Chapter 85

Leighton

It's a slow day at The Café. After the lunch rush, we haven't had any of the stragglers we normally have. They usually help pass the time, but today there's only been one or two customers. Given that it's a rainy Wednesday, I can't say I blame everyone for wanting to stay at home and take a nap. If I was given an option, I'd probably do the same thing.

Since it's slow and I've already taken care of what I need to, I sit down at the bar and pull my laptop from the bag I carry with me everywhere.

"What are you doing?" Violet, a waitress newer than me, asks as I wait for my MacBook to boot up. She's a little older than me, maybe by a couple of years, but I think we could be friends if given time. There's a kinship you can instantly recognize with people who seem to have had hard lives, and I recognize it within her. It's the dark moons that mar the space below her eyes, the way her eyes dart back and forth when the bell rings, and the way she looks up when anyone new comes