Page 18 of She’ll Steal Your Heart
Lauren nodded. Her fingers were clenched around her bag, but her relief was palpable. “It’s not bad that I have to wait so long for my court date?”
Mia shook her head. “No, and believe me, three weeks is actually not a long time to wait. The courts are always backed up.”
“But I could still go to jail?” Lauren looked at her out of wide brown eyes.
“Technically, yes, but it’s extremely unlikely. Remember, you have a lawyer now, and I’m a pretty good one, if I do say so myself.” Mia nudged her elbow against Lauren’s, earning a small smile.
“It was way less scary walking into the police station with you,” Lauren told her. “Thank you so much for your help today. I feel like such a weight has been lifted, like I can finally start looking forward again.”
“Good.” Mia grasped Lauren’s hand and gave her fingers a quick squeeze. “And what do you see when you look forward? What’s next for you?”
“A job. An apartment. Both of those will be hard to find.” A wrinkle appeared between her brows. “I still have a felony charge hanging over my head.”
“You’re deceptively innocent looking for a felon,” Mia teased. “And I’ve met quite a few felons in my day.”
Lauren smiled again, wider this time. “I’ll stay at the hostel for now and apply for any and every job in Brooklyn. I have a lot of experience waiting tables and tending bar, and I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty and scrub toilets if it comes to that.”
Mia studied her for a moment as they waited for the light to change so they could cross the street. Lauren might not be as innocent as she looked, but she’d taken responsibility for her crime. She’d made amends, and now she was trying to get her life back on track.
Mia respected that. She and Lauren had spent a lot of time together over the last four days, and Mia enjoyed her company. She didn’t have many friends these days, which made her even more glad for her budding friendship with Lauren. “I could use an extra pair of hands at the café,” she heard herself offer almost before she’d consciously made the decision to do so. “I mean, if you don’t mind working with me, at least until you find something else.”
Lauren blinked at her in surprise. “Oh, I…really?”
Mia nodded. “If you’re interested, come in tomorrow for a trial day to see if it’s a good fit, and we’ll take it from there.”
“I’m definitely interested,” Lauren said.
“I can’t pay as much as you’d earn in tips as a bartender, and I can only offer you a few shifts a week, but it’s a place to start if you want it, and then you can use me as a job reference when you apply somewhere else.”
Lauren ducked her head. “That’s really kind of you, but please don’t feel like you have to help me just because we’re friends.”
“Believe me, I’m not the type to do that. One of my regular employees needs to cut her hours for the next few weeks, so I was already looking for someone to cover her shifts. I mean, to be clear, my offer involves keeping the cat enclosure clean and scooping litter boxes. It’s hardly glamorous.”
“Like I told you, I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty.” Lauren gave her a hesitant smile. “If you’re sure, then yeah, I don’t see how I could turn down an offer to work at the café. I haven’t spent much time with cats, but animals in general tend to like me, and I like them, so I think it could be a good fit. I’m a hard worker.”
“All right, then,” Mia said. “Stop by tomorrow around ten.”
“Thank you, Mia. I mean it.”
“No problem.”
They boarded the subway together, lapsing into silence as they rode toward Mia’s neighborhood. She needed to get back to the café. She’d checked in often over the last few days, but this was the first time since it opened six months ago that she’d let her employees manage the café without her for more than a single day.
Everything seemed to have gone smoothly in her absence, and she’d really enjoyed her weekend with her fandom friends, but she was eager to get back to her regular routine. No doubt, she had plenty of messages to catch up on. No cats had been adopted over the weekend, and she wondered why. Had Gilbert started to come out of his shell yet? There were two new cats arriving in the morning, a pair of six-month-old kittens named Chaos and Mayhem, who would need to be integrated into the space.
Mia opened the notes app on her phone and started jotting a list of things that needed her attention. Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t even hear the conductor announce their stop.
“This is us,” Lauren said as she stood from the seat next to Mia.
Mia followed her off the train and up to the street. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, then?”
Lauren nodded. She looked exhausted. “See you at ten.”
They parted ways at the corner, and Mia strode the two blocks to the café. As she passed the building next door, she noted that the office space that had been vacant for the last few months now boasted the name of a law firm on the door. She rolled her eyes. Sometimes it felt like her former career followed her everywhere she went.
It figured that she’d have a bunch of lawyers next door now, rubbing her nose in what she’d given up. She reached for the door to the café and pulled it open. The bell tinkled as she walked inside.
“Hi, Mia,” Jordy called from behind the counter.
