able to keep our composure together.
“The professor thought you were an exchange student until the last slide,” I said between gasps of laughter. “Thank God no one recorded it. If a video of that surfaces, someone’s 100% slipping it into your wedding reception.”
“Oh, please. You will have to do more than that to embarrass me at my wedding,” Mady laughed.
“How’s the planning going anyway?”
“Oh, it’s coming along. We have a date and, possibly, John doing card tricks as I walk down the aisle,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“What?” I sputtered, nearly spilling my wine.
“Yeah. He found this wild YouTube video on ‘unique wedding ideas’. I walked in halfway, and now I have to stage an intervention before it becomes a real possibility.”
John had always been an interesting person, though I sometimes sensed a hint of darkness in him. It was usually harmless, like when we were at a restaurant and the waiter messed up our order. John wouldn’t be rude, but he’d mutter under his breath, calling him a degenerate.
But he was good to Mady, and they seemed to balance each other out.
“Sounds like classic John,” I chuckled. “But you have the date, so the hardest part’s done, right?”
“The hardest part is deciding who to invite and how to seat them,” Mady sighed. “John has a family that needs to be split among three tables to avoid a disaster.”
I made a mental note to write down the names later. I’d need them on the big day to help her navigate the minefield of seating arrangements without World War III breaking out over who had the birthright to sit closest to the bride and groom.
“How’s your dad?” Mady asked, catching me off guard with the sudden change in topic.
“Oh, you know. Still in San Francisco, working nonstop,” I sighed. My dad and I were on good terms. No fights or drama, but we’ve grown distant over the past few years.
“Are you sad about that?” she asked softly, as if I were a fragile vase. I wasn’t.
“No. Why would I be? That’s just how it is with us. I’m sure he’s fine with things as they are.”
“When’s the last time you talked?”
“Two months ago, maybe. We did the usual—he asked how I was, I asked about business, then we talked about the weather.”
Mady gave me that soft, knowing look, but didn’t press. Instead, she curled up next to me. I welcomed the warmth.
“And what about Jackson?”
I tensed. “What about him? We broke up.”
“Yeah, but how are you? Has he reached out?”
I lowered my eyes, avoiding her gaze. She was too good at reading me.
“It was the right call. It just wasn’t working. Nothing’s changed.” I carefully set my glass down, ensuring it landed on the coaster to avoid a wine ring on the floor.
“As for seeing him,” I paused. “We’ve run into each other—at the coffee shop, a few other places. That’s all.” I tried to make it sound casual. That wasn’t an actual lie, I tried to convince myself.
“Mhh,” she exhaled. “Have you found a new place?” she asked, quickly changing the subject again. Thankfully.
“Yes, I found a couple of options, not far from here, actually. Closer to my work.”
“Show me, show me!” Mady grinned, stumbling a bit as she grabbed my laptop and bumped into the couch on her way back, proving there was too much wine in her system. We sat cross-legged on the floor, scrolling through listings.
The rest of the night was spent reminiscing about our old college boyfriends, how we couldn’t wait for summer, and debating our next tattoos.
Only when the wine finally took over did we fall asleep on the pull-out couch, trying to hold onto these moments, to savor the ‘good old days’, feeling lucky to be in them right now.