Chapter Two
Reagan
I woke up early on Saturday morning, much earlier than I had planned. I always attempted to sleep in on weekends, but ended up lying wide-eyed and awake. I’d always been an early bird. I was jealous of people who could stay in bed without any worry about all the time they were wasting. It was something I had tried to do so many times but couldn’t. Now I just didn’t even bother.
“Sleeping in doesn’t mean you’re wasting time. You’re simply giving your body more of a chance to rest and recover. And there’s nothing wrong with that,” someone had told me once. It was true. I believed them. And yet, I’d feel anxious whenever I slept in even half an hour later than usual. I always felt that I would have to find a way to make up for the lost time somehow.
That day was no different. The night before, I’d tried to stay up late, just so that I could sleep in. But I was up early, just waiting to begin the day. Eventually, when I couldn’t stand lying in bed any longer, I got up and made my way downstairs. Food was often my biggest motivation. I looked through all the kitchen cupboards, but I’d forgotten to go shopping the day before, and the only thing that I had left to eat was a box of cereal, and a few slices of bread that should probably be thrown away. I sighed. As much as I loved eating, cooking wasn’t exactly my favorite thing to do. I always left shopping until it was absolutely necessary for me to go. Coffee first. I’d worry about the food later, but I at least needed a good cup of coffee to start the day. But when I reached for the coffee bag, I groaned when I saw it was empty. What was wrong with me? I was usually a lot more organized than this. I climbed instead into the shower, changed, and headed out to Dana’s.
Dana’s Café was basically the only café I ever went to. Not only did it serve the most incredible food, but it was also run by my best friend. Good food and good conversation was always a guarantee when I went to visit. I often wondered if I deliberately ran out of food just so that I could go and visit. It was already busy by the time I got there, and I saw Dana running around making sure that everything was running smoothly. She was always involved in every aspect of the business, a fact I was sure drove the staff crazy, but a good reason as to why the company worked as well as it did. I chuckled as I watched her, and felt immensely proud that she had done all of this on her own. Her husband owned the café with her, but Dana was really the one in charge. It was her café, and she made sure that it ran smoothly every day. She was a tiny little thing and looked much younger than she was. But her character and her food were larger than life.
“Oh, hey, Reagan,” she said when she saw me. “I didn’t know you were coming in today.”
“Neither did I. But I have no food at home. And no coffee.”
“No coffee? That won’t do. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Take a seat. Let me get you a cup.”
I smiled as I sat down at one of my favorite seats. I had a few chosen seats that I enjoyed the most, all of them along the outskirts of the café. I’d always been a good people watcher, and my choice of seat always reflected this. Dana arrived moments later with two cups of coffee. She sat down next to me and smiled.
“I like it when you come in. It’s a good excuse for me to take a break.”
“I’m sure your staff like it when I come in too then. It gives them a chance to finally breathe.”
“Oh come on, I’m not that bad. Am I?”
I chuckled. “You’re bad. But you also happen to be a very nice person, so I don’t think they really mind. But still, I’m glad you’re joining me. Ah, this coffee is so good,” I said as I took a grateful sip. Even if I did have coffee at home, it wouldn’t have been as good as this stuff. I was most definitely not a natural when it came to anything in the kitchen. I could stand and debate for days, but put me in a kitchen, and I fell apart.
“I’m glad you like it. We actually have a new barista that started today. I was worried that he wouldn’t do as good a job as the last guy, but I think he’s doing just fine,” she said as she took a sip of his own coffee.
“Oh yeah, this is great. He obviously knows what he’s doing. It’s just the same as how it always is, so you definitely chose the right guy.”
“Good. I’ll let him know. Oh, by the way, I went ahead and ordered you some breakfast. I hope you don’t mind but I’m testing out a new scrambled egg croissant, and I wouldn’t mind your opinion. We bake the cheese into the actual croissant.”
“What? That sounds amazing. And of course I don’t mind. I love nothing more than being a guinea pig for you.”
She laughed. “Well, let me know when you get it. I want your honest opinion. It sounded like a good idea. I actually had a dream about it, and when I woke up, I decided to give it a try. I’m just not sure if we executed it well.”
“Dana, you execute everything well. I can’t believe you had a dream about it. That’s amazing.”
“Thank you. I often dream about food. So what were you looking at on your phone when I brought the coffees? You were grimacing. Did something happen?”
I shook my head. “Oh, the usual officials not doing their jobs,” I said and began a rant about the corrupt political system that I saw around me. I chuckled when I saw Dana’s bored expression and realized that I had gotten carried away. It wasn’t the first time that this had happened. We might be best friends, but she definitely did not share my interest in politics. “Sorry,” I said. “I’m boring you.”
“You know my thoughts,” she said. “I do like your passion for it all, but I just can’t seem to feign interest when it comes to a bunch of political pricks.”
I laughed. “They’re not all like that. But yeah . . . sorry about the rant. I can’t help myself sometimes.”
“That’s okay. I’m sure it’s the same when I rattle on about the café. So, have you found a job yet?”
I sighed. No wonder I couldn’t sleep in on a Saturday morning. The first thought that had come to my mind when I woke up was the fact that I was jobless. And I was not the type of person that handled unemployment well. I was a hard worker for a reason. I enjoyed work, and I liked keeping myself busy. Not having a job didn’t sit well with me and I knew that I’d be restless until I found something. But no matter how hard I looked, there didn’t seem to be anything out there. I shook my head.
“Nothing. And trust me—I’m looking every single day for something. But so far, all the jobs I have seen are either not what I’m looking for, or they’re for a political party that I don’t agree with. And obviously I would never work for someone that had different viewpoints than mine. I could never do that. I want to work for someone that shares the same political beliefs as me. Otherwise I’m just going to end up hating my job.”
“Good. Don’t just into anything just because you have to. Take your time and find something that you love. I know what you’re like, anyway. You need to love your job. You can’t be in something that you don’t love. I’m the same.”
I sighed. “Yeah. That’s the problem, though, isn’t it? If I didn’t care so much, the whole thing would be a lot easier.”
“There is nothing wrong with caring too much.”
“Yeah, I suppose so,” I said. “I’d rather not work in the field if I’m going to work for the wrong person. But that definitely makes the whole thing a lot harder. I’m starting to think that there is nothing out there for me.”
“Ah, I’m sorry, Reagan. I know this has been hard for you. But you can always come and work here if you don’t find anything. Trust me; there are a lot of politicians that come in and out of this place, so you can still get your fix every day. I must be close to a few of the offices or something because they are always coming in.”
I laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind. I don’t think I’d be very good at this job, though.”
“You’d be good. You’re good at everything you set your mind too. Well, the offer still stands.”
My dream was in politics, and we both knew it. But it was nice to have an option if I ever needed it. I assumed if I ever worked in a café with Dana that my job would not be in the kitchen. She’d have a heart attack with me in there. “Thanks, Dana. Hopefully I’ll find a job soon enough. I’m sure something will come up eventually. You do realize that if I come and work here, I’ll probably eat you out of business.”
She chuckled. “I doubt that. That’s the one thing about working around food so much; you don’t end up eating as much as you used to.”
“Oh, that’s not good. I don’t want to stop eating your food.”
“Hey, look who just came in. I told you that we get politicians in here all the time. They probably sense my disinterest, so they know they can come here without me listening to a word that they say.”
I turned around to see who she was talking about and saw that it was Josh Maxwell’s opponent for the upcoming election. He was dying to win, and right now it looked like it was anybody’s game. I saw heads turn the moment he walked in.
“He’s a popular one. Does that mean he’s good at his job?” Dana asked.
“He’s mostly popular because he’s so good looking. I think he’s the sort of guy that turns heads no matter where he goes,” I said, and I tried not to stare at him myself. I’d always thought he was a good-looking guy, but this was the first time I was seeing him so close. He was even better looking than I had imagined.
“He is good looking. No wonder you’re so interested in politics,” she teased.
“He’s not my type, though.”
“He’s not? Why not?”
“I don’t know. But there’s just something about him I don’t particularly like. He is absolutely gorgeous, though, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t fancy him. Also, he’s way too old for me.”
“So what? There’s nothing wrong with having a sugar daddy.”
“Did you know that the literal meaning of the word ‘senate’ is ‘assembly of elders?’”
Dana laughed. “You’re such a nerd. Of course I didn’t know that. My vocabulary is mostly based around cuisine. Ask me anything about food and I can tell you in my sleep.”
“I’m sure. I mean, you’re the one actually dreaming about new foods to try.”
She laughed. “Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with marrying an elder, is there? If you married him, you could have your full share of politics on a daily basis without ever having to work yourself. That sounds like your dream. Why don’t you go and introduce yourself?”
I laughed at the absurdity of it. “Let my husband work for me while I sat around doing nothing? That’s the total opposite of who I am. No thank you,” I said and turned back around. I realized I had been staring. I couldn’t help myself. Even though I wasn’t interested in him, I was still interested in his line of work and couldn’t help but wonder who he was meeting or what he was doing. Of course, he was merely sitting by himself having breakfast, just as I was. Thankfully, just before Dana could say anything more, the waitress arrived with the food.
“Oh, this is amazing,” I said to Dana as I eyed the croissant in front of me. Not only was the presentation incredible, but the smell was heavenly. I had no idea how she managed to make a relatively normal meal into something so spectacular.
“Do you think it looks okay? You know what I think about us eating with our eyes first,” she said. I could see that she had totally forgotten about the politician now. Her focus had now shifted to her café. I loved how her face lit up whenever we spoke about it.
“Are you kidding me? It’s more than okay. This is incredible. It’s like a work of art. I don’t know how you do it.”
She smiled. “The poor staff know how important it is to me to get the food looking as good as it tastes. Okay, go on. Give it a try.”
If I was at home, I’d have lifted the croissant up with my hands, but there were scrambled eggs spilling out of it, and I knew it would be a messy affair. I picked up my knife and fork and placed a piece in my mouth. I closed my eyes to savor the taste, which was unlike anything I had ever had before.
“Oh wow,” I said. “This is perfection. Can you please serve me this every single time I come in?”
She smiled. “You’re not just saying that because I’m your best friend?”
I raised my eyebrows. “Since when have I ever done that? Even if I lied, you’d see it written on my face. You know me too well. Seriously, Dana. This stuff is incredible. You are most definitely in the right line of work.”
She beamed. “Thanks, Reagan. And don’t worry. You’ll find something you’re passionate about too. I have no doubt in my mind about that.”
“I hope so, Dana. I hope so. Now, are you going to watch me eat or are you going to get something for yourself too?”
She giggled. “I’m going to watch you eat.”