The One She Needed. **complete**

Chapter 8** Soulmates?

Kelsie's shift at the cookie shop Monday went quickly. At seven, just as she was about to lock up, Tiffany walked in. The shop closed at seven, but there were mail orders to package and other chores to do so Monday-Thursday the counter girl was scheduled to work on those things until about nine. Mrs. Jasper let the girls go at seven on Friday though, because she wanted them to enjoy active teenage lives.

"Your check is in the safe", Kelsie told Tiffany as she locked the door behind her. Tiffany headed back to the safe and Kelsie began counting down her register drawer. When she'd finished her drawer and had the days receipts locked up, Kelsie asked if Tiffany wanted to be let out the front door or back. She assumed that Tiffany was hanging around so Kelsie could lock up behind her.

"Ummm, are you packaging the Shortie's order now?" Tiffany asked.

"Yeah." Kelsie said with an eye roll. Shorties was a sandwich shop in the next town. Once a week the Jasper's delivered ready to bake cookie dough to them which Shorties then baked and sold to their customers. The girls hated packaging the Shorties order. Since it was delivered Tuesday morning it was normally Kelsie who handled it.

"I thought I'd hang out and help." Tiffany said reaching for a tray. "I'm bored anyway."

Kelsie felt bad letting Tiffany work off the clock, so she said, "I can handle it, but why don't you sit on the counter and tell me about your weekend? Didn't you have a date Saturday night?"

"Well Saturday afternoon", Tiffany said. "He had to work Saturday night. It wasn't so much a date as a hookup, the guy's great in bed though so I'm not complaining".

Tiffany had been in a weird relationship that she called "complicated". As far as Kelsie could tell that meant not telling anyone who the guy was and not actually doing anything other than sex.

Kelsie never pushed for the guy's identity. It wasn't any of her business and besides, Tiffany was from a small town about a half hour away so she and Kelsie didn't know many of the same people.

"I'm not sure I'd like that hookup stuff", Kelsie said, then remembered Friday night with Darren and thought, 'wait. Isn't that exactly what I did?'

As if reading her mind, Tiffany said, "so. Did you hook up with Dar this weekend?" It seemed weird that Tiffany was using Kelsie's pet name for Darren, but Tiffany probably didn't realize that other people didn't call him that.

"Yeah I did", Kelsie said with a sigh. "Friday after my date from hell and then yesterday, after dinner with his family, we made out a lot." For some reason Kelsie felt dirty admitting it.

"Yesterday wasn't really a hookup though. It was more like the way things used to be." Kelsie said, thinking back. "His family left after dinner to take the kids skating and we were watching a movie in his room. He said he'd missed me. Maybe he's finally coming to his senses."

"Or maybe he was horny." Tiffany said sounding mad.

"Well I'm guessing he's always horny." Kelsie said trying to keep things light. "Now, let me tell you about my weekend! It was nuts!!!"

Kelsie told Tiffany about her date and the party and she laughed with Tiffany at the absurdity of it all. Tiffany was easy to talk to. She was pretty much the only person Kelsie confided in when it came to her sex life. Tiffany never judged, she just listened.

As Kelsie was cleaning up, Tiffany said, "so I'm guessing that girl won't be getting a second date?"

"Who?" Kelsie ask confused, "oh! You mean Bridget? I don't know. He says she won't, but who knows. I don't really understand him right now."