She laughed. “Wow. And I thought my night was bad.”

“What was so bad about it?”

“Katie, my best friend you met last night, keeps trying to set me up with her friends. And I’m just... I’m done dating for a while. My last breakup sucked. And frankly, I don’t have time to date just dealing with the day-to-day in a lousy job and dealing with my stressful family. Did I mention my middle sister is getting married next month, and I’m one of her bridesmaids? It’s a nightmare.”

Justine paused, suddenly embarrassed about confessing things to a stranger. And in her pajamas, no less! “I’m sorry. I’ve been sitting here in my PJs talking your ear off.”

“What? Oh.” He gave her shirt a brief glance and looked quickly back up at her face. “I hadn’t noticed, to be honest. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to talk to someone and not feel pressured to perform or impress.” He paused. “That sounds horrible. I just meant you’re easy to talk to.”

She gave him a shy smile. “You are too. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but this is nice. Like, I feel like I’ve made a new friend. One who understand difficult family and the need for quality coffee and donuts.”

He held up his cup. “To new friends.”

“To new friends.” She focused on how good it felt to share coffee with someone without pressure to be anyone but herself.

“And to no more fights on the second floor.”

She laughed. “We’ll keep them to the first and third floors only.”

“Exactly.”

“Now what can you tell me about the other tenants in this building? Because the super stares at me like he hates me, and I’ve been warned not to screw around or the cop in 1A will write me up in a heartbeat.”

“Oh boy. We might need something heavier than caffeine and sugar for that. But I’ll give you the abbreviated version.”

And that’s how Justine spent her Saturday morning, with coffee, donuts, and a smile on her face as she learned the best way to navigate life in the TCA with a new friend.

CHAPTER 4

Saturday passed in a blur of errands and time spent with Katie at aerobics, which Justine had dearly needed. Out of breath and out of shape, she added a walk around the neighborhood as the sun set, enjoying the wonder of Fremont in the pre-summer warmth. Seattle could promise a cold breeze at any time of the year, even in late May, but the weather had held, and she made use of it as she passed by the thinning crowd as storefronts on Fremont Way readied for the night life.

She made a note to try Dreamland Bar & Diner and remembered last night’s driver mention Stampede, a cocktail club. Then she recalled exactly who she was and why she hated bars, the nightlife, and dating in general. Yeah, that would be a no on the nightlife and dating scene for a while.