The Coffee Shop Coincidence

Chapter 1: The Master Plan

I hop out of bed ready for today. Well...kind of. Today is the first day of winter break, and also the day I am going to tell Flynn I like him.

At least, that's the plan. Flynn has been my crush since second grade, tall, dreamy, handsome, and disarmingly nice. Everything I look for in a guy. My best friend Amy helped me plan it all out.

Flynn works at the coffee shop, Dream Beans, I know, so hipster and adorable. So, his shift is on Saturdays from 12-4. I am going to walk up to the counter, he'll ask me what I want, and I will say him. Perfect! Right?

At least that's what Amy says. I on the other hand am not so sure. But, at least I need to try. It is my junior year, that is nine years of crushing on him. If that's not love, then I don't know what is. And if romance novels have taught me anything, it's that true love is always reciprocated.

I will tell him I love him, and he'll say he does too, and we'll go live in a castle in the woods with talking animals. Well.... not that last part, but everything is is going to work out, I know it.

I sit in my bed reading which is not doing me any favors. My stomach is a mess, I can't do this. I will just stay home.

As I browse through the channels my phone goes off. The caller ID flashes up at me, Amy. How does she always know? I pick up the phone and try to sound convincing, "Hi, I was just about to call you!"

The line on the other end goes silent. "Amy, you there?"

Suddenly, I hear laughter on the other end,
"Oh.my.god. you are going to drop out on me!"

"Um.. no of course not." But even I can hear the lie under my voice.

"Just as I suspected. Get up, get dressed, and meet me downstairs in ten, if you still don't want to do it, we'll talk. Bye!"

"But, Amy..." She knows me too well, and my pleas go unanswered as she hangs up. Well, guess I can't ignore her now, I step out of bed and slip on my favorite sweater. It's a
periwinkle blue and just seeing it brightens my mood. I can do this!

The doorbell rings and I rush down the stairs to open the door before I can lose my nerve. "Alright, I'll do it I'm going to tell...." My voice trails off as I realize who is behind the door. Dad?

I can't speak, I can't think, this is a disaster. I need to get him out of here before-

My mom rounds the corner of the living room, "Elizabeth honey, close the door you're letting in cold..." My mom's voice trails off. Well, before that, but at least I won't have to lie to her.

My dad's eyes snap to my mom and a sort of bittersweet expression settles in his blue eyes, blue like mine. "Hey Margaret, can I come in?" My dad sounds sincere, but I don't trust him.

He left us five years ago, disappeared out of the blue. Afterwards the police came poking around, they said he had been running an undercover operation, stealing from his clients, while he said he was "at work". They took our money, and evicted us from our comfortable condo. He left us to take the fault of his actions without so much as a goodbye or a warning.

We rebuilt our lives without him. It wasn't always easy, but at least we were together. My mom worked three jobs to pay off the debts he left behind, and get us in a comfortable situation. We have our new house and a good life and we didn't need him for any of it.

"Elizabeth, please." The tone of his voice worries me. Nonetheless, his pleas go unanswered. I won't be letting him back in, not now, not ever.

I start slowly, hoping that is nightmare will be over soon, "Mom...."

She just responds calmly, "Let him in."

I am not one to disobey her, but on this, I don't agree. "Don't you think-"

Her gaze never leaving my father, she adds some bite to her voice and says, "Elizabeth, do it."

At this I give up. She's definitely determined. Maybe if I can just convince him that he won't get anything from me, he will leave.

He brushes past me, the same scent of expensive cologne that I always associated with my father coming along with him. His eyes meet mine, but I look down quickly.

Message received, he looks away and keeps moving. He steps to my mom's side, brushing the back of his hand against hers. They walk together to the family room, leaving me to my thoughts.

As I close the door, I start to wonder.

What does my father want? He could have come back any time, why now?

This won't end well.