All of Me

4. Chapter Four - Tomorrow-2

Tiger let Fizz off of his leash, casting a mock-stern glance at her dog. “What have I told you about jumping up, dude?”

Fizz, his mouth open in a wide doggy grin, panted at her, his eyes hopeful. Tiger rolled her eyes and dug a treat out for him from her pocket. “Not that you deserve it.”

Fizz, satisfied, trotted away to his basket and flopped with a sigh into it. He was asleep even before Tiger had finished taking off her coat. Filling a kettle, Tiger set it to heat on the stove and found a clean mug, grabbing a tea bag from the little box. This was her little ritual. Walk the dog on the beach until the sun went down, a cup of herbal tea, a square of dark chocolate and a half hour of silence, sitting out on her deck, no matter how cold she got. Tiger preferred the fall, which it was now, when there were still warm days, but when the sun set, there was a bite to the air that she loved. It felt fresh, cleansing.

This whole island had been the best balm to her broken soul. The last two years, living here in virtual anonymity had been the relief she had needed after the trial of Grant Waller had dragged up the assault over and over in the press. Tiger had utterly bonded with Apollo’s Nell after the woman had swept in like an avenging angel and taken care of both Tiger and her shocked, angry brother and kept them on an even keel.

Tiger had come to live with them for a few months, then when the furor had died down, she bought a place up here in the San Juan islands, far enough away that she didn’t feel she was crowding her brother and his love, but close enough to travel to Seattle if they needed her. When her niece was born, Tiger fell in love straight away. Little Daisy was the light of her life, and she had found being with her made Tiger question more than anything if she really wanted to shut herself away or if there was something more.

And, she had to admit, she had been feeling the loneliness lately. Fizz helped; she’d rescued the dog from a local shelter a year ago and had never regretted it for a moment. Fizz was a bundle of fluffy love who was never but completely happy to see her and asked nothing but love—and food—in return. Fizz slept next to her in bed and woke her every morning with a gentle nudge of her muzzle and a tentative lick.

Tiger was also getting bored. She’d spent the last two years away from acting, catching up with all the other things she wanted to do in life, learning to play the piano, trying her hand at writing, blogging (under an assumed name, of course), and even taking a few evening classes in various topics. But during the day, she was slowly losing the need to be undercover. No one, so far as she knew, had recognized her. Her bobbed hair was long and wavy now and back to its natural color after years of being dyed and bleached and wrecked by different roles. She wore very little makeup, and because her screen persona had been very screen siren-esque and old film star-style, her natural look was so entirely different that she had started to relax around other people.

She had one coffee shop she was a regular at now, and the owner, a sweet woman around her same age, often stopped to chat with her. Tiger only knew her as Sarah, and she’d told Sarah her name was Tig. There was no hint of recognition in the other woman’s eyes, and Tiger slowly became more comfortable with the other woman and thought she may have found a new friend. It was a nice thought.

The next morning, she took Fizz and walked to the small main street and into her coffee house. Sarah looked up from behind the bar and smiled. “Hey, hello. I was wondering if I’d see you today.”

Tiger grinned. “I’m like clockwork. And besides, Fizz wants to see his auntie.”

Sarah adored the small dog and came to fuss him now. “Listen, I was hoping I’d see you. Can you sit and talk for a little while?”

Tiger was surprised. “Of course.”

“Tea’s on the house.” Sarah went to serve a customer, then brought two steaming cups of Earl Grey tea over to a table. Tiger thanked her.

Sarah smiled. “I have ulterior motives. Now, I’m going to have to overstep here, but I need to ask you something.”

Tiger’s heart sank but she nodded anyway. She liked Sarah, and she wouldn’t lie if Sarah questioned her about her true identity.

Sarah drew in a nervous breath. “Now, not that I don’t love seeing you every day, but I’m assuming since you’re here when most other people are at work, you don’t?”

Tiger grinned, relieved. “Not at the moment. I’m on a sabbatical that somehow stretched into a couple of years. Why do you ask?”

“Because, if you don’t think I’m being out of line, I wondered if you needed a part-time job? It’s just my barista Bella is off to college at Northwestern soon, and I thought I had a replacement lined up, but she called last night and told me she’d been headhunted by someone else.” Sarah sighed, smiling shyly at Tiger. “You can say no, and I won’t be at all offended. It’s just, I like you, and I think we could have fun working together.”

“I don’t have any experience in barist…ing—is that the word?” Tiger laughed. “But I’d be happy to help, happy to learn.”

Sarah’s eyes opened wide. “Really?”

“Really. I had been thinking about what to do next, and I love this place.” She looked down at Fizz, laying patiently at her feet. “Can I bring Fizz to work with me?”

“Of course!” Sarah looked close to tears, smiling widely. “God, I’m so happy, Tigs.”

Tiger felt a wave of fondness for the other woman and her use of her old nickname. She clearly didn’t realize who Tiger was. Who I used to be, Tiger thought now, nodding to herself. That was a million miles away, a million years. “I’m glad… hey, I’m excited about it. When do you want me to start?”

“Anytime in the next two weeks if that’s at all possible. That’s how long I still have Bella and between us, we can train you.”

Tiger picked up her cup and clinked it against Sarah’s. “Let’s drink to it… boss.”

Sarah laughed. “Ha. I like to think of it more as a partnership. Thank you, Tigs.”

Tiger was still smiling when she got home, and as she walked in, her cell phone rang. She saw it was Apollo calling her and she smiled. “Hey, bro, you called just at the right time. Guess who got a job?”

Apollo was silent for a beat too long, and suddenly Tiger sensed his tension. “What? What is it? Is it Daisy? Is it Nell?”

She heard her brother draw in a deep breath. “No, darling,” he said gently. “No, we’re all fine, don’t worry. Tigs… it’s Grant Waller.”

“What about him?”

“Oh, Tigs… he’s out of jail. They let him out early.”