Deck of Cards

Epilogue

*one year later*

Jen's POV

A knock at the door startled me and my heart began to beat fast, my palms sweated and I tried to control my rapid breathing.

"Come in," I said with a croaky voice and braced myself for whoever was going to come through the door. All of that panic stopped when I saw the spotty face of Mason, the lanky teenager who I had just employed.

"Oh Mason, you scared me. I'm expecting a big client right now. What do you want?" In some ways I was happy that it was Mason and not the men in business suits who I had been dreading. I had only been managing the Costa cafe in Oxford for a few months after the last manager quit and I was still learning the ropes in how to manage a whole body of people.

"Miss... I mean Jen. I just wanted to ask if I could get the afternoon off," I could see he was sweating profoundly. I wanted to let him go straight away but it wouldn't have been professional.

"Why is that Mason?" I sighed, while filing through my notes one last time. I was giving a big talk and I didn't want to screw it up.

"A girl I met just now wants to go to the park,"I could see the nerves in his face but I could also see the beautiful naive boy who hadn't really lived yet and was working things out day by day.

"Sure you can go," I said before I couldn't even process what I was doing. He ran out the office before I could change my mind and I leant back in my chair rubbing my temple. I would have ran after him if I wasn't so nervous about my presentation to some big clients who could invest in expanding the Costa I was managing.

The phone rang which gave me a shock and very nearly stopped my heart beating; slowly I lifted it to my ear and was greeted by a voice that I had grown to love.

"Hey!" Ava shouted down the phone and I laughed at her enthusiasm. My insides were still churning.

"I know your worried about that presentation," she said more seriously and I sighed. I didn't even like to hear the word.

"I'm just going to muck it up," I admitted down the phone.

"Don't have that attitude. Hey you survived 30 days in hell, I'm sure you can do one hour with some guys in suits," I laughed and hung up as I heard a knock on my door. Straightening my skirt I breathed out deeply. I would do a great presentation. I wasn't someone that could back down so easily.

*one year later*

Sally's POV

"Oh mum its beautiful," I gasped as we walked round the second house that we were looking at that day. The lady showing us around gave me a shiny smile and began to take us through to the bathroom; I felt butterflies in my stomach. It was so perfect.

"Darling are you sure that you're ready?" My mother asked in a hushed voice and I rolled my eyes. She was still worried about my mental state despite the year that separated me from the game and its horrors.

"Yep," I said curtly before skipping away from the conversation to see the rest of the house. It really was gorgeous yet affordable, close to the city but far enough away so it was a tranquil paradise.

"I love it," I told the blonde realtor, who was busy checking her watch. I knew there were lots of other houses that we to see but I felt like I was rooted in the house, like it was already my home.

"It is only the second house," she said in that disapproving, judging kind of voice which naturally made me want the house even more.

"I want to take it, whether it is the second or not," in hindsight, I must have sounded a bit like a brat but I was so compassionate about it.