Face Your Fears

Chapter 24 -

"I can't make any promises that this won't be unpleasant," I warned Rebecca as I lead her up the alleyway beside the coffee house. "My mom doesn't know that I was going to go to Boonsboro when I took the car yesterday."

Rebecca nodded, her gaze fixed on her feet. "I understand."

I felt another wave of pity for Rebecca, seeing the pallid tone of her face and hearing the audible sound of her grinding her teeth together.

She'd been grinding her teeth the entire four hour ride back up to the city, but only now did she truly look like she was about to vomit.

The small part of my brain that was actually logical knew that I needed to offer some words of comfort to her and not just a foreboding warning. I couldn't even begin to imagine what Rebecca was about to go through, and I didn't want to.

I shoved my hands into my coat pockets and ducked my head down against the chill wind whipping through the streets, sending a shiver down my spine. Whoever had said "March comes in like a lion" hadn't been kidding. Somehow, the wind and the thick gray clouds rolling in across the sky just made the situation seem even more daunting.

This was supposed to be a joyous occasion. Rebecca was finally going to be united with her neices after almost fifteen years. This was a celebration, really, a new beginning for endless possibilities.

Neither of us should have been walking towards this with dread filling the pits of our stomachs.

I also knew that it was probably irrational for me to be fretting in such a manner about Rebecca meeting the girls, since it was absolutely none of my business, but I was aware wholeheartedly of just what could go wrong.

Everything could go wrong.

I stopped with my hand on the door knob of the coffee house door, looking cautiously to Rebecca. "You sure you wanna do this?"

Rebecca's eyes narrowed into a "don't be stupid" look, which was answer enough for me.

"Right."

I wrenched open the door without further hesitation and passed over the treshold into the comfortable warmth and coffee scented aroma of the shop.

A few tables were occupied by people with their laptops and coffee mugs. The pastry case was considerably picked through, whichmeant there had been quite a slew of customers in already.

Good. Business was going well, at the very least.

"Wow." Rebecca gave a small sigh. "This place really hasn't changed at all. It's nice."

"If you want a job here, just ask. I think we're in need of a dishwasher."

The comment had slipped out without my really thinking it through I was expecting for Rebecca to immediately snap at me, but instead she just let out a snort of laughter.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I could never live in the city. Boonsboro is my home."

I understood what she meant.

As dangerous and generally unpleasant as Manhattan was, I had lived here my entire life. It was the only place I knew. The thought of leaving, especially Mama Rosa's, left a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Brosky! You're back!" June had skipped out from the kitchen to the front counter, ecstatic smile on her face. "Where did you go? Hadley was freaking out the entire time you were gone, and nobody knew why..."

Something in the expression on my face must have alerted June that something was up, her voice trailing off as she glanced slowly back and forth between me and Rebecca.