About ZOE...

1. Family

Coffee. Hot coffee with just a hint of vanilla. Black, no cream, two sugars and just a shot of espresso. It kept her still. She had to concentrate on her work. Phones rang as the chatter grew. It was fast approaching eight o'clock. She was expecting a call. The clock's constant ticking only made her nerves grow. Why didn't she call? What was going on. Why was the stupid X button on her keyboard so sticky? Why did she even notice the sticky button? Whatever she was typing had nothing to do with Xs! Her eyes lingered on her computer screen for a while before she realized that she had been pushing the same button enough for a whole paragraph to be full of Xs.

Concentrate.

From what she gathered, concentration was sadly out of the window. She stared at her phone. Any minute now. Any minute from now her phone would ring and her daughter would tell her that she was on her way to school. Or she was already there. Any minute now. She took another sip from her mug. Empty. She stared at her dark screen again and jumped, startled, when her phone did ring.

"Taylor?"

"Buenos días mamá!" a cheery voice replied.

"Why did it take you so long to call? It's almost eight o'clock in Addison!" Lucy demanded.

"Chill mom." Taylor, her daughter sighed. "I forgot to call. I was busy getting ready. This is my first day, you know." She pointed out.

"I know. I'm just worried. It's been so long since you've been to an actual school and i still don't understand why you would want to go back." Lucy sighed.

"I'm ready, mom. I can't stay cooped up in my room for the rest of my life. I need to associate with people my age," Taylor answered.

"But you do associate with people your age!"

"Your business partners' kids don't count, mom. They're creepy." Taylor answered.

"No they're not! Don't talk about your friends like that!"

"They're not my friends mom! They will never be my friends. If you actually tried putting yourself in my shoes for once, you would've realized that!"

"Don't talk back! You asked to be homeschooled, remember?" Lucy asked, reeling. Ugh! Taylor was just like her father! Always arguing!

"I remember clearly. I had my reasons then and I have my reasons now."

"Which would be?" Lucy asked.

"I'm ready, mom. And I have to get to class so bye," Taylor said and hung up.

"I love you too, Taylor." Lucy said into her disconnected phone.

They were so alike, Taylor and her father. Why did that have to be? Why couldn't they understand that when she took measures, she did it for their sake? Their lives would have been so much better if they all agreed to move to Los Angeles. They'd have a beautiful home, Taylor would be okay with homeschooling there and they did have an office in LA, didn't they? Sure the one in Addison was slightly bigger but they had more contacts in LA. They just had their damn hearts set on Addison!

"Knock knock?"

"What do you want, Harry?" Lucy asked, her irritation growing.

"That's no way to talk to your boss now, is it?" Harry replied smirking.

Lucy glared up at him from her chair. She wanted to wipe that smirk off his face!

"You haven't answered my question, Harry. What do you want?"

"There was a report that was supposed to be on my desk at eight o'clock, Lucy. Your report. " He answered, his smirk dropping to a grim line on his face, his eyes narrowed. He might have been an ass and he didn't know how to properly take care of his family, but he was a good businessman. Lucy could respect that, albeit grudgingly.