Page 75 of Of Literature and Lattes
“I’ll go fill her up for you.”
“Thank you, Jasper.”
Alyssa smoothed down the skirt, added a little more blush to her pale cheeks, and ordered an Uber. No way she could ride her bike today.
Jasper whistled as she climbed out of the Prius. “You look mighty fancy.”
“It’s an important interview,” Alyssa dodged, unable and unwilling to explain further. “Thanks for getting it done for me. And... I don’t know if my work covered repairs. I can still work here.”
Jasper swiped a hand between them as if erasing a whiteboard. “You covered it... Your car is ready to go, and I suspect you might be too. You’ve done good work here. Better than good.”
Without thinking, Alyssa stepped forward and hugged him. He seemed surprised, but delighted too, and after a hint of hesitation held her tight. Then he wiggled from her grasp. “You’re gonna get all dirty. Off you go.”
During the eighty-minute drive Alyssa found herself unable to look ahead. The unknown brought a knot and a surge of pain she hadn’t experienced in almost two weeks. So she looked behind...
Last night Jeremy had again stepped onto his landing as soon as she buzzed his apartment from the lobby door. It felt as if he couldn’t wait another second to see her. She felt the same. After all, she was the one looking up to see if he was there.
“Wait till you hear about my day,” he called down.
She laughed. Something had shifted within him. She could see it from three floors below. The cloud of doom and gloom that had dogged him since Ryan’s departure was gone.
He reached for her hand the second she stepped to the landing and pulled her close for a kiss. But just as she sank into his touch, his enthusiasm to share got the better of him and, from Alyssa’s perspective, he pulled away too soon. “Come in. I have a surprise for you.”
He led her into the kitchen and handed her a small cookie.
She stared at the cookie. She stared at him.
“Try it.” He grinned. “Gluten free—grain free actually—sugar free, dairy free, and egg free. I guess those can be tough on celiacs too.”
“Taste free?”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “Trust me.”
She took a bite. The small cookie melted in her mouth. Lemon and rosemary. It was sweet yet savory... It was delicious. She swiped another off his counter. “I haven’t had anything sweet in forever.”
Jeremy laughed. “Jill at the Sweet Shoppe made them for me, for you. I think she used palm oil and stevia and... She told me all the ingredients, but I can’t remember. She’s been working on those since Thursday and brought them in today.”
“Are you selling them in the store?”
“Yes, and I sold ten.” Jeremy pulled her close again. “Jill is as excited as I am... Thank you.”
And—driving south on I94—that’s where she paused, rewound the memory, and played it slow again. That kiss, Alyssa remembered with a sigh, had lasted a good deal longer.
Yet even that kiss couldn’t overpower the fear that gripped her as soon as she made her final right turn. A massive fully glassed monstrosity of a building sat squarely in front of her. She had no idea an FBI field office could be so large and intimidating. She had no idea anything could.
She pulled into the parking lot marked for visitors and felt her anxiety grow. Only one other car was in the visitors lot. It felt as if the entire weight of the FBI tipped toward only her.
And as she walked toward the front door, only her heels clicked on the walkway.
She pulled open the large glass door and paused. The lobby before her stretched three stories high. In the center was a large green space full of plants and surrounded by benches. A woman lifted off one of the benches the same moment a man strode through an open elevator door. Both headed straight for her.
He wore a blue suit. She wore green.
He reached her first. “Ms. Harrison. Mitchell Barnes. Please wear this and come with me.” He handed her a badge.
The woman stepped forward and stretched out her hand. “Tracy Meyers, Perkins and Coie.” She turned to the man. “I will be joining Ms. Harrison as counsel this morning.”
Within minutes she and Tracy were ushered through security and sat on one side of a large conference room table facing three men.
