Adriana's Corner

Chapter 23

"Oi!"

I look up, totally lost in my thoughts, to see Joe waving his hand in front of me.

"Hm?"

"Taffy said goodbye."

"Huh? Oh..." I turn to the door that has nobody at it and give an unneeded wave goodbye. "Woops."

"Need coffee?" he asks, getting up.

"Yes. Grief yes. I'll do it." This is when there's a knock at the door so I look at Joe. "Scrap that. I'll get the door. I'm hoping you're a better coffee maker than you are a doorman."

He chuckles a little and I open the door to a familiar but forgotten face.

The man holding a box smiles at me.

"Hi Nina." the man says. I screw up my face trying to place him.

"I'm really sorry, I know I know you I just can't..."

"Sam. . .butchers...Charlie's son."

"Ah." I nod, tensing up again. "Sorry. Maybe if you were wearing the apron."

He smiles.

"Yes but wearing a blood splattered apron outside the shop doesn't go down too well with most people either."

"True. Would you like to come in?" I ask.

"No thanks. My old man just wanted me to drop this off. Just a little something. We heard you might be staying?"

"Yes. I bought the Oxford and maybe the building next to it so I can't leave now."

"Yeah, I saw what happened to the Oxford. Addie would have been crushed."

"Kind of why I'm doing it. I'm renaming it Adriana's Corner." 

Sam looks down suddenly and nods, closing his eyes.

"Good...good. She'd like that. I better go ummm, here." he holds out the box and backs away. "I'll see you around then."

I stand there, holding the box, staring down the pathway confused. That was weird.

"That was weird." I hear Joe say next to me. I nod numbly as Joe closes the door in front of me.

"Am I missing something?" I finally ask, looking away from the closed door. Joe shrugs and takes the heavy box out of my hands.

"Probably. His dad knows all remember."

"Eyck! Don't remind me." I mumble, going back to the kitchen. "I still feel bad for not going back to see him. Anyway, heard from Eli and Alyssa yet?"

"They landed last night. Eli is going to talk to them the next time they're all in the same room. Alyssa's going to, as always, try and keep the peace."

"Of course." I say as I open the box. "Ooo, meat. Aw now I feel really bad for not seeing him."

"Why haven't you?" he asks, over the coffee machine.

"Hah! Need I remind you? You gave me one tiny bit of information a while ago and I had a meltdown. Imagine how bad I'll be knowing everything...that being said, I do have to go sometime."

"Shouldn't be too bad. Another ten minutes on the phone with what's-his-face and you'll be back to normal." Joe throws a smile over his shoulder and I glare at him, opening the freezer.

"You're worse than the girls." I tell him. He shakes his head.

"No I'm not. You don't hear the half of it."

I screw up my face deciding I don't want to know. After stuffing all the meat into the freezer, Joe hands me the coffee.

"What do you think of what Taffy said?...Sun?" he asks, nodding his head in the direction of the deck. I follow him out with my inferior coffee, making a mental note not to let him near Romeo anymore.