The Sky's The Limit (Michael Jackson)

Chapter 10 - Los Alamos

It was fast approaching 2:30pm and Eva and Michael were thankful that they'd finally arrived in Los Alamos. The limo ride had been an overly warm and quiet one, as both of them had been paying attention to the beautiful scenery along the way.

Eva had fallen in love with Santa Barbara county already! The views were absolutely stunning.

Climbing out of the limo after Michael, Eva stretched her legs and squinted at her surroundings. The whole street was almost deserted and the small shabby looking buildings lined up on either side of the road were incredibly old fashioned, made more evident by the sun blazing down and highlighting all the imperfections. It was the kind of street you'd see in an old movie.

Eva loved it. She also loved the sudden aromas that were wafting in her direction.

Squinting up at the sign above the building they'd pulled up in front of, Eva took note of the cafe name and chuckled.

"Cafe Quackenbush?!" she questioned, peering at Michael who was also chuckling.

"Nice name right?! I was told they have really nice food here though so....let's hope they're right!" he grinned, opening the door for Eva.

Once inside, Eva observed the cafe and counted just two other people sat nearby, an elderly couple nonetheless. She embraced the quietness and it made a massive change to be in that kind of environment. She just hoped that the lack of people in the cafe wasn't due to the food being inedible!

Scanning the menu on the back wall, both Eva and Michael picked the same sandwich and both chose coke to drink. Jason on the other hand bought a coffee and sat a couple of tables away, reading a paper and giving them both some privacy.

"Where are the others?" Eva questioned, only just noticing that the rest of the entourage were nowhere to be seen outside.

"Oh they'll be around the town somewhere! Generally, if we come to quiet towns like these, they tend to go do their own thing for the day and we all meet back at the hotel. As long as I've got Jason and transport nearby for a quick exit, I'm generally okay." Michael smiled as they grabbed a table. "Plus I've been to a part of this town before. Even though I get recognised, the people here are so friendly and not so intrusive. They give me space whilst making me feel welcome. If that makesany sense?" he added, glancing at the cafe owner and elderly couple who had noticed Michael's presence as soon as he walked in, but had only smiled and minded their own business.

"That's good." Eva nodded in understanding, opening her coke and taking a sip.

Glancing outside the cafe window whilst they ate, Eva's eyes fell on a small shop across the road. The sign read "Gussied Up Antiques"

"Oh wow!" Eva exclaimed.

"What?!"

"An antique shop! I love antiques!" she replied.

Michael followed her gaze across the road and his face lit up. "Me too! We gotta check it out!" he replied, consuming the last bite of his sandwich.

"You might find loads of things to put in your new ranch!" Eva winked.

Michael grinned and downed the last of his coke. "Come on, lets go!"

Eva picked up her bottle of coke to take with her and followed Michael to the cafe counter. "Thank you for the food, it was lovely!" Michael said to the owner before handing him a generous tip. "Keep up the good work!"

"Oh! Thank you sir! Thank you so much!" the owner called after them, clutching the dollars in his hand in disbelief. "God bless you!"

"That really was a nice sandwich. As far as nice sandwiches go!" Eva said, as they stepped onto the street and back into the blazing hot sun. "Thanks again. I would have paid for them you know, you've done enough by asking me to come and paying for my flight and hotel etc."