Page 8 of My Dream

No, I’d woken up and decided to fully embrace this hairbrained idea with reckless optimism. Adalee was right—at least The Cakery was going to happen. The Cakery was my ticket to a fresh start, my next chapter. I just needed to get through the tangled mess of Boone, Gibbs, and everything else standing in my way.

“I woke up knowing we need a plan before Clay walks back in here in a couple of days,” I said and folded my arms across my chest.

“And that plan involves going to the store?” he drawled, his tone dripping with skepticism.

I pulled out a chair and sat down across from him and tried to channel some calm. “Yes. I can’t have my computer or anything electronic since Dice burned them, so I need pen and paper. Other supplies.”

He raised an eyebrow at that. “What are these ‘other supplies’?”

“Whatever the store tells me I should buy,” I said with a shrug as if that explained everything.

“You got money?”

I nodded. I still had some cash from when I’d cleaned out part of my savings before coming here. It wasn’t a fortune, but it was enough for what I needed. “I’ve got enough for paper and pens.”

Compass leaned back in his chair and smirked. “I’m sure I could find you some paper and a pen lying around here.”

I pursed my lips and leaned forward. “Can I be honest?”

His eyes narrowed slightly, but he nodded. “Shoot.”

“I need the hell out of here, Compass. And as much as I want to walk out that door and never look back, I know I can’t. So, I’m trying to accept my fate and deal with what’s in front of me. That starts with getting some paper and pens. And maybe a pretty new sweater, too.”

His lips twitched, and a smile broke through his stony expression. “The store gonna tell you to buy the pretty new sweater?” he chuckled.

I shrugged and leaned back in my chair. “God only knows, Compass. I’m just trying not to be stupid and sneak out of here. I even tried asking Adalee and Fade, but neither of them answered this morning when I knocked on their door.”

“So I’m your last choice before you do something stupid.”

“Pretty much,” I said with a shrug.

His smile widened with a mix of amusement and exasperation. “Yeah, you are being honest.” He pushed his chair back, stood, and stretched his arms over his head. “Give me ten minutes.”

A grin spread across my face. “Really?”

He reached for his coffee and nodded before taking another sip.

“Sweet! I’ll meet you by the front door!” I sprang up from the table and headed down the hallway, practically skipping.

That was a hell of a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. I guess asking nicely was better than storming off on my own. Who would’ve thought?

Compass

“Waiting for a bus?” Yarder strolled into the common room and headed straight for the coffee maker.

“Fallon,” I grunted.

Yarder filled his cup and turned to face me, eyebrows raised. “Why?”

I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms. “Because she asked to go to the store instead of sneaking out. Figured since I didn’t have anything else going on, I could take her.”

“What store?” He took a long drink of his coffee.

I shrugged. “Not fucking sure.” That was a detail I figured I would find out soon enough.

Yarder grabbed the coffee pot again, refilled his coffee to the top, then walked to the fridge. He plucked a piece of paper off the door and held it up. “While you’re out, pick up some groceries and shit.” He flipped the paper around, showing off a list that looked like it had been written by five different people. “The girls have been adding to it all week. It’s both sides.”

I groaned, already regretting my decision. “Have one of the other guys grab that shit.”

---