One In Town

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Tess Harvey stood in front of her house with her a bag slung over her shoulder and another suitcase beside her.

She looked at the house she had lived in years ago. It looked different.

Looks like mom's been redecorating,she thought.

She pressed the doorbell once again as it obviously wasn't answered the first time.

"MOM!!!" She screamed.

The door flung open as Barbara came into view. She embraced her daughter in an air depriving hug.

"Mom, you're killing me." She managed to speak out.

"I've missed you so much, Theresa. This house feels empty without you." She collected her daughter's bags and led her inside. "You didn't tell me you were coming now. Now, that I think of it, you never tell me anything these days."

"Mom, can you stop this? I've been in town for a day." She plopped down on the couch.

"What?" She turned to her daughter.

"Yeah, I visited your diner yesterday. Remember anything?" She closed her eyes for a bit.

"You were the crazy girl that ran out." Reality dawned on her. "My daughter was the crazy girl?"

"Lady. I'm a lady, not a girl." She yawned as she went up the stairs to her room.

"Won't you take your bags with you?" She yelled.

"Can you please bring it for me, Mi amor?"

"I'm not your slave!" Her mother shouted as Tess crashed onto my bed.

Sirens.

Wailing.

Blood.

An infested body.

Ambulance.

She woke up with a fright.

She was soaked in her own sweat.

She picked up her phone to check the time.

7:05pm.

Not too late I guess.

She went downstairs and saw Barb cooking dinner.

"Hey Barbie, I'm going somewhere. I'll be back before dinner." She winked at her as she grabbed her jacket.

"Did you just call your mother, Barbie?" She appeared with a spatula as she scurried out of the house.

She pulled her car out of the driveway and drove to Steak House.

As surprising as this may sound, Johnson owns this restaurant.

Yeah, I know, right?

He took a loan after college and started his own business. Now, he owns one of the famous restaurants in town.

After making sure her car was properly locked, she walked into the restaurant.

A lot of people were in there with waiters going and coming.

Wow, business must be booming, Johnny boy.

"Hi," a waitress approached her. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Where's the boss?" Tess slung her arm over the waitress's shoulder and walked her to the kitchen area.

"Oh, do you have an appointment with him?"

"Tell him that Tess is here and if he doesn't get his ass out here in two minutes, I'm leaving."

She looked at Tess with a raised eyebrow and Tess glared back at her until she disappeared.

Most of the people in this place look fancy and classy except for a group of people who looked like they were having a team dinner.

"You!" A masculine voice called and Tess smiled.

"Hey Johnny," She smiled and turned to him. "I'm back."

"I'll....." He pulled her into a hug and after enjoying it for a while, she felt a liquid substance on her shoulder.

"Dude, are you crying?"

"No, I'm not."

"Still in the denial phase, are we?" Tess smirked.

"Shut up."

"How've you been?" She asked as she followed him to his office.

"As you can see," he smiled as he settled in his chair.

"Yeah, I can see that your business is really good."

"What happened? You didn't tell me you were coming." He looked at her with a questioning look.

"Well, here I am. Surprise."

"Have you seen Luke?"

"No, and I don't want to. Why?"

"Nevermind. He came here for a team dinner with his co-workers."

Oh, that was them.

Her subconscious filled in for her.

"He's a worker now?" She asked.

"Yeah, he works at HolyMan."

"HolyMan? Isn't that a movie?" Tess raised her eyebrow.

"It's a men's underwear company. I don't know what he actually does there but most of the time, I see him with Jason Gerard."

He explained.

"Who's that?"

"The CEO."

"Oh, does he even talk to you?"

"Nope."

"Well, that's his loss. I'm gonna start going home now, I promised mom I'll be back in time for dinner. Wanna come?"

"Yeah, I'll sleep over." He stood up.

"Ew, gross."

"Come on," he pulled her out the the office towards the kitchen. "I'm leaving. Make sure you lock up when you're done," he said to his staffs. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight sir," they chorused.

"He's no sir!" Tess yelled as she was pulled out of the restaurant.

They drove their cars back to Tess's house and entered the house together.

"Took you long enough," Barb complained as she wiped her hands with a napkin and came out of the kitchen.

"I bought a friend." Tess smiled.

"Surprise!" Johnson said as he moved to hug Barb.

"Johnson," she hugged him back. "It's so nice to see you again."

"I'm sorry I showed up uninvited."

"Oh," Barb smiled back. "You're always welcome."

"She was always looking at me weirdly. I knew she liked me," Johnson said as they finished dinner.

"I never had a crush on you," Tess picked up the plates and walked towards the kitchen.

"Then, is it Luke?" He winked.

"I don't have a crush on Luke. We were friends."

"Were?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"He's forgotten now," She dumped the plates into the sink.

"Elsa," he patted her back. "Let it go."

"Let it go, let it go. Can't hold it back anymore." Tess sang.

"Turn away and slam the doors!" He sang off key. She burst into laughter when he grabbed a spatula and placed it by her mouth.

"I don't care! What they're going to say! Let the storm rage on!" She screamed the lyrics out.

"The cold never bothered me anyway." He sang in a solemn voice.

"Wow," my mom stood by the island. "What a duet!" She burst into laughter.

"What do you think? Should we record a song?" Tess asked.

"We could but...I don't think our voices are that good." Johnson smiled at her.

"How is that you guys haven't changed from the way you were since in high school?" Barbie said as she started turning off the lights.

"Old habits die hard, I guess," Tess chirped.

"I have to get up early tomorrow so, goodnight."

"You're resuming tommorow?" Johnson asked.

"Yeah," she yawned as she walked up the stairs.

Resuming at the police station was another task for tommorow, she thought.