Lea woke up the next morning to find Dylan still sleeping soundly beside her. She smiled at the adorable way his bottom lip curled in his sleep and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Then she slipped out of bed and went out into the living room.
"Good morning Sunshine," Jade chirped when she saw her best friend make her way into the kitchen. She stood by the stove, her hair covered in flour. A pan filled with some sort of browish-green mixture sizzled in one hand.
"Should I ask what you're doing?" Lea asked in response. She crossed the room to check her answering machine like she always did in the morning. Jade turned back to the stove.
"I'm making breakfast!" The petite brunette exclaimed excitedly as she attempted to flip whatever concoction resided in the pan. It sloshed over the side of the container, settling into the stove. An interesting smelling smoke rose from the stove's surface as it did so.
"So that brings me to my next question. Why?"
Jade rolled her eyes. "Because you're the only one that ever cooks around here!"
"Correction," Lea answered her. "I'm the only one who can cook around here."
"Well not anymore!" Jade shot back, sticking her finger in the air with determination. "I'm going to cook breakfast if it kills me, damn it!"
Lea giggled and rolled her eyes. "Right, well just don't burn my apartment down in the process."
"Don't worry, I GOT THIS!" Jade cried out in a very 'George Lopez'-esque tone of voice. She then glanced over at Lea who made her way across the room and threw her jacket over her shoulders. "Where are you going?" She asked.
"To Barker's," Lea answered her and rolled her eyes. My dad called and said something about a grease fire starting in the kitchen."
"Oh no!" Jade exclaimed worriedly. "That sounds aweful. Is everything okay?"
"They managed to contain the fire, but now he needs help resorting the inventory and weighing the damages. So, I guess my Barker Break is over..." Lea sighed. "It's a shame, I was really starting to enjoy my time off of work."
Jade's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "But...I thought your dream job was to become a chef."
"It is...well, it was. I don't know, I still love to cook, and being a chef would be totally awesome, but I don't know if I'm all for taking over the family's restaurant anymore. Working at Barkers for my dad has been hell, and...and recently my life has taken some turns for the better," she answered Jade, flashing a smile in her direction. "I guess I'm re evaluating things."
"Well, that's good then I guess!" Jade chirped. "I'm glad my brother and I are becoming part of your plans. You're very important to us, Lea."
"You're very important to me too," Lea assured her best friend. "Hey, on the way home I'm going to stop at the library so I can look through their records...hopefully Mason's address will turn up. Tell Dyl where I went when he wakes up, okay?"
Jade nodded. "Sure. Good luck."
"Thanks," Lea responded as she opened the door and walked out into the hall. Before leaving, she turned to face Jade again. "I better have an apartment to come back to, understand?"
Jade nodded again. "You will. Promise."
Lea smiled at her then turned and started toward Barker's.
...
"Lea, how many times do I have to tell you!" Mr. Barker barked at his daughter from behind. "Lift with your legs!"
