Chapter 12
The FBI Headquarters - Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC
Five minutes. Part of Kate’s morning routine is spending five more minutes thinking of Lucy before starting her day at work. She has to. She needs to. Or she’ll frequent the ladies’ room to keep composing herself at work the whole day. Four months back from Fort Worth, and she still misses her. Every second of every day. The first weeks back home were a challenge. There was never a day she wanted to fly back to Texas and bargain with fate for a glimpse of Lucy at Boone’s or Stellar. But with the five-minute practice, she’s grown accustomed to that cold hollow in her chest. It’s still a struggle; some days, waking up is more demanding than most days. For at nights, she let her heart loose on what could have been.
Lucy had given her mixed signals in her last days before flying out to DC. That day at Boone's in particular, Lucy called her Kate again. Abbie sent her a message that day: Lucy out for coffee. Kate recalls staring at Lucy from a corner. Eyes closed. Lips pressed. A purple dent on her left cheek. It took a ton of her strength not to cup Lucy’s face and plant a kiss on her lips.
“Agent. Kate. Whistler.” were like darts aimed straight at her heart. Kate had to lift her laptop to shield her chest. “Chagaccino?” She grinned at how natural it was for Lucy to remember her usual cup even when angry. So, she pushed her luck and added a little humor by asking for a latte. She could tell Lucy’s conflict in the dimpling of the skin above her right eyebrow, but she didn’t air it. Kate rode on her mischief and asked for a “big heart” drawn over her drink. It might mean nothing to Lucy, but for Kate, it was a knock on Hope’s door. Chances are, Lucy would remember it was the last message she left on Kate’s coffee before everything between them went south. It’s the truth Kate would like Lucy to hear. Over and over and over again. Her truth. She almost heard the words too. In Lucy’s hideout. The stairwells by the fire exit. Enough reason to hold out on hope to this day.
Maybe it’s time to revisit that job post.
The older Mr. Tara made an offer that left Kate considering and still contemplating, a permanent move to Fort Worth. A spot on Stellar’s legal team. It is a standing, lucrative offer. One that doesn’t hold a candle to her current pay grade with the Bureau. In the end, she turned it down. Stellar’s President kept the spot open for her should she change her mind. In Kate’s last attempt to make it right between them, Lucy aired her need for space to work on things about them. Independently. Not exactly Lucy's words. It was just how Kate made her heart understand it less painfully.
Two minutes. Kate retrieves her phone from her bag, slides her thumb to the right, and scrolls through images in her photo gallery until she finds the one she sniped from Ernie’s files. Lucy’s picture in her red and white racing suit. Helmet on her lap. Laughing in victory.
Wish you didn’t give up on driving. Practice runs can ease some stress at work.
Thirty seconds. She outlines Lucy’s face on the screen with her slender fingers. She gathers in a deep breath, three… two… one, and locks her phone. She drops it back in her bag and heaves herself out of her car.
She finds Kai, Carla, and Ernie huddled by her desk, mumbling something she can’t figure out. Too early. Carla meets her eyes first, “Agent Whistler, brand new day, isn’t it?”
She greets Carla with a polite smile as Ernie makes a lame effort to pull up the corner of his mouth for an awkward grin. He then side-eyes Kai, who crosses his wrists and reciprocates Ernie with a version of his side-eyes. “Do we have a new case?” Kate asks, taking a mental note of her team's silent conversation.
“No,” Kai answers.
“Yes,” Ernie says at the same time while Carla stops lifting her chin.
Kate’s suspicions are growing by the minute, but chooses to ignore it. “We usually do it in the briefing room with Agent Curtis.”
“Not really a case.” Kai slides off to the side of her desk, revealing a tray with four cups of coffee. “I– We want you to, uh, try this new coffee place on West Street.”
“Cafe DC found a new owner?”
Ernie glares at Kai, who leans back on Kate’s table and refuses to meet Ernie’s eyes. Kai plucks one cup out of the tray and offers it to her. “New management starts today.”
“New management. Artistic touch. More to your taste,” Carla informs her in zest.
When Kate took the cup, her team dispersed immediately. Weird. She didn’t bother grilling them. At the end of this day, one of them will break and tell her what is happening. A brand new day indeed.
— — —
A five-star hotel on Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, DC
Lucy sets foot in a dimmed room. The hands on her watch state it’s only half past one in the afternoon, and judging by how quickly her skin is racking up goosebumps, the thermostat is lowered to a temperature that challenges the material of her suit jacket. She finds the woman responsible for such transgression in the same spot where she left her this morning. Reclined on the settee with her eyes closed. Dozen cushion supporting her lower back and hands clasped under her round belly. Lucy holds her breath, clutches her satchel close, and crosses the threshold on the tip of her toes. Her eyes bugged out, mapping a trail to the location of the fridge. A few steps into the task, her dislike of the current state of their suite was voiced out by the grumbling of her stomach.
“That is awful,” Lauren giggles behind her.
Lucy spins, catching Lauren snapping her mouth shut to keep in a laugh. “Says the woman who’s been throwing up all morning and left me swimming with the bull sharks.”
“Lucy,” Lauren carefully shifts in her seat. “You don’t swim. Yes, Joe Millius is a calculated businessman, but he doesn’t look anything like the bull sharks, and,” she pats her belly, “I have a valid excuse. Six months now. What’s yours?”
Lauren flew into DC to finalize the partial acquisition of Joe Millius’ innovative energy brand. The tactical business tycoon has dragged the negotiations for too long, forcing Stellar to send their best arbiter. As for Lucy? She tagged along under the pretense of observing her sister’s negotiation skills, but as it turned out, this trip had asked more from her. At six months pregnant, Lauren has one of those excessive vomiting conditions that renders her tired and immobile for a meaningful amount of time in a day. And since they can’t go back to Fort Worth empty-handed, not that she plans on going home soon, Lucy stepped in for Lauren this morning at the contract signing with Millius Gas and Energy.
Another downside of tagging along is contending with Lauren’s choice of meals and snacks to manage the morning sickness and her newfound love for cooler–no, freezing temperatures. “Well… He miscalculated. My Texas-sized stomach is not impressed by expensive little cookies and burnt corporate coffee.” She drops her satchel on the settee and picks up her steps, scurrying towards the fridge. She could’ve picked something on her way back, but she was so worried about Lauren’s state she ignored her hunger and sprinted back to the hotel. Room service? That takes time, and her stomach is getting impatient. She stares at her current choices inside the fridge. Plain yogurt, parfait with granola, and overnight oats. She grins as she picks out two cups of parfait, grabs two spoons on the counter, and heads back to the sitting area.
“You did not–” Lauren stretches her spine in horror.
“Chill,” Lucy opens one cup of parfait and offers it to Lauren. “He signed.” She opens her cup, stuffs a spoonful in her mouth, and plops down on the settee beside her sister. She closes her eyes and savors the sweet and sour taste of the yogurt-based snack. It’s not a full meal, but better than the cookies Mr. Millius’s assistant served her at the signing.
“Great!” Lauren squeals in between spoonful. “Thank heavens! Now, I get home and wait peacefully for my lil tyke!” She says in relief as she draws circles on her belly with her palm. “And you can focus on the cafe across the street.” Technically, the coffee shop Lauren pertains to is on the other block. Lucy exhales, then lets it settle to calm the sudden flutters in her stomach. Lauren tilts her head to one side and surveys Lucy’s face. “You’re not flaking, are you?”
Lucy purses her lips and shakes her head vehemently. She’s not backing down. Once she’s done sulking and taming her demons, she is all set for DC. Cafe or no cafe involved. “I am not. My partner, though…” She trails, choosing not to ramble her displease.
“Cut him some slack, will yah? Didn’t you know his family owns a restaurant in Oahu?” Lauren refers to Lucy’s new business partner. The ex-marine who was once part of their Dad’s security team. Two months after leaving Fort Worth, he contacted the Taras for business advice, and Lucy was more than happy to comply. It’s the least she can do after terribly assuming he was once a competition for Kate’s heart.
“Doesn’t mean the same as running a cafe.” As the great Ybrrahim Tara always taught them, knowing the business is not enough. You have to live it. Her new partner knows his way around the food business. Sure. But the guy doesn’t understand there’s art in making every cup of coffee. “Told him he’s gotta get used to the basics. He’s patient, alright. But I can’t keep waking up at the crack of dawn to train him. It’s not the only thing I need to do.”
“Mm-hm,” Lauren catches on to the profound meaning of her last statement. She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively. A wicked smile tugs her lips. “Haven’t you recruited Alan to help with the transition?”
Lucy rolls her eyes and ignores her sister’s teasing. “I did.” In fact, she made Alan an irresistible offer that had Jesse’s young apprentice packing for DC quicker than her best time trial run on the track.
Lauren scoots in her seat and moves closer to Lucy. “Proud of you.” She nudges her younger sister on the shoulder. “For taking the risk. If it doesn’t… Well, you know you can always come home, yes?”
With Lucy offering to chip in half of the cafe’s price, the deal is sealed. A tentative move to DC is inevitable to assist in the changeover to the new management. She takes a long breath to fend off the tightness gripping her chest. Lucy can only hope that her risk would yield the best result. Whatever that is. She checks the time on her watch. “And spoil your kid to the core? Sounds like a plan!”
Lauren feigns taking offense at Lucy’s jab. She places a hand over her chest. “You do not spoil my kid!” She thrusts her half-eaten parfait on Lucy’s lap.
Girl or boy? The Taras had yet to know. Undoubtedly, the new addition to their family will get all of Lucy's affection, especially if things in DC don’t play out the way she wants to. “Oh, you know it!” Lucy chuckles in awe at Lauren’s sudden gain of strength.
“No! No! No!” Lauren hoists herself from the settee. “I’m calling room service and order us a feast to celebrate!” She leaves Lucy with her thoughts swirling to one conversation that directed her heart to DC.
Have a safe flight, Kate. It was the best she could come up with after Kate attempted to make everything right between them. Even her siblings were dumbstruck.
“You said what?!” Lenny asked, forcing himself on his elbows atop Lucy’s bed.
It was one of their Sunday breakfasts at the estate. Lucy finished her meal and dashed to her old room to retrieve Kate’s blazer. She instructed Carmen to leave it there for her after discreetly asking their housekeeper to dry-clean the blazer the previous week. Her older siblings followed her shortly and invaded her bed, lying beside her as she clutched the folded blazer on her chest.
Lucy concealed her damp lashes with her right forearm. “What am I supposed to say?”
Lauren, propped on her side, pried Lucy’s arm off. “It’s been over a month. What are you still doing here?”
Lucy retrieved her hand and planted it firmly over her eyes. “Working!”
“Didn’t stop you from leaving before?” Liam threw in a loaded question about the countless times she left Fort Worth to forget.
“In case you haven’t heard, I’m currently the co-chair of the Finance unit! I can’t just leave!” Lucy laced her voice with sarcasm to shroud the vacancy Kate left in her chest.
“Co-chair to one of Stellar’s best who can run the unit by herself,” Lauren pried Lucy’s arm off this time. “To DC or Dubai or LeMans. I’m not the only one wondering why you haven’t run away yet.”
“I’m tired of running away. And I can’t outrun this,” Lucy taps her chest twice. “Can’t outrun her. It scares me.”
Lauren lays her hand over Lucy’s. “Everything you put your heart into is scary. You do it anyway. Isn’t she worth taking that risk?”
“I’m not even sure who she is.”
“Then get to know her!” Lenny lifted off his back completely. “We saw how scared she was when you won’t wake up after what happened at the Speedway. The nurses said she refused to leave your bedside. When we reached Fort Worth Medical, Dad asked her to get her forehead treated. She declined him politely. Her attending physician had to stitch her up beside you.”
“Oh, yeah,” Liam laughed. “With minimal to no anesthetics per her request. That attending told me he had to up Kate’s dose of sedative so they could put her to sleep.”
“Then she showed up to that meeting in the conference room,” Lauren wiped off the tears rolling down Lucy’s cheeks. “Do you really think she was there to listen to our collective apology?”
Liam got up from the bed. “Here,” he tapped Lucy on the knee.
Lucy focused on Liam’s business card through the mist in her eyes. He waved it over her. “I know where to find you. And I’m not calling your hospital line. I’ll call you directly anytime I want to.”
“Get up! You’re looking at the wrong side, dummy.” Liam hauled her up. Lucy grunted and sat up lazily on the bed. He flipped his card, bearing a dainty handwritten address in DC. His features soften as Lucy gazes up to meet Liam’s comforting eyes. “Hugging that blazer is no match to hugging the person who owns it. And don’t forget to thank my wife later.”
“Isn’t she worth taking that risk?”
Several weeks later, Lucy’s answer to that question from that sibling intervention stays the same. She hooks her right pinkie on her jacket’s left sleeve and peeks at her watch to read the time.
She’s worth it. She’s worth all of it.
— — —
Cafe DC — West Street, Washington D.C.
Cafe DC has been Kate’s go-to for caffeine fixes since she started to work for the Bureau. It’s a close drive from her place and a few walks from the headquarters whenever she needs a breather from a challenging case. It’s not as popular as the other coffee shops in the vicinity, but it caters more to her taste. It stood brave against the tests of time and the cut-throat market. It’s been the quiet witness of her sorrow over her brother’s untimely death. These days, it serves more of a reminder of the young executive she fell in love with during an undercover op.
Six weeks after her return from the said op, rumor has it that her favorite coffee spot in DC is on a hunt for a buyer. The owner decided to retire and put it up for sale. That day has come. After four months, Cafe DC has found its new owner. Kate didn’t mind the quick changes in a few weeks. A much-needed repainting of the building. The modernization of the electrical wiring system. A rerouting of the wifi. A noticeable upgrade of the pieces of furniture and a brand-new, sparkling espresso machine. The new management also added a latte and cappuccino variant of mushroom coffee to their lists and a few pastries to their menu. The change that piqued her curiosity the most? The coffee in her cup. It started with the blend. Right amount of mushroom powder. An extra shot of espresso. An added splash of milk. At first, she thought the regular barista had finally perfected how she takes her coffee. One morning, out of curiosity, she popped the cap off to inspect and was astonished to find a heart-shaped milk froth drawn on top. Delightful. No big deal. It’s probably a new barista showing off. This morning, she stopped sipping her warm coffee when a scribbled note on the cup caught her eye.
Have a brew-tiful day!
She knew only one barista who had written her the same note. And that cute barista used to work at Boone’s. Impossible! Boone’s is in Fort Worth, and according to Ernie, who did the coffee run the previous week, the new owner of Cafe DC didn’t lay off any of its employees. Kate knew the regular barista of the morning rush was not always a cheerful one. But she puts up with the crabby attitude because he’s the only one who got close to crafting the blend of her preference.
Have a brew-tiful day!
Coincidence? Maybe. Probably. However, there is no such thing as coincidence. The handwriting. Familiar and unsettling. Kate does not appreciate her heart doing that little thump-thump dance inside her ribcage. She can ask forensics for analysis, but she’s too scared of getting her hopes high to be let down afterward. How she wishes it is the sweetest, most charming barista she knows. She misses Lucy, alright! So much she hopes she could easily whisk Lucy out of her thoughts, wrap her in her arms, and tell her how much. But that’s not possible. It’s probably just her mind playing tricks on her.
Stellar always adheres to having two Tara executives on board. The last time Abbie updated her, Lenny is still considering getting his reigns with Operations. Lauren is back with the legal team until she gives birth. She finally convinced Liam to shadow their Dad at Stellar for a day in a week, and Lucy… She abandoned her weekly time trial runs at the Speedway since their date. Whether it was because of her new role at the family business, the traumatic memory that came with it, or something (someone) else? Kate was not brave enough to ask her former roommate about the specifics.
It was Kai’s turn to do the coffee run for the team this morning. When Kate probed him about the note on her cup, he shrugged and grunted a ‘No’. The overt evasiveness struck a muscle in her jaw. To Kai's horror, she stormed his area and flipped his trash bin over his desk. She dug in for his coffee cup and read nothing, but his name doodled in hurried strokes. He did the same with Ernie’s and Carla’s cups. Same thing. Hurriedly doodled names. No meticulously scribbled note. Lucy didn’t exactly say ‘good-bye.’ Her words were, ‘Maybe in another time.’ And by that, did she mean–? It sounds ridiculous in Kate’s head. There’s only one way to find out.
Kate gently opens the door of Cafe DC. As expected, the coffee shop is relatively quiet at three in the afternoon. Kate scans its newly renovated interiors and finds patrons seated inside. The aroma of grounded coffee fills the air. An animated chatter catches her attention. It’s incredulous. But she can not be mistaken. “Alan?!” Boone’s Cafe’s resident barista owns the vibrant voice playing good host to Cafe DC’s patrons.
Alan’s face brightly shines as he turns around and approaches her. “Kate!”
“What are you doing here?” She asks, pulling up her lips to hide the disappointment blooming in her chest.
He puffs his chest out, hands on his waist as he rocks on his heels. The sparkling nameplate pinned on his black apron reads, Manager. “Welcome. Welcome. You are looking at Cafe DC’s soon-to-be newest manager.”
“Soon-to-be?!”
His eyes darted anxiously around the place. He pulls her into a corner near the prep counter with Kate’s back to the cafe’s main entrance. “Well, my boss says we are waiting for one final transaction. I’m making the most of it. Suppose it doesn’t materialize today. But you’re here now, so I hope it does.”
What does it have to do with me?
Alan clasps his hands over his chest and pleads, “Can you, maybe, put in some good words for me when you see the boss? We did work together. But my boss has been different. Grumpier after the investigations. I mean, you and I go back to Fort Worth. You know I can whip up that perfect chagaccino all day, any day.”
Boss? Jesse is here? She watches Alan in complete awe and confusion.
“Please, Kate? It’s a top post. I think–No. I know, I’m more than ready for it. I swear.”
She raises her palm to stop Alan and make sense of his ramblings. “Did Jesse move here? With his family? What about Boone’s? What happened to Boone’s?” Kate folds an arm over her tummy as a sharp pang drills her guts. He didn’t sell it, did he? Did Lucy ask him to? But she loves that cafe. I love that cafe. A lot happened between them in that cafe. Was Lucy that angry to get rid of the place that reminded her of them?
Alan eyes her curiously. “Oh! No! No! Jesse isn’t the–”
“Do we have a problem here?” An authoritative voice behind her stuns Kate in place. She knows that voice. The rapid summersault her heart is doing at the moment confirms it. “Are you giving the gorgeous customer a difficult time, Alan?” Kate’s heart is doing a triple jump. What are the chances? If she turns around, will that familiar voice vanish in thin air?
“Boss!” Alan’s eyes widened, failing miserably at hiding his nerves with a skittish smile. “I was just asking Kate what she would like to go with her cup of coffee.”
“How about the burger? Double patty, double cheese, and… smothered with Thousand Island dressing?”
Oh my god! Kate covers her mouth, the surge of emotions so unforgiving she isn’t sure if this moment is real or not. Is she here?
Alan steps past Kate. “But it’s not yet officially on the menu.”
“Let her be the judge then. If she likes it, we put it on the menu.” The impatience in that familiar voice is undeniable. Alan seems to have picked up on it, too.
“Yes, boss! Right away, boss!” Alan doubles back to Kate. “One chagaccino. Extra shot of espresso and a splash of almond milk and the burger coming right up for my favorite customer.” Then, he rushes to the kitchen.
“Hello, Kate.”
Kate, still frozen in place, chastises her heart for pushing her hopes through the cafe’s roof. She wills her feet and turns slowly. She meets the most enticing pair of eyes she’s been missing. Lucy is smiling at her. No shadow of loathing or resentment. “You’re the…” she says softly, finally wrapping her head around the shreds of evidence that led her here. “If you’re the new owner. Does that mean… Are you… Are you staying?”
“Depends,” Lucy tilts her head slightly to one side. “If DC will love my brand of Texan coffee.”
Kate blinks the haze in her eyes. The note on her cup. It is her sweetest and most charming barista, after all. “Will every cup get a personalized note from you?”
Lucy shakes her head slowly. “That’s exclusive for one very ‘different’ client.”
Different. The word is dear to Kate because Lucy had used it to describe her before. She clears her throat. Carefully choosing the right words to say. “Uhm, have you been working on your coffee puns?” The thunderous laugh that came off of Lucy indicates she read the depth of Kate’s question.
“Yes. Still. With all my heart.” Lucy takes a measured step, reaching for Kate’s hands. “I’m sorry. It took some time for me to get here.” Lucy kisses Kate's hands and then lifts her head to look Kate in the eyes. Her eyes match Kate’s, brimming with hope. “Am I too late?”
Kate closes the remaining distance between them. She wraps Lucy in her arms, reveling at the luscious warmth spreading through her chest. She kisses the crown of Lucy’s head in between tears and whispers, “Just in time, my sweet. Just in time.”
“I love you, Kate Whistler,” Lucy murmurs against Kate’s silky dress shirt.
Kate chuckles a breath. She knew. She always did. Lucy never failed to make her feel it. From that day, Kate told her she was not into relationships. But hearing it here, now, confirms that Kate isn’t dreaming or hallucinating. Lucy is really here. Kate leans back a little as her eyes glide from Lucy’s eyes down to her lips. She leans down and grins through her tears, “Love you too, Lucy Tara,” she says ardently and meets Lucy’s lips for a kiss.
— — The End — —