Page 72 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

But it is my fault, Juno thought as she watched Mrs. Harrison leave.I brought him here. I gave him access to all of you.

She headed to her little office and dropped into her chair, sick at heart.

Thenextmorning,Claireshowed up just as Juno opened up and slid onto one of the stools at the counter. “I’ve been up for more than an hour already to prep for my big sale this weekend. I need energy. Pep. A pick-me-up that won’t make me jittery.” Claire’s shop didn’t open for several more hours, but her early morning visits were routine.

“How about an egg and avocado toast?” Juno suggested, knowing it was one of her friend’s favorites.

“Perfect.” Claire nodded. “And coffee, of course. I can handle it if I get something in my stomach, I promise.”

Juno rolled her eyes but filled a ceramic mug and set it in front of Claire. “I think you might like coffee more than I do,” she said, trying to force a lightness into her tone, even though she felt completely and utterly flat.

"So how are things with your dad?" Claire asked, like she’d picked up on Juno’s thoughts. "I haven't seen him around the last couple of days."

Juno kept her eyes on the sandwich she was preparing, afraid that if she looked at her friend, Claire would see right through her composure. "He got another job offer. Something with more hours than I can give him."

"Oh?" Claire sounded surprised. "He seemed so… content working here. Where's he working now?

"Out of town," Juno said vaguely. "A construction job."

"Okay." Claire's tone suggested she didn't quite believe this explanation but was willing to let it slide for now. "And how are things with Alex?” She wiggled her brows at Juno. “That’s what I really want to know. Are you two getting married yet? You’d better move fast to make up for all that lost time. I’m so glad you two sorted things out. You’re perfect for each other, Juno. And now that he has Lena? My goodness, but I love watching him with her. It’s like getting to see a whole new side of our Alex, isn’t it?”

Juno's hand trembled slightly as she poured the steamed milk. "Wow, you really have had too much caffeine, woman. Slow down.”

“Sorry,” Claire said, taking a deep breath and blowing it out slowly. “But tell me. You and Alex. And Lena. He and Lena were in The Cracked Spine the other night, but we were packed, and I didn’t get a chance to ask him how things were with the custody stuff. Not that I would’ve asked in front of Lena anyway; don’t worry.”

Juno held up a hand, not wanting this conversation to go on any longer. “Actually, Claire, I don’t really know, either. We're sorta taking a break. Just until he gets things sorted out with Lena, but he really needs to focus on that. Keep things simple for court, you know?" Wow. The lies were just flying out of her mouth today.

"Juno." Claire's eyes grew round, and her voice softened. "What happened? That doesn’t sound good.”

“Everything is fine,” Juno insisted, fanning the hardboiled egg slices over the mashed avocado on a thick slice of multigrain toast. “It’s fine,” she said again. “It’s just while things get sorted out.” Ugh. She’d said that already. And Claire wasn’t buying it.

Claire studied her for a long moment, then nodded. "Well, if you need to talk, or just want company, call me. Day or night."

Not answering, she set Claire's breakfast in front of her. "Here you go.”

She was grateful when a group of men pushed into the shop at that moment. Early morning fishing, she presumed, and they’d likely all just want large black coffees to go. But they gave her an excuse to end the conversation with Claire, so she welcomed them with far more fervor than usual.

Twodayslater,Junosat at her desk, staring at her phone. She'd couldn't put this call off any longer. The news from PayQuick and her bank wasn’t good. Without that police report, she’d essentially handed her father $40,000 and sent him on his way.

She dialed J&J Contractors, her heart sinking when John Jensen himself answered.

"John, it's Juno Thomas."

"Juno! Good to hear from you. How can I help you? I was going over your project plans this morning."

"That's actually why I'm calling," she cut in, hating herself for what she had to say next. "I—I need to put the expansion on hold."

A pause. "Is there a problem?" She knew people cancelled on contractors all the time, often last minute, and she hated that she was going to be one of those people. She heard the wariness in his voice.

"I’m so sorry to have to do this." She gripped the phone tighter. "There's been a... financial issue,” she finally blurted out. “Someone gained access to my bank accounts and my funds are all but gone."

"Jeez, Juno, I'm sorry to hear that." John's voice filled with genuine concern. "Is there nothing you can do? Doesn’t your bank offer fraud protection?”

"Unfortunately, not in this case. The bank is treating it as an account compromise rather than fraud because it was done by someone who supposedly had authority to do so,” she said evasively, not wanting to have to explain any of it to anyone. “I will just have to rebuild the fund again.” The words were like ashes in her mouth. "I don’t know how long it will be, but I’m hoping maybe by next fall?” It was wishful thinking, she knew, but she felt compelled to sound more confident than she felt.

In other words, she was still lying to cover for her mistakes.

"Of course. I’ll make a note of it, and you just keep in touch." John hesitated. "You know, Juno, my brother-in-law's on the force, I could talk to him."

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