Pushing open the door to the coffee shop, I find Vanessa and Helo sitting at the front table, looking through the contract together. She glares at me but says nothing as I pull out the remaining chair next to them and sit down.
“Contracts are nothing new to me, so shall we begin?” I suggest, and Vanessa rolls her eyes.
“Listen here, Mr. Fancy Pants. This is my circus and these are my monkeys. So how about you chill the fuck out and answer the same questions I ask every potential tenant, and then we’ll see where it goes from there, okay?” Vanessa straightens her spine, posturing herself to show she’s the boss in this situation. If that’s what she needs to move this encounter along, then so be it.
“Very well, Ms. Diaz. I will answer any question I can. Within reason, of course.” I responded, giving Helo a pointed look. Surely he’s given her some insight as to why I’m here, right?
“Look, maybe we’ve all gotten off on the wrong foot here. Sebastian won’t be able to disclose all the information you typically request, but I can vouch for him. He won’t be a problem, Ness, I promise you that,” Helo states, and I nod.
“You’ll barely know I’m here, Ms. Diaz. And the rent won’t be an issue. I have some…problems to sort out with my business, and once that is settled, I will be on my way.” I tell her. She narrows her eyes at me, unsure if I can be trusted, I’m sure.
“How long should I expect these problems to take to get sorted out? It takes time to list the space and advertise. Should I be expecting you to leave in the middle of the night a week from now? Or will you give me at least thirty day’s notice?” she asks, sarcasm evident in her tone.
“I will pay six months in advance, regardless of how long I’m here. In cash. At the end of six months, we can reevaluate. Sound fair?” I suggest.
Her brows raise in surprise, and I smile internally, glad I finally feel like I’ve gotten the upper hand on her. I maymanipulate people to get what I want from them, but I’ve never cheated any hard working coffee shop owners out of their money, and I don’t intend to start with Vanessa.
Besides, the amount I would pay in six months for rent is nothing compared to the thousands it would cost to pay someone to get rid of her body.
“Fine, but you bring a prostitute to my rental and you’re paying an additional cleaning fee.” She snaps, scrawling her name across the contract and pushing her chair back with more force than necessary. She clearly doesn’t care for me. Helo drops his head back in exasperation, but I can only laugh.
“I’m not sure how you pissed her off so quickly, but I’d play nicely, Sebastian. You might need her help.” He suggests, and I scoff.
“I think I’ll survive without a venti cappuccino, but thanks for the advice. Now, I believe you and I have some more important business to discuss?” I sign my name on all the necessary lines that seem like little more than a formality to rent the four walls upstairs. Moving on to my business, I push the contract away and listen as Helo slowly dismantles the world I’ve worked since birth to build.
three
“Okay,but is he hot? Objectively speaking, please don’t give me details because I don’t roll that way.” My sister Aria asks.
She’s the closest to my age and the only one of my sisters still willing to speak to me after I left. We’d both been branded the black sheep in our own ways, me for daring to live my own life, and her for deciding men weren’t in any way appealing to her.
“Completely missing the point,” I reply, wiping the counters down as I close up for the night.
“I don’t know, Ness. Kinda feels like the point. Hot guy literally living at your mercy? Many a jealous bitch would be willing to fight you for this opportunity.” She laughs, the familiar tick of the cash counter in the background.
“They can have him, he’s an asshole.” I tell her as I dump the last of the espresso grounds out of the press.
“Are you working at mom and dad’s?” She doesn’t have to answer me. I already know she is.
“Don’t judge. I need the money. The restaurant isn’t doing great right now.” She replies, huffing out a breath.
“I would never judge you, Aria. You do what you’ve gotta do, I understand completely.” I rinse the pieces of the machine, setting them to dry. The contrast between my life and my sister’s is not lost on me.
Right now, hundreds of miles away, she’s counting and banding thousands of dollars in drug money for a syndicate that’s brought nothing but pain and suffering to my family for generations. As much as I’d like to say I left them behind without a second thought, I can’t. Leaving my home, my family, the only life I’d ever known, was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Starting over on the right side of the law, for once in my life, left me feeling more confused and lost than I care to admit. Luckily for me, I made friends who painted in shades of morally grey, rather than just black and white.
“I don’t know, Aria. He’s not the dark, broody, ‘give me love because I’m so damaged’ kind of bad boy. He’s just the gross, misogynistic kind of man-boy who sets women back decades every time he speaks.” Rinsing out the drip trays from the espresso machines, I leave them to dry on a rack near the sink. Her husky laugh comes through the phone, warming my heart.
God, I miss her. I miss her wit. I miss her jasmine perfume. I miss the way she could wrap an arm around my shoulder and make any hard day feel just a little less heavy. She was more of a mom to me than anyone else, including our actual mother.
The hair on the back of my neck rises, and suddenly I feel as if I’m being watched. It’s after 9 pm. There’s a faint sound of tattoo guns buzzing from the shop next door, but when I turn around, no one is there. The street outside the front window is silent. Not a single car passes by. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that someone’s eyes are on me right now.
“Ness? Helloooo? Earth to Vanessa?” Aria shouts through the phone.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m here. Sorry.” I reply, still searching for the source of my paranoia,
“Did something cute walk by?” she jokes, and I scoff. I know she means well, but she doesn’t take anything seriously. You’d think with our upbringing she would have a better sense of security. Or at least self-preservation.
“No, Aria. There is nothing cute in this town. Well, unless you include Doug. He’s the most handsome man on the planet, obviously.” I tell her, finishing up my final cleaning duties so I can get the hell out of here. “I gotta go. I’ll call you tomorrow. I love you.”