Daddy Issues

84 - Revenge

It was late when Dan dropped me off back home, so I didn't get a chance to talk to Mom yesterday. Of course, I didn't mind one extra night, but today is really going to have to be the day. I can't put it off forever.

I loved spending the weekend with Dan at his hometown. But the fear about telling my mother that had subsided a little bit, came crashing back on the way home. We talked about it a lot. And Dan has invited me to come over when it's done and stay as long as I like. There's a very real chance that Mom will kick me out of the house, so I've decided to pack some things to get me through at least a week just in case. Since I could barely sleep last night, I've already done that in the late hours of the night.

I'm telling her tonight, after work. I'm glad she'd already gone to bed last night and I didn't get to see her this morning either. Because I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to act normal around her if I had.

When I step into Love and Latte's, I'm hoping for a busy day to keep my mind off of what's going to be an absolutely horrible evening. Joey's already behind the counter setting up before we open, when I enter the building.

'Morning, Jo.'

To my surprise, he turns rigid as soon as he hears me. In fact he lets the box of paper cups he's carrying drop right out of his hands, which is very unlike him.

'Um, are you alright?' I ask him when he stands there, staring at me with wide eyes.

His behavior only gets stranger, because he turns around to look cautiously towards the office, then turns back to me and walks over quickly, saying:

'Emma, oh my God, it's not really true that you-'

'Is that Emma?'

Bewildered, I drag my eyes away from Joey to look at Chloe who has come out of the office. The usually cheerful woman looks uncharacteristically stern today. Maybe even angry. Though I've no idea what this is about, a heavy feeling settles in my stomach.

'Emma,' she says in a cold tone that I'm not used to. 'Can you come over here for a moment?'

Then she disappears into her office again.

'What's going on?' I whisper urgently to Joey. But he just gives me a strange look and shrugs while I walk past him to get to Chloe's office.

She's leaning back against her desk, looking like somebody died or something. Oh God, maybe somebody did die.

'Are you okay, Chloe?' I ask her. 'Did something happen?'

She raises her eyes up from the floor to focus on me. There's little of the usual warmth in her eyes. So I hover by the door and wrap my arms around myself against the sudden chill gliding up my spine.

'Emma, I'm gonna need you to be honest with me.'

'Okay,' I say nervously.

'There have been complaints about you. I've received calls from people that have told me...' she takes a deep breath, as if preparing herself for whatever she has to say next. 'That you've been dealing drugs here at the coffee shop.'

'What?'

Whatever I was expecting, it wasn't this. I'm fact, it's so ridiculous that a laugh bursts from my lips. But it only lasts a second. Because Chloe's face remains dead serious.

'Chloe, really?' I ask, feeling my heart rate pick up quickly. 'That's crazy, I don't deal drugs. I don't even do drugs, I don't have any drugs.'

'Then why am I getting calls about it?'

'I've no idea!'

I wreck my brain trying to come up with an answer to that question. Have I been doing anything sketchy that might seem like I'm dealing drugs? I certainly can't think of anything.