Page 19 of The Lies of Bryn van Doren

See you at twilight?

I’ll be there, dove.

“More coffee?”asks the waitress, her tone barely concealing her irritation.

Jessica can’t remember her name, but she doesn’t have the wherewithal to be distressed about it. She glances up at the woman, offering her a small nod, not the least bit concerned she’s been occupying the same booth for hours, downing nothing but cup after cup of coffee.

“Hey, Miranda,” calls a familiar voice, heavy with her characteristic accent.

Both Jessica andMirandawatch as Wendy approaches with a fresh carafe of hot coffee.

“I’ve got her.”

Jessica hears it as Mirada muttersthank godunder her breath before she turns to leave, but it barely registers.

“Here before me? That’s new,” Wendy says, filling Jessica’s cup. “Where’s your other half?”

“He’ll be here,” replies Jessica through a forced smile.

“Everything okay?”

With a sigh, Jessica places her phone face down on the table. She’s been looking for work all night, submitting countless applications. With her battery life down to less than twenty percent, she wonders if she can stomach the idea of taking a break. In the back of her mind, she can’t escape the truth that every minute she’s not working is another setback followed by another and another.

Closing her eyes, she grips her fingers around her mug and holds the hot porcelain, willing herself not to succumb to the hopelessness which has been taunting her. Even denying her weariness has grown exhausting. Just the thought of surrendering to despair seems like an all too enticing reprieve.

“Do you ever feel like—you can’t win? Like, being one person is not enough?” she practically whispers, her eyes still shut tight.

Wendy coughs out a quiet laugh and then rests her hand on Jessica’s shoulder. “All the time, Jess. All the damn time.”

Finally opening her eyes, she looks up at the waitress and asks, “What do you do about it?”

“The only thing I can do. I keep goin’. I keeptryin’. I keep fightin’. Whatever it takes.” Wendy gives her shoulder a squeeze. “Then I eat pie. Speakin’ of which, can I get you some? On the house.”

Jessica manages a half a smile and nods. “Sure. Thanks.”

“Apple pie a la mode, coming up.”

In spite of her favorite treat, Jessica’s state of mind doesn’t improve over the next couple of hours. After her phone dies, she stares unseeingly out the window, allowing her thoughts to wander. The optimism she felt upon waking the previous morning has died a little, then a little more as one thing after another has led her to the very booth in which she fights the urge to wallow. It’s hard to imagine how anything short of a miracle can provide all she and Beth need.

No sooner has the thought crossed her mind than she feels a pair of hands cover hers. She inhales deeply, smelling his Bleu de Chanel before she looks up into his hazel eyes. All at once, and for the very first time, the man who sits across from her is more than the boy she met in high school. He is more than her best friend. He is the answer to a question she has never thought to ask. He is her opportunity to throw herself into the unknown—her chance to dowhatever it takes.

He is the gatekeeper.

She isn’t aware of his voice until she sees his hand in front of her face, his fingers snapping her out of her thoughts. As if the sharp, staccato sound is like a bullet breaking through an impenetrable barrier, Jessica gasps, the air which fills her lungs forcing her to sit up straighter. For the first time all night, she’s awash in hope.

“Hey, you okay?” asks Stefano.

“Yeah. I mean—I am now.”

“What happened? I got here as soon as I could. Luckily, it was a slow night. I—”

Cutting him off, Jessica moves her hands so she’s the one gripping hold of him as she states, “I just got an idea. Oh, my god—I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before.”

Stefano’s perfectly manicured eyebrows tug together in bewilderment. “Think of what?”

“You can get me a job. I could work for Beatrice. My schedule would hardly change, and my income would—”

“Wait, what? No, stop.” Stefano jerks his hands out from underneath Jessica’s as he physically shrinks away from her. “If you’re saying what I think you’re saying, the answer isno. Absolutely not.”

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