Reaching Hearts - Faleena Hopkins

Chapter One

Annie

Coffee: keeping me alive. Le Barré: fucked.

I had to search for my staff’s applications to get their phone numbers, then call from the bar’s landline, since my phone vanished along with everything else. Then I went to Philz and got coffee for everyone, where I took my time and read the paper in an effort to remember I’m not the only one in the world with problems. It lifts my mood to see their crazy green bathroom that looks like a magic marker attacked it when no one showed up to clean. But apparently that was a bad decision. I should have stayed here to babysit.

Taryn runs up, her eyes flashing to the debacle of police tape and broken glass. “Annie! I’m so glad you’re okay!”

“I’m great. Le Barré however, not so much.”

She hugs me and I squeeze her tight, too. We turn to the windowless mess.

“The liquor bottles are all gone!”

I sigh. “Yep. And guess what? They were here when I called you. Then I went to get these.” I hand her a latte, three left haphazardly in the cardboard tray. “I guess I was too out of it to imagine someone would take them. Someone’s having one hell of a party; that’s the silver lining.”

Taryn stares. It’s quite a sight. “What are you gonna do?”

I shrug. I’m all dried up of tears, dead inside, everything heavy. “I called the insurance agency and told them what happened.”

“Well, would you look at this mess! I mean, wow!” Laura walks up, her eyes on the disaster. “When you climax, you’re something else! Give a building a warning next time, would ya?”

I roll my eyes. “Funny.”

She purses her lips together, takes the coffee I point to – Americana with Almond Milk – and eyes me with empathy. “Hey kid. Our garage got robbed three years ago. It’s the worst. How’re you holding up?”

“I’ve been better. Shall we go in through our new door? This isn’t something you get to do every day.”

We step through the broken window, the three of us dressed in old jeans, t-shirts and mucked-up sneakers.

Laura quips, “The novelty is appealing.”

“Adventures in bar-owning!” Taryn throws up her fists.

We tromp through broken glass, but the sight of blood on the cement floor stops us cold. It’s dark and awful and there are brownish-red footprints leading out of the largest blotch. With the shadows of afternoon sunlight pouring in through the missing window, highlighting the glass fragments and the dried blood, it looks like something out of a horror movie.

“Oh my God.” I hand the tray to Taryn, walk over and pick up his jacket, an excruciating reminder of a better time. The girls stare at me as I look through the pockets. “His phone is in here.” On the screen are a slew of message and text notifications from Mark, some names I don’t know and Rebecca Wells. Her name knocks the wind out of me. Did I know her name was Rebecca? Did someone say that to me this morning when they assumed I was her? I have no idea. With my hand shaking, I tuck the phone back in the pocket and take a deep breath. Laura and Taryn walk over and lay their heads on my shoulders.

“Hang in there, kid. I brought hard-core cleaner that gets rid of everything. We’ll have this place back the way it was in no time.”

“It’ll gleam like crystals on a sunny day,” Taryn whispers and kisses the side of my head.

They walk to the bar, but my feet are frozen where I stand. My fingers are clutched tightly on his jacket and I stare at his shoes, wondering how this could be happening. The girls are in front of me, but to my left, the door to the storeroom opens. Fear races up my spine. I spin around. Nearly scream.

“Hey Boss,” Manny says, wiping sweat from his forehead. All eyes are on me.

“I guess I’m still jumpy,” I mutter. “I didn’t know you were here.”

He looks from the girls to me. “I got here forty-five minutes ago.” He points his thumb behind him to the storeroom. “I put all the bottles in lock down.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. They were sitting on the shelves like a candy store.” He gives me a sad, lopsided smile. “I didn’t want anyone to take them.”

“Well that’s a relief.” My heart is still pounding and I have to focus hard against it. “Thank you. There’s a coffee for you over there.” I point to where Taryn set down