Habits, like autopilots, plot your path. From the moment your feet hit the floor in the morning until you rest your head on the pillow at night, unconscious patterns are formed by time and necessity, and as Addison stared at herself in the mirror and adjusted her tie, she sighed.

There was no need for a business dress any longer. No need to parade about in tailored suits, neckties of silk, and shirts, refined and crisp, and for a moment, Addison stood frozen. Other than a few sets of workout clothes, she had no garments fit for relaxation, no shoes with soft soles or shirts of jersey to putter around the house in, and trousers of denim had never been bought. Had she ever relaxed?

Addison hung her head as the answer came rushing back to her. Over dinner conversations and whispers in the dark, tranquility had found her. In the arms of Joanna, there had been a peace she had never known. For a brief blip of time, Addison had been able to make a truce with her past and embrace the serenity Joanna had given her, but that was gone now. Addison had destroyed it with her arrogance and her fear.

She fisted her hands as she felt her emotions begin to rise again. She had shed more tears in the past two weeks than she had done throughout her entire life. Backhands had caused sniffles, and a father’s condemnation had caused sadness and confusion, but this grief controlled her. It pumped her blood. It expanded her lungs, and it had become her shadow. Following her through every minute of her day, Addison could not escape it, but she continued to try. She dashed from the wardrobe, trying to outrun her tears, and refusing to acknowledge there was a bed in the room, Addison ran out the door and slammed it shut. Stomping down the stairs, she looked at her watch and sighed. It was only six o’clock, so there was no coffee yet made, but then an aroma wafted from the kitchen, and Addison breathed easier. Fiona was early...for once.

***

“What are you doing here?”

Evelyn looked up from the coffee maker. “I thought you could use a friend and…um…a good cup of coffee. Fiona, bless her heart, has never gotten the hang of this machine.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Addison said as she sat down.

Evelyn remained quiet as she filled two mugs and walked over to the island. “There you go,” she said, sliding one in front of Addison.

Addison wrapped her hands around the mug. “Long way to drive to make a pot of coffee.”

“Yes, well, there’s also that thing called friendship, unless you no longer believe I fall under that heading?” Evelyn said as she dropped two cubes of sugar into her cup.