Rosalee | ✔️

4 | Skipping Rocks Café

Looking at Jenelle with a question in his eyes, Ty's lips twitch into a small smile for the first time since he's been home. He can't believe that Jenelle actually agreed to finding Rosalee on their own, but she is clearly determined.

When they dated in high school, Ty remembers how logical of a thinker Jenelle always was and that's why he thought for sure that Jenelle would want to let the professionals handle this, but Ty guesses that since this is Jenelle's kid they're talking about, the logical thinking gets thrown out the window.

Ty decides that putting his suspicions of Rosalee on the back burner is probably the best solution right now seeing as they need to focus on finding the girl before he can even begin to think about questioning who her father is. Taking in the sight before him, Ty relishes in the way the sun reflects off the ocean, how the waves bend to the ocean's will, the way the sand feels on his bare skin, and how the air has a slight salty scent to it that Ty can't help but greedily breathe in.

As Ty absorbs his surroundings like a sponge to water, his anxiety eases and he finally turns to face Jenelle yet again.

"Well, what we need right now are clues. Maybe we could ask around? See if anyone has seen or heard anything at all? I know the police have probably started questioning some people, but if you think about it, some might not feel comfortable with being completely honest to the police. People with authority are quite intimidating, but if we start questioning people, maybe we could get some sort of lead?" Ty thinks out loud, gauging Jenelle's face to see her reaction.

"I know the perfect place to start our interrogations!" Jenelle exclaims suddenly, pulling Ty up by his hand and running toward the pier on the left side of Golden Grove's only beach.

~

Now standing in front of a quaint little café, the walls a calming sage green with baby blue curtains on the windows and potted plants set randomly on the little patio, Ty looks over at Jenelle with an obvious question mark on his face.

Jenelle would have laughed at Ty's expression if it weren't for the constant worry and anxiety practically drilled into her bone marrow over the lacking presence of Rosalee. She swallows the thickness in her throat as she blinks back her tears. Jenelle knows she has to be strong, especially if she plans on successfully finding her baby girl. So, burying her fear into the deepest part of her mind, she focuses solely on the determination she has for finding her daughter and begins to explain their location to Ty.

"This is the café I work at, Ty. I know it doesn't look like much, but the Skipping Rocks Café is the best place to go for those who want to gossip or hear about what's been going on around Golden Grove. You wouldn't believe the crazy things I've heard while on my shifts." Jenelle informs Ty, shuddering lightly at the memory of the gossip she was fortunate enough to overhear, note the sarcasm.

"Is this place new? I don't remember a Skipping Rocks Café from the last time I was here." Ty questions, thoroughly intrigued by the café as Golden Grove rarely ever adds anything new to its small town.

"It was put in about four years ago, so I guess you could say that."

Ah, that explains why Ty doesn't recall this café. After all, it has been four years since he's visited.

Upon entering the café, the smell of coffee and delicious pastries waft through the air. Jenelle is quite used to coming in here during the week for her shifts, but the smell of Skipping Rocks Café's pastries and coffee never cease to surprise her. The slight happiness Jenelle feels in the moment from taking in her surroundings is completely shredded into bits when she recalls how Rosalee's eyes would light up like this café was the galaxy itself and held all the answers to life if she were here, but she isn't. Skipping Rocks Café is Rosalee's absolute favorite place to be, especially when she would wait for her mom to get off work. Shaking her head from the memories, Jenelle glances over at Ty to see his reaction. However, Jenelle's heart only breaks further when Ty's green orbs light up in the same way Rosalee's emerald gems would when entering the café.