"Gee, what an intense morning that was." Michael sets his plate of lunch down onto the table in front of him, before pulling out the chair and dropping onto it. "Thank you for showing me the basics so far, Avery."

"You're welcome, Michael." Avery sits opposite him, heaving an exasperated sigh as they reach for their cup of tea. "It has certainly been a busy one today. Probably the worst day to start working here."

"Well, I've learned a lot already." He lifts his sandwich from his plate, taking a bite. He continues to talk between chewing, though one hand covers his mouth as not to seem too rude. "And I'm very excited to see what else I learn."

"You're doing a good job, though. You pick up on things fairly quickly, from what I've seen. Allie seems pretty impressed with your work ethic, too."

"I haven't really been paying attention to other people. My mind has been sorta occupied with other stuff." Michael shrugs, to suggest that his woes are not that big of a deal.

"Stuff like what?" Avery cocks an eyebrow in curiosity, but backtracks quickly. "Uh—if you don't mind me asking, of course."

"It's okay," Michael assures them. "Mainly personal life stuff. Kinda the reason I'm here to begin with. Uh, I have a son — five years old — and I'm kinda doin' it for him. We moved here for a new life. His mom — my ex-wife — wants nothing to do with him ... or with me. We sorta recently got divorced, and I'm jus' tryna get my life together again." He notices Avery's expression of surprise tinged with sympathy, so he tries to tone down how difficult it has been for him. "Oh, but it's cool. I'm just startin' again at thirty years old. I don't know — perhaps I'll get it figured out eventually."

"You sound like you've been through it these past few years," Avery answers. "But I hope that being here is the first step to starting your new life. I mean, if your ex didn't want to be there for you and your kid, then she didn't deserve to be a part of your future anyway. Don't get me wrong — I'm just a dumb twenty-four-year-old kid who got tossed around the foster system my entire childhood. But I guess I know what it feels like to have parents that don't want to be around."

"Oh man." Michael's brows furrow softly, saddened for his new colleague. "That musta sucked real hard. But for what it's worth, you're not just a dumb kid. You seem like you got a wise head on your shoulders."

"Thank you." Avery smiles, blinking back the few small tears that have glossed over their eyes. "It was rough, but I did eventually end up with a wonderful family who ended up wanting to adopt me — and they didn't care who I was or where I'd been. They just saw me as a vulnerable person who needed to be loved. And they provided that."

"And that's wonderful." Michael smiles to them, pleased with the outcome of such a harsh situation. "Part of me wishes that Casey's mom would come back and put everything right that she messed up ... but I'm more realistic than that."

Avery glances to him, curious. "You still love her?"

Michael inhales deeply, unsure on how to respond to such a broad question. After buying himself a few seconds to think, he finally speaks. "I mean ... I don't love the person she has become. But back then, when it was so perfect, in our little bubble, our own family ... I loved her more than anything. She was the love of my life."

"But you weren't the love of her life," Avery reiterates. "Because otherwise, she wouldn't have left. I'm assuming she was the one who left?"

"Yeah, she was. She left a note for me to find when I came home one day. She'd left our son by himself for goodness knows how long," Michael explains. "She basically signed away all rights as a parent during the divorce. She just washed her hands of us completely."

"So this whole "new life" thing ... it must mean a lot, hey?"

"It really does." Michael nods, attempting to push away the flashbacks of the last few years. "My boy ... he deserves the world for all that he's dealt with. As his father, I wanna be the one to give him the world. I'd never rush into finding someone new, because we both need the time to heal, but maybe in the future I'd be open to it. Well, that's if anybody would have me. And I'm hoping this job will take me places I want to go to. My own place is the main goal right now. I'm livin' with my buddy right now."

"Well, I wish you nothing but the best in reaching your goals and living your dreams." Avery pats Michael's arm, then spots the staff room door opening. "Hey, Laurie. D'you want to sit with us?"

"Oh, no, I'm not on my lunch break yet," Laurie responds, turning her attention to Michael. "Uh, Michael, Allie asked to see you. I think she just wants to have a catch up with you about how you're getting on."

"Oh, okay." Michael rises from his seat, walking away from his near-untouched food to head towards Allie's office. When he arrives, he knocks on the door to alert her to his presence. The door opens to reveal Allie, who smiles at him in anticipation of his opening statement. "Uh, hi, Allie. Laurie said you wanted to see me."

"That would be correct. Come on in." She opens the gap wider, allowing him space to enter the room. "I wouldn't worry too much; I just like to have a little chat with new members of staff to make sure they're doing alright. You're no exception to the rule. I'm very sorry to have taken you away from your lunch break. I'll make sure you get to have that time once we've had our little conversation."

"It's not a problem, but thank you." He lowers himself into a chair, awaiting his mini interrogation. "So, whatcha wanna know?"

"Well, the obvious question is, how do you feel you're settling in?"

"I think I'm doin' good," Michael answers. "I understand the cash register and I know how to take orders from folks now. Avery has been trying to show me how to make some types of coffee. I'm still a little questionable with making the milk frothy, but I'm sure there's plenty of time to learn that, right?"

"You seem to be doing excellently," Allie assures him. "Just as I knew you would. Now listen to me: if you ever need anything, just come and talk to me. My goal is for every member of my team to be comfortable and content with their work, because we're a family here. Do you understand that?"

"I do, Ma'am."

"Fantastic. Do you have any questions for me, at all?"

"Uh ... " He pauses a moment to contemplate. "I mean, something I did wonder was when I'll get to meet the others on the team."

"Of course!" Allie pulls out the staff rota from her files, letting her eyes graze over briefly. "So, Joanne will be here tomorrow alongside Avery, Laurie and Rita. And then you'll just have to meet Courtney, Elise and Jessica, who work more on the weekends when it gets busier. All lovely girls. You'll get on well with them, I believe."

"I look forward to meeting them. You remember I'm only in work tomorrow and the day after, and then I won't be back until the weekend, right? Because my buddy is takin' care of my boy right now."

"Absolutely. As long as I know your availability at least a week in advance, I can make sure the rota is sorted to fit around you." Allie folds the piece of paper up, placing it to one side. "Did you have anymore questions or concerns?"

"I don't think so."

"Alright then." Allie rises from her seat, encouraging Michael to follow suit. "I'll have another catch up with you some time soon, Michael."

"Of course. Thanks, Allie." With a polite nod of the head, he leaves the room to go back to his lunch.

• • •

"How'd the first day go, Mike?" Sean asks later on. "Did you mess up anybody's coffee?"

"It went great, thanks." Michael chuckles at Sean's teasing, choosing to ignore it. "Allie said I was settling in very well, and I met one of the people on the team, Avery, who showed me the ropes alongside Laurie. They're both great to work with."

"That's great news, man. Any pretty girls catch your eye?" Sean punches Michael's chest playfully.

"I swear you have some obsession with me finding a new girl," Michael retorts, amused. "And no, they didn't. Avery isn't a man or a woman. And I already knew Laurie. Oh, and Allie is old enough to be my mom."

"Any ladies you haven't met yet?"

"There's a few of 'em, Allie said," Michael explains. "Elise, Joanne, Courtney, uh ... Jessica and another girl whose name I can't remember. It'll come to me eventually though."

"Well, they all seem like nice names for nice ladies. Maybe you'll hit it off with one of 'em and start a new magical life with her." Sean leans his back against the fridge door, taking a bite from the apple in his hand. "It doesn't hurt to scope out potential future wifeys and stepmamas for Case."

"You're crazy." Michael scoffs, folding his arms across his chest and shaking his head. "Most of the folks there are too young for me anyway. Avery is only twenty-four. I assume the majority of the girls are in their early twenties or above forty. That's not my age range."

"Hey, MJ — any hole's a goal."

Michael almost chokes on his own breath upon hearing this statement. "My God, Sean! I'm not after a woman for the sex, man. I want a woman who I can treasure for the rest of my life. Someone who wants the same things as me. Someone who wants to settle down, get married, and have a family with me. And of course, they gotta accept I have Casey, too."

"And one day you'll find someone who is all that and more," Sean assures him. "Unlike me here, who hasn't locked eyes with a woman since my boss told me I was hired for my job. We're both in the "single and lonely" club, unfortuna—"

"Rita!" Michael interrupts.

"Rita?" Sean cocks a brow. "Who in the hell is Rita?"

"Sorry." Michael lifts his glass of water off the counter, taking a sip before he elaborates. "That was the name of the other girl who works at the cafe. It was drivin' me nuts tryna remember her name."

"Gotcha. Anyway," Sean continues. "Unfortunately, we're both part of the same club right now, Mike. We're both single and lonely. But the thing is, you got a lot more potential than I got. You got the charisma and the charm. What do I got? I got a bald head and less muscle than Casey. I'm not exactly a catch."

"You're too hard on yourself," Michael assures him. "How 'bout you and Case come on over to the cafe tomorrow while I'm working? I'll cover whatever Casey orders so you don't have to worry. It would do him some good gettin' outta the house for a little while. He's been stuck here since we moved here, other than walking to the park every so often. And hey — maybe you'll hit it off with one of my colleagues."

"I guess it's worth a shot," Sean answers. "Alright. We'll do it. I'm sure Casey would love that."

"What can I say? I'm full of great ideas." Michael bows, exaggerating the motion to poke fun at himself. "I'll go tell Case about the plan."

He sets his water back down on the counter, before beelining up the stairs to Casey's room. He knocks on the door once, out of courtesy, then proceeds to let himself in. He catches his son in the middle of scribbling grey and red crayon onto a picture of a rocket ship from his colouring book, but this activity abruptly stops upon him realising his father has entered the room.

"Hi, Daddy," he greets sweetly. "How did the work go at the food and drink place?"

"The cafe was great, thank you, buddy." Michael takes a seat on the bed next to the boy. "Everybody seems to really like me so far. Did you have a good day today?"

"I did colouring," Casey explains. "And Uncle Sean made me food and it was good."

"That sounds like a lotta fun," Michael answers. "Look, let me explain what's gonna happen tomorrow. I have to go to work again tomorrow, meaning that Uncle Sean is gonna be takin' care of you again. But tomorrow is a little different, because he's going to be taking you for food at the place I'm working, so I'll get to say hi to you."

"Will Lorry be there?" Casey's eyes glisten with hope. "Uncle Sean said that Lorry works there too."

Michael giggles at his son's question. "Yes, I believe Laurie will be there. But you have to remember we will be working, so we can't sit with you and talk. You'll have some food and a something nice to drink; you'll say hi to me and my team; and then you'll have to go back home and wait for me to be done with work. Or, if Uncle Sean is feeling particularly nice, he may let you stay at the cafe and watch me workin'. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Daddy. Do they have orange juice there?"

"They do."

"Do they have cupcakes?"

"Yes," Michael answers with a laugh. "They have all different cakes and juice, and drinking chocolate if you would like that."

"I'm excited." Casey grins, before picking up his coloured-in picture with both hands to present to his father. "Do you like the picture I did, Daddy?"

"Oh, wow! I love it," Michael responds, leaning forward to place a kiss upon his forehead. "I'm gonna find a picture frame for it, and hang it up on the wall when we finally get our new home."

He carefully places the picture to one side on the bed, before pulling Casey in towards him for a hug. It's little moments like these he holds dear to his heart; little moments like these that he knows he will cherish forever, in spite of whatever life throws in his direction.

• • •

Chapter nine! Hope you enjoyed it. xx