Page 23 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

The thought came unbidden, and it scared him how tempting having a few drinks was even after years of sobriety. But that's what sleep deprivation did—it made the old solutions seem reasonable again, broke down the barriers between what he knew was right and what his exhausted brain craved. Just a little oblivion. Just a few hours of not thinking, not remembering.

12

Juno

Junowasdonein.After the lunch rush, she usually took a break, but there'd been an unexpected afternoon surge, followed by an inventory check that revealed critical shortages she couldn't wait for her weekly suppliers to fill on Tuesday. A late night run to Evansville's supercenter hadn't been in her plans, but Autumn Lake grocers had closed hours ago.

It was now almost midnight, and the streets of her beloved town were quiet at this hour. She'd left two vintage globe lamps on in the coffee shop, a habit from when she'd first reopened the place, and as she drove by the storefront, she smiled at the sight. The low light made the place look warm and inviting even when empty.

She pulled around the back of the shop and into the wide, well-maintained alley in order to park as close to the back door of her kitchen as possible. After a childhood like hers, it was ingrained in Juno to pay attention to her surroundings at all times.

Her headlights illuminated the large blue truck parked near the foot of the stairs that led up to her upstairs apartment.

The Beast.

And The Beast's owner.

It had been a week since she'd last seen Alex, and although she could admit she'd been worried about him, she knew he was in good hands. Penny had been into the coffee shop only yesterday and said Alex was back on the job pretty much full time, and that it looked like they'd be wrapping things up this weekend.

Alex had texted on Saturday, thanking her for the coffee and sandwich, apologizing for being short with Poppy during the lunch delivery. He'd been worried he'd upset her.

But the bubbly Poppy had returned unfazed, gushing about how "amazing" and "what a good sport" Alex was. "He looks tired, but who wouldn't?" she'd declared, hand over her heart.

Juno hadn't gone into detail, but she'd texted back to let Alex know that Poppy was fine, and that she was glad he enjoyed the sandwich. She thanked him for helping with Mrs. Becker, but didn't bother asking why he'd been there. He'd dodged the question when they were face to face; why would he tell her the truth via text?

She'd watched the three little dots dance across the screen for several moments before he simply sent a 'thumbs up' emoji in response. She'd put her phone face-down in the pantry and left the kitchen so she wouldn't be tempted to keep checking it.

When she finally retrieved her phone an hour later, there was nothing more from him.

So what was he doing in her alley now, outside her back door in the middle of the night?

She took her keys from the ignition. She should go inside. She had groceries to put away, a very early morning tomorrow, and a really comfortable bed waiting for her to fall into. Whatever Alex was doing here wasn't her concern, and even if he was here to see her, now was not the time. He could come back during normal waking hours. He could call. He could text her and ask when a good time would be.

But the truck's crooked position, one tire on the curb, made her hesitate. She'd never forgive herself if something was wrong and she didn't check.

Sighing, she retrieved her phone from her pocket, switched on its flashlight, and climbed out.

Alex's silhouette was slumped over the steering wheel. The smell of alcohol wafted from his half-open window, triggering a sickening déjà vu. How many times had she dragged her father, too drunk to stand, from his car and into the house?

"Alex?" He lifted his head, blinking slowly, his eyes unfocused. She shone the light into the cab, then at his face, not even trying to keep the beam out of his eyes.

He squinted and put up a hand to bat away the light. "Juno." Her name came out slurred, barely recognizable. "I... wasn't gonna bother you."

"Are you okay?" A stupid question. He clearly wasn't.

"M'fine." He fumbled with his seatbelt. "Just... needed to see… We need to talk. Maybe tomorrow." He was hardly making any sense at all.

Her chest tightened, anger and concern battling for dominance. "You're drunk."

"Little bit." He attempted a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Don't worry. Not driving anywhere."

"You drove here," she shot back, anger winning out over worry. He thought this was funny? "How long have you been out here?"

He squinted at the dashboard clock. "Dunno. An hour, maybe? Where ya been?"

Juno sighed, leaning against the truck's door. "Alex, what are you doing? What happened? You can't just..."

"I know," he interrupted, voice suddenly sharp. "I'm screwing up again. That's... that's what I do, right? I mess everything up, and I hurt people."

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