"You see this kid come through here?"

"That depends. Who is she?"

"My little sister. Only..." Paloma winced. "Seven years ago. She still looks pretty much the same, though. Only now her cheeks aren't as gigantic, all of her teeth are in, and she's a little taller, but, honestly, not by a whole lot. Her name's Quinn."

A pitiful, worn-out, wallet-sized picture of an eight-year-old Quinn was all Paloma had on her persons. These days, she had enough current pictures of her sister on her cellphone to construct several collages but in her haste, she left it at home; likely sitting on the kitchen counter next to Quinn's.

Taking the teenager's cellphone seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but then nighttime hit and she realized Quinn had no intention of coming home.

Paloma wished with every bone in her body that she went after her before Quinn had a chance to breach the front door those hours ago but that's not what happened. And willing it to happen sure wouldn't change that. So, she started her hunt about forty-five minutes ago.

The library, the mall, a few coffee shops, not even the post office evaded her erratic search. Still, each of them left her empty-handed. Her search eventually led her down the street from her home at a local diner that she'd heard good things about but hadn't really given another thought.

It was small, as most dinners are, but it had a certain charm to it that's often lacking in the food industry. The surrounding red booths and contrasting white stools that lined the bar gave her somewhat of a nostalgic vibe while still managing to reflect the twenty-first century with the occasional, supposed 'vegan-options' their menu promised.

Paloma noticed it all at first glance then hurried to the first person she could find that stood behind the counter which led her to a somewhat mop-headed teenage boy whose nametag she couldn't be bothered to read.

The boy flashed a dimpled grin so infectious that it would've made Paloma smile had it been any other day. "I thought she looked familiar."

"Is that a 'yes'?" Paloma turned to the handful of people that passed through on their way out. "Have you seen this girl?" When they offered nothing more than a shrug, she tsked then carefully returned the photo to its home in her billfolder. Her scowl returned ten-fold when her eyes fell back on the boy.

"Forgive me, ma'am, but, who's asking?"

The brunette closed her eyes and took in an impatient breath. "Her sister. Now, if you'd kindly answer the question so we can both stop wasting my time, that'd be great."

He hummed. "I didn't know Quinn had a sister."

"Why would you know that?" Eyes narrowed, she took a long look at him. "You know my sister?"

"Yeah, we're..." He wasn't exactly sure how his brain initially planned to fill that blank. "She works here. Plus, she goes to my school."

"You're the kid that offered her the job."

The night Ava flipped Paloma's world upside down, Quinn came home with good news and, after such an emotionally draining evening, Paloma appreciated hearing something uplifting for a change.

A few hours out of every week, the girl's place was the dinner. It'd been weeks now since she'd accepted the position and, so far, things were smooth sailing. Not only that, but, Paloma couldn't have been prouder.

"She's mentioned me?" The boy tongued his check to apprehend his fervent smile. "Cool."

Paloma's patience was wearing thin. "Did she swing by?"

He grimaced. "Can I see some ID? It's a hassle, I know, but we can't just give out information on our servers to random people." Paloma forked over her license and, after validating her claim, he handed it back. "She didn't have to work today, so, I haven't seen her."

The brunette threw her head back and groaned. "I know, but she comes here to hang out sometimes."

"Not today. Why? Did something happen?" He adopted a frown that appeared here to stay. "Do you think she's okay?"

"Slow your roll. She's fine." At least that's what Paloma kept telling herself.

"Sorry. I've been watching a lot of true crime shows, lately." His chuckle was fleeting as he unlaced his white apron and hoisted it over his head. "Still, I can help you find her."

Paloma was already on her way out. "I'll find her myself."

"I-I know where she is."

Paloma stumbled over her own feet. She snapped her head around to look at him. "Where?"

"...Okay, maybe I don't know know."

The brunette continued her quest, not stopping until she reached the exit. It took a lot of effort, but the teen made it to Paloma before she could make her departure. It was then that she realized that his height was fairly generous, but not quite as much so as her own.

"Do I know for sure? No. But have a pretty good idea. Let me help."

"Look, I don't have time to waste, so—"

"And I believe that which is exactly why I wanna help."

Paloma considered it. Her gaze danced around their surroundings before returning to his. "Don't you have work to do..."

He wore a goofy smile as he stuck out his hand. "Charlie." Paloma didn't accept the gesture, so he buried his hand in his nearly shoulder-length, cocoa curls. "And I was just finishing up here. We were just finishing up."

"Well, I guess I could use an extra pair of hands if you're not afraid of getting fired."

"That wouldn't happen. Mostly because it'd make things awkward at home." He chuckled. "Family business."

Paloma nodded. "Then it looks like you're my wingman."

Charlie simpered so hard his cheeks were starting to hurt as he tossed his apron onto the table of a nearby booth. Then, he and called out over his shoulder. "I cleaned the main floor like you asked! If there's nothing else, I'm gonna head out early!" Apparently, silence was all the go-ahead he needed because it was then that he switched the 'open' sign to 'closed' and led Paloma outside.

"Now that that's out of the way, what do you know? That time I mentioned earlier—it's wasting away."

"She loves to read."

Paloma crossed her arms. "Yeah."

"Which means one of her favorite places is the library."

"Believe it or not, none of this is news to me considering I grew up with the kid. What's your point?"

"So, you've checked?"

"Of course I have."

"But did you check the right one? There are four libraries in this city, at least. Did you check all four?"

Paloma shifted on her feet, surrendering her attention to the night. "...No."

"Well, it just so happens that I know her favorite. I'll drive." He stepped off the sidewalk and onto the parking lot. "You can follow if you have a car."

She scoffed. "I'm a grown-ass woman. Of course I have a car. Do you have a car? You're, what, twelve?"

Charlie stopped dead in his tracks. As if opening a portal to a green forest, his eyes widened in the same instance. "Close. Seventeen, actually, and I more so meant 'did you drive here?' as opposed to 'do you own a car?'. Guess I misspoke."

Paloma squeezed her eyes shut and sighed. "You didn't. I'm just freaking out a little—a lot—right now and for me, unfortunately, freak-outs mean turning into a bitch." She pursed her lips then looked at the boy apologetically. "Lead the way. Please."

"Come back tomorrow."

Charlie peeked over the shoulder of the man who unapologetically yanked the broad, glass doors to a slow and steady close. "We'll just be a minute."

"We're closed."

That was Paloma's cue. Charlie gladly stepped back, leaving the two to their silent standoff. "Not for another six minutes you're not." Paloma held steady, not even considering backing down in the presence of the daggers the pair of cloudy-gray eyes stared into her and, for a while, neither did the man.

Just when Charlie thought their night would be wasted on oversized egos, the man snatched his tiny-framed glasses from the bridge of his nose and wiped them on the end of his dark-green cashmere sweater.

"Five minutes. Any longer and our on-site security will be the one escorting you out." He propped the door open, finally granting them entrance. "He won't be as kind as me."

Paloma barreled past him. "Noted."

Again, Charlie led the way. Past infinite aisles of bookshelves, brightly colored bean-bag chairs, and low-energy toys they went.

"This is her place. I know. She loved it as a little kid."

Charlie spoke over his shoulder, not bothering to stop his quick movements. "And she still does. At night, especially, since most of the kids are gone home and it's quiet."

"She told you all this?"

He allotted her a single nod. "The diner gets slow sometimes."

Paloma stopped; sensing this, Charlie did the same. He shrugged. "We were talking a while back, she mentioned it, and it just so happens that I have a good memory."

Commencing her search, she chuckled. "Right."

"Here." Charlie advanced, leaving Paloma at his heels.

They rounded a corner that practically swallowed them whole, even with its humble presence. As a whole, the library was colossal but that one space was the exception. Aside from dropping Quinn off a few times a week, for a writer, Paloma spent an embarrassing amount of time away from libraries and bookstores but seeing the nook took Paloma down memory lane.

It was a space for a child no doubt. Paloma doubted an adult could fit within the nook even if they tried. As a matter of fact, it was a wonder Quinn could still make it work but she figured that was one of the perks of being vertically challenged.

A string of white lights wrapped around the nook's walls like a friendly vine; each tiny bulb burning brighter than the last to give the cozy area the lighting it deserved. It was quiet too. Aside from themselves, there wasn't a soul in sight. One might attribute that to the late hour but Paloma had years of experience that told her otherwise. It was very much Quinn's corner, in the Sullivan household, at least, and, according to Charlie, that still appeared to be the case.

Paloma's reminiscent smile left just as soon as it came. "She's not here."

Charlie sighed. "I really thought she would be." He raked a hand through his curls then turned to look at the woman. "It's getting pretty late. Think she might've gone home? Maybe your parents know something. She could be with them."

Not that she was ever in the mood to explain exactly why that would be impossible unless something had gone terribly wrong, she really wasn't in the mood that night. "Doubt it. But, I'm gonna circle back around to a couple of places then head home and...check, I guess. See if she's there."

She ventured on until they were both out of the building. Charlie fought to keep up with her. "And if she's not? It's not that late, I can still—"

"I highly doubt your parents will see it that way." Before he could offer a counter, she said, "I appreciate your help, kid, seriously. But this is my responsibility and I'll figure it out. She'll be back in uniform bright and early tomorrow morning serving burgers or bussing suds or whatever it is you guys have her doing over there. I'll make sure of it."

That subdued Charlie's tongue for the most part. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

He knelt, neatly retying his shoestrings that were far too loose for his liking. He didn't dare look up at the woman when he asked, "She could be with her boyfriend. You know, if she...has one of those."

Paloma shot him a look that he couldn't miss, prompting him to stand and set free his millionth awkward chuckle of the night. "Or a regular friend, maybe?"

Paloma waved him off. "She doesn't have any." When he knitted together each of the neat caterpillars that rested just above his eyes, she sighed. "She'll kill me if she finds out I told you that. If I ever find her."

Charlie chuckled. "I won't mention it."

The brunette hopped into her car, resurrecting the engine in the same instance that she tossed her purse into the neighboring seat. She lowered her windows just enough to hear the boy.

"Are family friends out of the question, too?"

The frustration-induced crinkle in Paloma's forehead finally relaxed. "Huh." Smirking, she gave him a once-over. "I know where she is."

"That's great! Where?"

Paloma's expression didn't wane in the least as she shifted gears to reverse. "Bright and early tomorrow. Hold me to it."

Paloma rarely got anxious. Interviews, social situations, even meeting the parents (the few times that happened) hardly ever ignited her nerves. But that night when she found herself standing inside of an apartment complex that she'd been inside of too many times to count but now under entirely different pretenses, her anxiety got the better of her. Still, she sucked in a breath, stuck out her chest, and rang the doorbell all the same.

She got an answer in no time. "Took you long enough."

Paloma took the fact that Ava refrained from slamming the door in her face as an invitation to enter. Her eyes instinctively fell on the two, identical, empty pints of ice cream, potato chip bag, and the picked-over box of pizza that was sprawled over the coffee table. She grimaced but instantly regretted it when she realized Ava bore witness to the blatant expression.

The brunette hoped to keep the conversation light but realized that she failed pitifully when she asked, "How have you been?"

"Look, we both know you're not here to talk about us." She led Paloma down the hall, refusing to glance at her. "So, you can shelve the pleasantries."

That was more than fair, really, but, Paloma's heart still sank into the pit of her belly. That changed when Ava turned the doorknob to the spare bedroom, creaking it open just enough to reveal Quinn who lied motionless in the dark. Her head, along with the rest of her body, remained buried beneath the comforter.

A while back, following a brief explanation from Quinn, Paloma learned that it was the only way the peculiar girl could get to sleep. Back at the apartment, when the two shared a bed, she'd poke fun at the girl for the nightly ritual but, deep down, she thought it was kind of cute.

Paloma relaxed for the first time that evening. "You're a life-saver. Seriously, thank you. You looking out for her...it means the world to me. Especially considering..."

Ava pulled the door shut and shrugged. "I guess it just didn't matter at the time." Paloma didn't hesitate to follow her back into the living room where she finally began making a real attempt at collecting her mess. "It kinda feels like she's my little sister, too, sometimes. I can't help but give a shit about her, so..."

The brunette gathered some nearby trash and aided Ava in her mundane chore, but her eyes never left the other woman. "...And me?"

At this, Ava did away with her distraction by lowering the big, black trash bag that she'd been lugging around. After, her eyes flickered to Paloma's. "I'll never stop giving a shit about you." Before Paloma's smile could become too giddy, Ava crammed a handful of balled-up paper towels into the trash bag and blindly motioned down the hall. "You should probably get the kid. Take her home before she gets too used to the deluxe treatment this place has to offer. It'll make going home even harder."

Just like that, Paloma's heartbeat regulated. She chuckled then nodded her head. "Good idea." She set her sights on the guest bedroom but couldn't bring herself to make the journey just yet. "Could we...go somewhere? Tomorrow? Just me and you?"

Ava stiffened but Paloma didn't back down. "I want to fix this. Don't you?"

"I'm not so sure that there's anything left to fix. You're not budging and neither am I. Not anymore."

Paloma wet her lips and let a heavy frown come to the surface. "So, that means you and I are through? I mean, you won't return my phone calls; you hardly look in my direction at work—"

"Maybe that's because I can't. Ever consider that?"

Paloma ducked her head and let her eyes fall to the floor as if it was made of the most alluring material in the world. "I have. I know all of this has been hardest on you most of all. I can't imagine. You sacrificed for me over and over just so that I wouldn't be uncomfortable, to avoid the possibility of things becoming weird or different and what you did, it was you trying. For me. And now..." She looked up at Ava who was holding on to her every word. "I can do the same for you."

Ava fought a grin. "...Where? And don't say your place. I know what you're thinking but you're not getting into my pants that quickly."

Amused, Paloma nodded. "How about my backup then? There's a diner down the street from my house that Quinn works at. We could gorge on fatty foods, demand to speak to the owner, then end the night by giving her shitty tips."

"Sounds like a five-star date to me." Ava let her spirited smile shine through. "I'll be there."