Never Again

Chapter 1

Cora Unser loved everything about her job in Tacoma.

She worked as a substance abuse counselor at an outpatient clinic, mostly running group meetings and programs for recovering addicts. It didn't seem like much, but it was the job that she had dreamed of having since high school. She wanted nothing more than to help people, and she had spent a lot of hard work trying to get to that point, going through six years of college education, plus a two-year internship, and a certification course. After all the time that she had invested, it was wonderful to know that she had finally made it, and that all of her sacrifices had been worth it. She had given up her old life and traded it in for a new life. Thus far, it was proving to have been a wise decision.

On a typical workday, Cora would arrive at the clinic early in the morning, coming in to help run the first support group of the day. She always opted to come in for the earliest shift possible, which her coworkers were quite appreciative of. She even worked overtime when she could, and she rarely took off. In fact, there was one summer when her boss had to force her to take vacation for legality's sake.

After all that, she became known as the office workaholic, though she took the label as a compliment rather than an insult. Her whole life was dedicated to her job, and she liked to keep it that way. She prided herself in being a hard worker, and she didn't mind that her fixation on her work practically strangled any semblance of her social life.

On one particular morning, Cora found herself at work, as usual. She had come in early to run the first group meeting, and then led a second almost immediately after. After finishing up, she found herself on a lunch break, noon having crept in quicker than she had expected. The weather was fairly warm outside, which was rare in Tacoma, so she decided to take advantage of the opportunity and sit outside for lunch. There were a few picnic tables in the back parking lot that she could occupy.

She grabbed her lunch bag from her office and headed through the lobby. As she made her way through the room, she noticed a tall, blonde man in a black jacket standing in front of the empty secretarial desk. When he heard her footsteps, he turned and looked her way, his blue eyes meeting hers.

"Do you know where the secretary is?" he asked her in a gruff voice.

Cora looked back at him, and then back to the empty desk. "No, I'm not sure where she went," Cora admitted. "She might be on a lunch break. That's where I'm headed." She held up her lunch bag, gesturing.

The man nodded understandingly. "Oh, well, do you think you could help me then?"

Cora shrugged. She was no secretary, but she was always looking to help, especially if the task was work-related. "Sure, what do you need?"

The man shifted, as if nervous to ask. He cleared his throat. "Uh, I was wondering if there were any upcoming meetings, specifically group meetings for drug abuse."

Cora grinned at his question. "Oh, I can definitely help you with that. I run the group meetings. We have all kinds of them." Cora walked closer to him, coming to meet him at the front of the desk. He was a lot taller than he seemed from a distance. She reached over the ledge of the desk, and picked up a slip of paper, handing it to him, craning her neck to speak to him directly. "We have one tomorrow that you might like. It meets twice a week at 10 AM, no sign-ups necessary. You just sort of show up and stay for however long you want. We offer coffee and other snacks too."

He took the paper slip from her hand, examining the typed information. "Sounds good," he mused. He stuffed the paper into the pocket of his jacket before looking back at her. "I'm Herman Kozik, by the way. But you can just call me Kozik."

Cora smiled at him, extending her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Kozik. I'm Coralie Unser, but you can just me Cora."

He accepted her handshake, smiling at her as they shook hands. He had a nice smile; the sight of it made Cora's heart practically leap in her chest.