Unexpected | Simon Minter | Miniminter

Chapter One

"I'm Simon."

Reluctantly, I took his hand. "Elsie."

The lie rolled off my tongue, as real in his eyes as the boots on his feet. He had no reason to doubt, so he didn't.

A smile grazed his lips. "Nice to meet you, Elsie."

I hummed in reply, distracted by the pit forming in my stomach.

"Well, my friends will be wondering where I disappeared to," he chuckled lightly then glanced down at Noah. "Thanks for the tackle."

Noah's tail wagged at the attention.

"Maybe I'll see you around, Elsie?"

Our eyes locked again, bringing an unwelcomed smile to my face.

"Maybe." I broke away, smiling to myself the entire walk back to our bench, with Noah at my heels.

My book sat where I left it, turned to an odd page by the wind. I closed it and hugged it to my chest, forcing my smile away before reaching under the bench and grabbing my bag.

Noah watched me curiously, head tilted and eyes focused. He panted happily when I rubbed behind his ears and hopped to his feet.

It was almost two in the afternoon. When we arrived, it was barely eleven. I shook my head at the realisation that Noah kept me on that bench throwing him the ball for three hours.

"You're lucky I'm not late," I told him, shouldering my bag and starting across the street to a café, tucked between a smoothie pub and ice cream parlour.

It was quaint, big enough for about forty people. The walls were painted a sandy yellow and the ceiling sloped to form a dome. Lights hung from the ceiling, casting a dim yet comforting light on the lobby.

"Elsie! You're here!" my co-worker, Athena, shouted from behind the counter when Noah and I walked through the door. "I thought you weren't going to show!"

"Nope, I'm here." I grabbed my apron from the hook in the back and pulled it over my head, brushing my hair out of my face.

"Want me to put Noah out back for you?" Athena asked, grinning as she squeezed my dog's face between her hands.

For as long as I'd known her, I never saw Athena frown. Her joy was contagious, brightening the mood of everyone who met her. She was magnetic, and I admired her for it.

"I'll do it. I've got to wash up and clock in."

She released Noah, returning to the counter. If Noah had true facial expressions, he pouted when she left him. He didn't like most people, but Athena was the exception—she always was.

With one hand, I pushed the back door open to let Noah out, the other buried in my back pocket searching for an elastic.

"See ya, Noah!" Athena chirped as he trotted through the door. He froze in the doorway to yap at her, tail wagging furiously.

"Out, boy." I rolled my eyes, bumping him with my foot until he got the hint.

He practically scowled as the door closed—he hated when I did that.

"I miss him already," Athena whined when I moved next to her to clock onto the computer. "My Noah!"

"Hush," I chided, nudging her with my elbow when a customer walked in.

Athena hopped back into work mode, bouncing on her feet. "Welcome to the Sunshine Bay Café! How can I help you today?"

I turned toward the machines—Athena was the face of our shifts together, not me.