“Where are you running off to?”
“I have an unexpected meeting with the superintendent.” She sighs and rolls her eyes. Nicole works for the local school district as a school counselor.
“Are we still going out next Friday night?” I ask, stepping to the side and pulling open the door for a couple walking out of the coffee shop.
Nicole glances at me and walks inside as I motion for her to go ahead. “Yeah. Eight o’clock, right?”
We are meeting some friends from college to go out for the night. Ben is our designated driver, although in the city, most places are walkable.
“Yeah,” I nod as the door closes behind us and we head over to the counter. Usually I come here during off times, when therearen't as many people. Today, it’s pretty busy. Nicole walks over to one of the tablets to put in her order. “Do you know what you want?”
I shake my head, grabbing a menu from the basket on the counter. “Go ahead and order, since you need to run. I might try something new.”
“Ooo, who are you today, Miss Wilson?” She winks with mischief dancing in her eyes. “Or should I say Candy Stone?”
I scrunch up my face, blowing out a breath before laughing. Nicole and I had the worst fake IDs in college. Her name was a little more believable. Mine sounded more like a stripper name than a legal one.
Those names became our alter-egos when we needed to be bad bitches. It’s like a false sense of confidence comes out when I pretend to embody her persona.
“I wish I were her right now,” I say with a sigh, my chest deflating as I glance down at the menu. Nicole knows I’ve been struggling creatively, although she doesn’t know how bad it’s gotten.
Hell, I didn’t fully realize how bad it was until thirty minutes ago during my call with Meredith.
“What’s goin’ on, babe?” Nicole says softly as she finishes her drink order and pays. She turns back to me. “Is work stuff still stressing you out?”
I purse my lips, slowly nodding. “Yeah. It’s uh—not good. I need a story or something that my agent can bring to my editor.”
Nicole frowns. “You need something to inspire you. I feel like you’ve just been running yourself ragged trying to pull some kind of inspiration from within.”
“Excuse me.”
A deep voice from behind us cuts in. I glance over my shoulder, the same time Nicole does. A man—late twenties I’dsay—looks at both of us with a soft smile pulling across his lips. “Hi, sorry for interrupting.”
I glance at Nicole and her eyebrows are already cinching closer together. Not a good sign. Nicole can be a bit confrontational from time to time. She’s not really a fan of men who are strangers.
I quickly fix a smile on my face. “Do you need something?”
“I was just wondering if you guys were done with the tablet,” he says, smiling sheepishly. His gray eyes glance at the counter, then back at Nicole and me.
“Oh, yes.” I grab Nicole’s wrist, pulling her away from the counter. She’s still assessing him like she can’t decide if she wants to tell him off for speaking to us or if she’s curious. Ben passed her test during our first year of college, although she did put him through the wringer.
“Sorry about that,” I offer, the two of us stepping out of his way.
“No worries.” He smiles, dipping his chin before walking past us.
I turn my back to him, paying him no more attention as I look at Nicole. “We’ll talk more about it tomorrow or something.”
Nicole looks back at me. “Can I help in any way? There has to be something I or someone can do to help you.”
“I don’t know, girl,” I say with a shrug just as one of the baristas calls Nicole’s name. “I’m on a mission to find my muse, I think.”
“It’s out there, we just need to find it for you,” she offers with a smirk, pulling me in for a hug. “I gotta run, but text me later, okay?”
“Yeah, of course.” I take a step back from her. “Good luck at your meeting.”
She rolls her eyes. “They are the bane of my existence.” She takes a few steps past me, past the now empty ordering station, and grabs her drink. “Love you!”
“Bye! Love you!” I call back to her, watching her for a moment as she jogs out of the coffee shop. I turn back to the counter, tucking my menu back into its basket.
