Chapter Text
Jackie gave the flower shop on O'Connell Street a wide berth for the next few days.
Not because she was scared of anything. She wasn't.
That lady. The credit card statements said her name was Maureen Collins. She was the scared one. Not Jackie. Nothing scared Jackie. Not even the end of the world. As a teenager she'd challenged a god to a skateboard competition and gambled her whole reality on the outcome.
She'd lost.
He'd literally jumped over the moon, and there wasn't much a kid with a custom deck could do to top that. She wasn't even that upset about it most days. As long as Chas got out safe, who cared what backwards reality she ended up in?
Even so.
She felt something the next time an order came in for Wondrous Wreath Flowers and More.
Apprehension, maybe?
Certainly not fear. But something twitched in her gut.
Three drinks and a dozen plain glazed. Fine. She could do that. She might not even see anyone. Just drop them off at the front counter and dash. No biggie.
When she hip-checked the glass door, the smell of flowers washed over her. Lilacs and lavender and roses and baby's breath, all competing for dominance. She lockstepped through it.
Mind on the mission. Eyes on the counter.
Drop the pastries off and go.
There was a rustle to her right. An old man finished helping a customer and turned back toward the register.
Jackie saw his face—
It was her turn to drop what she was holding.
Italian ice and drip coffee splashed over the donuts and sprayed across the shop floor. Jackie froze, cheeks burning. She looked again, just to be sure he was who she thought he was—
Then she was already on her bike, swerving through traffic before she even realized she'd decided to leave.
She wasn't scared. She wasn't—
Fuck.
Fuckfuck.
Oh, fuck.
What were they going to do?
"Jackie?"
Molly was there.
She was there because Jackie was already back at the coffee shop with no memory of the ride.
"Jackie, what's wrong?"
"It's— I saw— he was— my dad."
She swallowed.
"My dad's in town. I saw my dad. My dad is here."
Shit.
She'd really liked it here, too.