5
The next morning, I walked into the living room to find Sierra ensconced on my couch, watching television with a cup of coffee in her hand. This was unusual, especially since she'd been up so late the night before. I smirked when I remembered her reaction to meeting Gary, the neighborhood mooch. Also known as a very fat raccoon.
Carefully, I wiped the smile of my face before I spoke. "Uh, why are you watching a cooking show?" I asked.
Sierra's sleepy eyes shifted to me. "Huh?"
Clearly, her coffee hadn't kicked in yet. I rephrased, "Why are you watching a cooking show when you don't cook?"
She took a sip of coffee. "I cook," she answered. "Just because I don't cook well doesn't mean I don't need to know how. When the zombie apocalypse comes, I'll have to eat my own cooking with no backup plan for take-out and I don't want it to suck."
I shook my head and went straight for the kitchen. It was too early for that discussion and I hadn't had coffee yet.
I let loose a happy sigh when I walked into the kitchen and found a cup waiting for me under the Keurig. There was a fresh pod inside and all I had to do was press a button. I was taking my first sip when Sierra wandered in, her hair a mess.
"What are you doing today?" she asked. "And why are you up so early?"
"I could ask you the same thing," I replied.
She shrugged. "My boss called around six and wanted me to handle some things. It didn't take much time, but once I finished, I was wide awake."
"Was there an emergency at work?" I asked before I drank some more coffee.
"Not really," she scoffed. "It wasn't anything one of the other people in our department couldn't handle. I think he just enjoys ruining people's day."
Sierra glanced down at my cup and shuddered. "Oh my God, when did you start drinking your coffee black? You've been invaded by a parasite, haven't you? The aliens have arrived to assimilate us and they've started with the most intellectually vulnerable."
I rolled my eyes at her obvious change of subject and drank more coffee. "Gee, you're so funny first thing in the morning when I haven't had coffee."
"No, seriously, when did you start drinking your coffee black?"
"When I got too lazy to add sugar."
Sierra shook her head. "I'd call you a liar, but I've known for too long."
I smirked at her but didn't say anything.
"What are you doing today?" she repeated. "You woke up when I took out the trash at four and it's six-thirty now. The shop's closed, so what's up?"
"I have to handle the books, pay bills, and make ice cream."
"On your day off?"
I gave her a sideways glance. "Uh, yeah. That's the only time I can get things done. And you're one to talk, Ms. I-Got-Up-Early-to-Work-on-Vacation."
She ignored my comment and studied me for a long moment. "When was the last time you had a day off? I mean completely off."
"I have no idea. Probably not since I opened the store. Except for maybe Christmas and Thanksgiving. I do take two days off then."
Sierra was silent. "Why didn't you tell me? I could've helped out more."
"You have a full-time job and I didn't expect you to work at Crave when you offered to invest."
"Well, I decided to take a vacation since it's been two years. I just finished a project and I won't start another one for six weeks, so it's the perfect time to take a few weeks to myself. While I'm here, I'm going to give you a hand. And we're going to look at the books to see if we can hire another full-time employee."
"Okay."
She frowned at my quick agreement. "Okay?"
