By the time the sun had given the sky its rose-colored tint, Allison’s mood was entirely unrecognizable. She was humming cheerfully as she darted from one end of the café kitchen to the other, rummaging through drawers and storage bins for various utensils she needed to start her day. More than once, she laughed at herself as she glanced up at the clock and realized how much she’d accomplished in what kept proving to be a relatively short period of time. Her haste was largely the result of habit; her mornings often started with a need to make up for lost time, both from tending to start later than she’d intended and struggling to move as quickly as she’d have liked. Somewhere along the way, however, her morning routine started coming much more easily to her. She was both energetic enough to not need to push herself to maintain a decent pace and in a good enough mood to not have to force herself to put in the effort, propelled forward by nothing other than her love of her work and not hindered by struggling to keep a sour mood at bay. It was only the knowledge of the importance of keeping her focus on sharp knives and costly ingredients that kept her pretending that she didn’t know what had caused the change.

Her attention devoted to her work as much as she could manage, Allison was startled when the door to the kitchen opened. Lily stepped into the kitchen, her footsteps noticeably slower and heavier than her usual natural movement that looked almost as much like dancing as walking. Allison pressed her lips together to keep from smiling at the rare sight of a Lily who was still weighed down by sleep, something that could only be seen in the earliest hours of the day. The sight reminded Allison of Millefeuille when she first woke up, and it inspired a similar desire to give Lily cuddles and soothe her back to sleep. A moment later, Mari stumbled through the still open door, her eyes burning with anger in protest of being awake so early in the morning. She looked more like a tigress who had been awoken by having someone step on her tail and, in stark contrast to Lily, gave the impression that she was best left alone with the hope that she would manage to fall asleep again on her own and not seek retribution first. She was desperately clutching a vacuum flask nearly the size of her arm bearing the logo of the nearby gas station that was filled with their almost suspiciously potent coffee or, judging only by the smell, diesel.

“Bon matin.” Lily barely got the words out in Allison’s general direction before yawning widely and leaning against a prep table for support, looking like a flower that was beginning to wilt.

Allison laughed softly as she turned to the coffee she’d started brewing when she came in. Knowing that Lily struggled with early mornings nearly as much as she did, it was an established tradition to have several cups at the ready when they both found themselves there at that hour. “Late night?”

Lily nodded quickly as she took the cup from Allison, eager to put it to use. “Something like that. Thank you.”

Allison’s smile suddenly turned shrewd as she noticed something telling in the response. “Do we need to talk about the importance of getting to bed on time again? Or…should I be having that talk with Charlotte instead?”

Suddenly looking alert, Lily sputtered on her coffee as her face quickly turned bright red. Her expression turned annoyed as Allison began giggling, but several attempts to respond ended in nothing more than a grumble and more laughter from Allison. Finally seeming to give up on it, Lily huffed and consoled herself with more coffee. “You’re impossible to deal with this early. It’s like trying to stare into the sun.”

Still looking amused, Allison raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Too energetic. Too happy. I can’t find a way to annoy you when you’re in such a good mood.”

Again, Allison found herself struggling to focus on anything other than the obvious. It wasn’t hard to guess where the conversation was heading, and the last thing she wanted to do was confirm any suspicions, no matter how obvious the truth was. “I guess everybody can’t be a morning person.”

Now looking significantly closer to being awake, Lily smirked. “You should know…you sure as hell aren’t one. At least, you weren’t one.”

Her mind already racing for a way to deflect, Allison’s thoughts were derailed by the sound of stifled laughter coming from the other side of the kitchen. She and Lily both looked over at Mari, who was apparently in the middle of draining the coffee from her vacuum flask when she had to stop herself from spitting it out. As usual, she looked startled to suddenly find herself the center of attention, but it didn’t take long for that surprise to turn into a smirk of her own that made Allison nervous.

“Well, it would explain why you’re so damn chipper every morning lately.”

Already feeling her face growing warm, Allison quickly turned back to the prep table and busied herself with arranging things unnecessarily to stall for the time she needed to respond. Clearly not willing to miss the opportunity to press her advantage, Lily took several steps closer and, standing on her toes, leaned toward Allison and began playfully inspecting her neck. Recognizing the implication, Allison huffed as she rushed a response.

“That was just one time.”

Still examining Allison’s skin, Lily narrowed her eyes as she tried to hide her smile. “Just one time that we know of, that is…and even that one time counted for several.”

Another sputtering sound from across the kitchen faded into open laughter from Mari. “She’s got a point. With the way your neck looked when you came in that morning, I thought about holding up a mirror to make sure you still had a reflection.”

Allison was at a loss for words. As much as she wanted to argue her way out of the hole she’d somehow managed to dig for herself, the temptation to talk about Remy was all but impossible to resist. Remembering how she felt that morning—and most mornings since—finally tipped the scales in favor of sharing those feelings rather than hiding them.

“Okay, okay, I…may have done the same thing. Occasionally.”

Mari gave another laugh, this one decidedly derisive. “‘Occasionally,’ she says. You’ve been coming in here and bouncing off of the walls every morning since then.”

Doing her best to look affronted, Allison glared at Mari. “It hasn’t been every morning.” Seeing the doubtful expressions on both Mari and Lily, Allison sheepishly looked down at the prep table as the warmth in her face became a roaring blaze. “…she has to leave early sometimes to stop by her apartment before work.”

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The laughter that erupted from Lily and Mari filled the kitchen and, seemingly, the entire café. Allison hadn’t entirely shaken her desire to argue, but it was all but entirely drowned in the warmth that came from the moment as she joined in the laughter, herself. She knew them well enough to know that all of their laughing—and the relentless teasing that followed—was a sign of their approval. While she would normally have been content to simply be in the company of people who didn’t oppose her happiness, it was comforting to share that happiness with people who supported it.

In the early days of her relationship, she hadn’t given a second thought to proudly putting it on display for the world to see. It was largely an act of defiance, an old habit from long ago that helped see her through some of her darkest days by celebrating her victories in spite of overwhelming opposition. She’d thrown herself into the celebration entirely, largely as a means of bracing for backlash that felt inevitable. When days passed with the only reactions being excitement and incessantly hounding her for details of the date that turned into an entire weekend, Allison’s good cheer became nervous energy as she waited to see storm clouds on the horizon that never materialized. It had taken some time to become comfortable with the thought of being open with her feelings for Remy with anyone other than Remy herself, constantly on the lookout for the invisible looming threat to her happiness. It took weeks of constantly reminding herself that there was a good reason that these were the most important people in the world to her. Her fear was born of having been betrayed in the past but, though it was sometimes difficult to remember, it was with that knowledge that she chose to trust Lily and Mari. In spite of her worst fears and memories, working with them and laughing as they tried to tease more good news about her relationship out of her made it impossible for Allison to not realize that she’d chosen wisely.

“By the way, mon chou, any progress on that little…side project of yours?”

Allison looked up at Lily, momentarily confused by the question. One look at her mischievous smile, however, was all it took for Allison to make to the connection between the question and their conversation leading up to it. She huffed and pouted as she turned to start slicing fruit, drawing another fit of laughter from Lily and a look of confusion from Mari. When she was finally able to control herself long enough to speak, Lily turned to Mari with a slightly apologetic expression.

“Allison is having a little…problem with being confident.”

Mari raised an eyebrow as she turned a look of disbelief toward Allison. “A problem with confidence. You.”

Seeing Allison’s face rapidly shift to a violent scarlet, Lily seemed to gather that there wasn’t going to be any further explanation if she didn’t give it herself. “Well, specifically in a more…intimate sense. Perhaps ‘assertive’ would be a better word for it.”

Looking back and forth between Lily’s kind and apologetic expression and Allison, who was wanting nothing more than to evaporate into thin air, Mari’s look of confusion turned to one of surprised understanding for a brief moment before quickly fixing itself into its familiar look of concentration. Her brow knitted as she looked down, clearly deep in thought. When the silence got finally got the better of Allison and she dared to look at anything other than the floor, she glanced in Mari’s direction and immediately felt a sense of relief. Unlike moments earlier, being teased about this particular matter certainly would’ve struck a nerve. As she’d come to expect, however, Mari was quick to pick up on the shift in tone and, rather than take it lightly, changed gears and was approaching it with the utmost sincerity. Thinking about it, Lily’s subtle shift in tone was also noticeable and easily traced back to the moment when she turned the conversation toward its current direction. Allison was filled with appreciation when she realized that, after months of discussing it and getting nowhere, Lily was beginning to explore alternatives. It was another sign of genuine care that made it clear that trusting her new chosen family was a wise decision.

After a minute of thinking, Mari’s expression began to show a hint of worry that caused Allison’s heart to sink. It was an indication of the unease she tended to feel when she was presented with a problem but unable to immediately find a solution. “I’d tell you to do what I do but, given my own track record…yeah, maybe don’t.” After another moment of silence and a sudden glance at Lily, her eyes suddenly flashed with inspiration. “You know who would know, though? You should probably talk to Char—”

Before she could finish speaking the name, Mari cut herself off when she saw Allison flinch. In a moment of confusion, Mari looked to Lily again and saw her turning away with her hand over her mouth, struggling to contain a laugh before speaking. “That’s…another problem all its own. ‘Confidence’ might actually be the right word for that one.”

Looking back at Allison as she again took a sudden interest in the grout lines on the floor, Mari’s expression again became one of understanding. “Oh…oh, yeah. I get that. She’s a little…intense.”

Lily cautiously approached Allison with a kind expression before gently putting a hand on her shoulder, looking as if she was trying to reach out to a wild deer without startling it. “You really do have to get used to her one of these days.”

Allison sighed, feeling as frustrated with herself as the situation. “I know, I know…it’s just not easy. I still can’t figure out how you ever got used to her.”

Poorly concealing a smile, Lily turned her nose to the air and did her best to look affronted. “Don’t you judge me. I like what I like.”

Laughter erupted again, shattering the tension in the air. The moment of relief gave them all some much needed breathing room, and Mari wasted no time in putting it to use. As Lily and Allison were still laughing, she was again struck by inspiration. “Hey, what about what’s-her-name…Ember?” Suddenly looking uneasy, Mari glanced over her shoulder. “She’s…she’s not around here somewhere, is she?”

Allison was hit again by disappointment, though it was slightly offset by the amusement that came from seeing Mari quickly check under the prep table. “Your guess is as good as mine. You know how she is.”

“I know I do.” Lily giggled as she chimed in, also taking a quick glance behind herself. “Keeping track of that girl is like trying to hold water in your bare hands. I’m still not entirely convinced that this place isn’t just haunted.”

Allison gave an amused sigh as she heard a thought she’d had herself countless times spoken in Lily’s voice. “Well, I’m pretty sure she’s not in town anymore. I haven’t seen her in at least a couple of weeks. Besides…I already asked her.”

Lily’s expression rapidly shifted to one of morbid curiosity. “You did? What did she say?”

“Like I said, you know how she is. ‘Just ask Charlotte, loser.’”

Again, Lily burst into a fit of laughter at the sound of Allison’s impression of Ember’s calm, almost languid tone and the slight rasp of her sultry voice. “Well, she does have a point. There really is an obvious choice here. You could always—”

Lily quickly stopped herself as the sound of the annunciator from the front door reached the kitchen. Everyone looked up to see Andrea making her way into the café, signaling the end of the conversation. As she didn’t know Andrea nearly as well as she knew Mari, Allison knew that Lily wouldn’t be so quick to discuss her personal business openly now that there were more ears to hear it. More than that, Andrea’s arrival meant the beginning of the actual reason they’d all gathered an hour earlier than usual. With the upcoming winery visits quickly approaching, it was time to finalize plans, both for the trips and the continued operation of the café while being short of staff and expecting a steady influx of new customers for several weeks. While still disappointed about not having found an easier solution to her problem, Allison welcomed the shift in focus. The prospect of a conversation with Charlotte continued to loom overhead and, as much as she wanted to have it, she welcomed the opportunity to think about anything else for just a little longer.