Envelope Challenge

Epilogue

Well, my few followers, this is it. The last chapter. The resolution. The finale. The closure. I hope you enjoyed the journey and keep commenting, voting and sharing. It's always been my goal to get published so I'm gonna start that process soon. Thanks for your support, my few! Farewell for now!

Enjoy!

(I'm gonna start working on my other stories now. Keep an eye out, ok? ;) )

It was always so loud. No matter how many times she broached the subject, her boss never turned down the volume of the music, insisting that it created 'an atmosphere' even though it only burst her eardrums. The music of the day was even worse, loud songs with deep beats and fast lyrics. She wanted to scream and eat an entire bottle of Tylenol.

"Anna!" her employer screamed and she instantly turned towards her. It took her a while to get used to the new name, but, three years in, she learned to reply to it instinctively.

"Yeah, boss?" She turned back around to finish the drink she was making before calling it and giving it to the customer. The woman instantly started talking to the person on her phone again with only a small nod of thanks. The call was only about her having someone's coffee and that she would be there soon, nothing she had to report about.

"A customer wants you at table five," she told her, making it obvious that was where she wanted her.

"Yes, ma'am." She tore off the gloves and washed her hands before slipping out from behind the counter, patting the other worker to show she was leaving.

The place was full of regulars who greeted her as she walked by. She returned their greetings, smiling and exchanging pleasantries and questions about their lives. Polly – Anna – hated lying about her life and her past, but she had to. She was just thankful that the only people she had to report on were either cleared or weren't regulars. Table five was situated in the back of the café. A lone man occupied it, facing away from her so she could only see his well-groomed black hair.

"Hello there, sir. My name's Anna. What can I do for you?" she asked with a bright smile. She got her first good look at him and her working smile turned into a real one.

"Well, I can do about a million things for you to do, but I don't think that's what you were asking," Nathaniel teased.

"What are you doing here?" she laughed and slipped into the chair beside him. "You weren't supposed to come for another two weeks."

"I just wanted to visit. Is that so wrong?"

"I don't know. I might have to kick you out for loitering."

"Then I'll have to sue for damaging my ears with this atrociously loud music."

"I've tried telling Ms. Lowe that the music was too loud, but she never listens. She says that it sets the scene, creates an atmosphere." She leaned forwards, the smile still evident on her face. "Just a load of crap, if you ask me. Then again, I don't own a popular café, so she might be on to something."

He chuckled. "But you like it here, right? You've always seemed happy when I come, but..."

"I am. I didn't think I would, but the people are nice and everyone's good to each other. Hey, Tom," she called to the young man behind the counter. "One Thaddeus and a falcon head, please!"

"If you go on a date with me," he replied while going to make the drinks since there was no line for once.

"Maybe next time," she chuckled. Tom had been asking her out ever since she first got there. When she'd reported that to the DDA, the made her check him out and he found her extra interest in his private life as her being interested in him. If only he knew he didn't hold a candle to Nathaniel...