Jerrie Oneshot Book

One I've Been Missing

A/N: I've got a couple Christmas-themed oneshots in my drafts, let's start with this one! 🤶🏼🎄

Summary: The one where Jade owns the only diner in a small town and Perrie's just moved in. (mature)

Jade's wiping down the countertop when she hears the news.

"Someone bought the house on top of the hill," Leigh-Anne tells her co-workers excitedly. "A girl. I didn't catch her name, but I've heard she's delightful."

"It's Caitlin's sister," Claude breaks in. "Her name's Perrie. Wanted to be closer to her family, I heard."

"I heard she's really cute," Kamille tells them.

The entire table breaks into giggles, and Jade resists the urge to roll her eyes. The only downside to owning a diner is having to hear all of the town gossip. It's even worse when the ones gossiping are her own employees.

"Not excited about the new girl?" Leigh-Anne asks, raising an eyebrow at her. Claude is giving her the exact same look. She hates it when they do that.

"No," Jade says firmly. "Don't see why I should be."

"Well, Caitlin tells me she loves to eat," Leigh-Anne singsongs, her eyebrows wiggling just slightly, and Claude laughs and grins at her.

"Then I guess I'll be seeing her soon," Jade shrugs. She's still wiping at the same clean spot on the counter, has been for ten minutes.

She hates it when new people move into town. It's not because they're outsiders and she hates new people, no—it's the way everyone freaks out. They'll be talking about The New Girl for weeks if not months. They'll be discussing every single move she makes.

Jade's lived in a small town called Willow's Peak ever since she'd fallen out with her family seven years ago. She'd been kicked out of the house after she came out to them. She had wanted a fresh start and had randomly chosen a small town, moved there, and opened up a diner.

So, yeah, Jade knows what it was like to be the new girl, and she had hated it. Didn't see why it had to be such a big deal. And there's no way she's going to gawk at this girl and treat her differently.

"Might meet her sooner rather than later," Claude warns as he and Kamille pick up their stuff. Jade looks at him, and he nods towards the door.

Jade physically feels her heart drop into her stomach.

The woman is absolutely gorgeous. She's got long blond hair and a big bright smile. She's wearing a blue sweater with sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and it perfectly molds itself to her soft curves.

Perrie walks up to the counter, her big easygoing smile set into her face like stone.

"I heard you have the best coffee in town," Perrie says, looking Jade up and down just slightly. If possible, her smile widens a fraction.

"Uh," Jade responds, scrambling to remember how to think. Perrie's eyes are a beautiful shade of blue, and that's all her mind seems to want to focus on. "That's what they say."

Perrie laughs and ducks her head, and Jade thinks she might explode. God, this girl is adorable.

"Well, I'm gonna need some of that injected directly into my veins," Perrie says, sitting down at the counter and holding out her wrist. "Turns out moving is a lot more stressful than I thought."

Jade wants to smile, but instead she just hums in agreement and grabs the coffee pot and a cup.

"How do you take it?" Jade asks, motioning to the pot.