Harper Foster's Story

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"Luke.." "Mommy?"

The shrill voice of her three and a half year old snapped her awake faster than ice water being thrown onto her. Her blue hues snapped open, instantly staring into the pair of matching- and smaller- pair of her daughter. As the image of him faded into the morning, Harper forced herself to smile and fight back the tears that threatened to spill over. It had been three years since his passing, and she still couldn't let go. "Mommy..." The impatient toddler gently shook her mother by the shoulders, poking her lip out into a pout. Harper couldn't help but crack a genuine smile. "Let me guess, you're.." Life breathed back into the little tot, "Hungry!"

Harper laughed and scooped the child into her arms gently rolling her over onto the empty space beside her on the bed. "Hungry? You're always hungry.." Harper grinned at the child who grinned back, nodding. "Hungry" the little one repeated. Laughing, Harper released her and forced herself to sit up on the bed. "Alright, I'm up. Go brush your teeth, I'll get started on breakfast. Oh, and go get your uncle up too.." Harper glanced at the digital clock on the beside table, grinning even more at the unGodly hour her child had woken her up at. Payback for last week, brother.. Smiling, Harper walked over to her robe and slipped it on.

After breakfast was served, Harper kissed Emily goodbye as her brother took her to daycare and left for work. Shane sat patiently by the door, looking up at her as she closed the door behind her family. "I know, I know. You want to go out. Let me get a shower and have some coffee! Sheesh. You know, I think you're hanging around Emily too much, Shane. You're starting to take after her." A grunt and huff from Shane. "Hey! None of that mister!" Harper laughed as she slipped out of her robe and into her morning routine.

After her shower and getting dressed in a black jogging suit, Harper clicked the leash onto Shane's collar and led him out the door. The morning was average, if anything. They'd stop by their coffee shop across the street, where Shane would wait outside, and then they'd take a slow lap around the park while Harper drank her coffee, and then it would be time for the daily run, and then maybe an hour of play time or so. Shane knew the schedule well. Harper locked the apartment door and led her canine companion down the stairs and across the street to the coffee shop. They were open and already getting busy, even this early in the morning. As always, Harper tied Shane to the bench outside of the shop and went inside as he laid down to wait.

The smell of coffee greeted her like an old friend, lifting the corners of her mouth into a smile. The line had already formed. From the backs of their head she could make out two males and a blonde woman; regulars who she had seen around maybe once or twice- but no one that she knew personally. "How are you?" The man at the front of the line- she paused to look at him again-... the boy at the front of the line.. Seemed to be very familiar with the girl behind the counter. God, I can never remember her name... The blonde woman in front of her shifted slightly, allowing for Harper to get a glimpse at the woman's name tag; Evangeline. Ooooh.. Right.

Turning her attention away from the front, Harper pulled her phone from her pocket and thumbed over the screen to unlock it and send a text to Amber.

To: Amber
Message: Hey, how did it go yesterday? Big news I hope! I'm already at the Bean so meet me here. Shane's waiting outside, so hurry your ass up!

Hitting send, Harper looked up, displeased to see that the line hadn't moved very much. With a soft sigh, she glanced over her shoulder back outside to Shane and was pleased to find him sleeping by the bench. Relieved that he wasn't trying to chase a squirrel down Main Street, Harper put her attention onto the back of the head in front of her. He looked insanely familiar, but she just couldn't place him.

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Evangeline's peripheral caught a glimpse of one of her best friends before he even called out to her. His accent made her toes curl and her teeth show with a bright smile. His accent was absolutely d-fucking-lightful. With a bubbly giggle, she grabbed one of the plates from under the heat lamp and poured a glass of orange juice. “One breakfast platter comin' up, sugar plum!” She set the plate and glass on the counter before her friend with a chuckle. “I'd love to stay and talk but looks like I got work to do.” She gave her most apologetic smile before dashing off to the kitchen again just in time for a few more employees to show up. Gordon used to scold her for cooking meals for her friends and not the other customers, but she let him pull it out of her paycheck for the ingredients. Everyone else got a more basic version of the Starbucks menu — Baked goodies, tea, and coffees. There was ice cream on weekends. Speaking of Gordon, she could hear his own English accent pierce the air as he addressed the long line. “Excuse me, out of my. Owner coming through. Please step aside. Thank you.” The dark haired man gave a polite smile as he moved through the line and made his way behind the counter and into the kitchen where he leaned against a counter. “You know. Before you started working here. I never had an issue walking through the door without bumping into people.” A grin donned his fare as he took one of the remaining plates. As she hustled to pump out fresher muffins and pastries than the ones already being sold, she gave a laugh. “So, are you complaining because I've made your business more remunerative? Because l can make the coffee more like oil and the muffins like rocks if you'd like. Kind of like they were before.”

She dodged a swat at her ribs with a snicker as he left with his plate. “Evan! “We need more strawberry sweet rolls!” Jess from the counter called out to her in a rushed manner. Rachel was the one that Evangeline had called yesterday and asked to come in early to start on the baking at least an hour before open. But she didn't. Luckily, Evangeline was able to get a couple dozen muffins and sweet rolls into the oven with her biscuits. “l'm comin'! I'm comin‘! Just hold yer horses!” Evangeline called back out as she topped off the sweet rolls with a drizzle of icing before nudging one of the other cooks. “Jamie, can you get some french toast on the stove? I'd appreciate it so very much, lovie!” Tray in hand, the sunny Southerner made her way out front and began to set the fresh food on display with the others. “Sorry I'm late! The bed was just too damn comfortable.” Rachel walked in and immediately commanded attention of everyone as she spoke loudly and sashayed to the kitchen. “I really did try to come in, Evan. Truly — But I just got this new Sert—” She was stopped with Evangeline's hand over her mouth. “Shut yer trap and get to work.” Evangeline sighed and wiped her hands against her apron before moving past the counter and taking a seat across from Gordon. “Get rid of her. Please. All she ever does is show up late. She's only a good worker when she wants to be and that's hardly ever. C'mon — She's been here for a month and everyone already hates her. Even me. She flirts more than she cooks and if she finds someone cute enough, she just takes off from work.” Evangeline ranted under her breath, hardly the type to make it known when she was cross with someone. Gordon gave a light chuckle and crossed his arms over his chest. “If you were a manager. you could fire her yourself.” He reached towards his plate and cut a wedge out of his sausage before shrugging. “I'll fire her when I finish — But you should really consider my offer. We can work out the details.”

Nodding her head, she stood and leaned down to place a kiss on the top of his head. “Thanks Gordy” She gave a fond smile before catching sight of Blair entering shortly before Harper. She didn't know much about Harper and sometimes it seemed like the dancer tried to avoid her. It wasn't like it was anything new to her — That just meant that she was a private person. Or she could be just a mean person. Mean people and private people tended to avoid Evangeline and her cameras. Pfft. Their loss. She made her way over to Blair and gave him a tight hug. “Hey! I've got a plate already cooked up if you want it. Oh — I'm getting off early today! Swing ‘round by my place around lunch? If you can, that is.”

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"One breakfast platter comin' up, sugar plum!" Finn smiled as she poured him a glass of OJ, bringing the glass to his lips as she leaned over the counter to speak to him as she placed his food in front of him. His eyebrows were pert as he lowered the glass, listening intently over the slight hustle and bustle on incoming customers. "I'd love to stay and talk but looks like I got work to do."

The former Brit simply shook his head as he gulped down his juice, "Not a problem, love." He told her, hoisting the glass up slightly as he took his plate, saying his goodbyes with a crooked smile, "Cheers." With that he walked over to his usual table in the corner. The window seats. A prime spot if you were fan of daydreaming and just looking at the scenery. With his fork in his left hand, Finn stared down at his phone's screen for a while, reading a chapter of a book he downloaded. It proved difficult against the glare of the rising sun, he found himself furrowing his brows and narrowing his eyes just to read it, idly plopping forkfuls of scrambled eggs into his mouth. Finn had barely gotten a paragraph in when he finally gave up and pocketed his phone. He cut his eyes to the window, watching all of the people passing by with slight curiosity. He made up a life story for each of them, pondering if that's what their day to day was actually like or if he was just a wanna-be Sherlock Holmes. He smirked to himself, deciding it was probably the latter.


In the solace of her bedroom, one sound breached the silence that had surrounded her. Her patted wallpaper for soundproofing could do nothing for the text tone coming from her iPhone. It shone like a beacon in the dark room, black curtains having been drawn up in front of the windows to block out the sun. Amber had arrived in San Francisco late last night, much later than she would've liked but earlier than she intended. Traveling all the way from Italy not only gave her jet lag, but exhausted her as well. What she'd hoped would be a good half a day of sleeping in turned into just four hours of sleep when she received a text message from—upon reaching for it in a groggy state of mind—Harper, who was already at the Mighty Bean waiting for her. She mentally growled, burying her face into the pillow for a quick whine before hauling herself out of bed and into the shower, but not before sending her friend a text as well:


Amber quickly showered, her haste waking her from her dreariness. Soon after bathing she straightened her hair, brushed her teeth, put on a light layer of makeup, and just threw something on so she could make it out the door before she received a verbal lashing. Filling her black Gucci handbag with all of the necessities, Amber scrambled out of the door without taking the time to check on her room mates. She rarely saw them in the mornings anyways so it wasn't as if she was being rude or odd, she just so happened to always be leaving in a hurry...every morning. She quickly jogged to the coffee shop beside her apartment building, making it through the door within fifteen minutes as promised. She greeted her friend with a tired smile, sitting across from her without any knowledge to her British companion sitting just a few tables away. "Sorry it took me so long. Pleasant morning?" She breathed, her rush having winded her. Just before Harper spoke her phone went off in her purse. Fishing it out, Amber made eye contact with her friend to ensure her that she was listening, opening the text that was from Finn.


She eyed the text for a moment in confusion. There was no way he would know that she'd gotten back yet. Unless.... Amber looked around, catching sight of a familiar bright eyed crooked smile at the door of the coffee shop, just getting ready to leave. Phone in his hand, Finn waved good bye to her and Amber responded in kind. She watched him leave with a smile on her face, turning to her friend once he was out of sight.

8:11. Jacob woke up at exactly that time almost every day, with or without an alarm. It was almost instinctual, ingrained in his mind that this was a normal period of time to wake up at. Sure, that meant roughly 7 hours of sleep maximum, but it wasn't like Jacob had planned on waking up at such a time. No, he wouldn't be able to not wake up at 8:11, for in pm it was the time that it finally sunk into him that his finance had thrown him away.

Jacob rolled off of his bed in silence, only a single groan escaping him as his muscles tensed up in pain. Some asshole thought it would be funny to punch him in the back of the shoulder last night - while Jacob threw the man out of his bar with a single hand, the bruise stayed, the muscles seemingly grinding against each other as he moved. A sigh escaped his lips as he began to see how well he could stretch it out, before it became a dull throb. A quick shower later - long showers brought moments to ponder, and he really didn't need that - Jacob slipped into a taught white muscle shirt and black jeans before heading to his sink to make tea. While he had no English blood in him whatsoever, his step-father was an enthusiast of the traditional Chinese tea, and he instilled the love into his step son. Jacob rarely spared expense on importing the tea leaves and ground them himself while the kettle heated up the water. A few moments later, and Jacob was almost ready to head out to the Mighty Bean for his sweet roll - all that he needed was a grey, long sleeved polo, shoes and his phone.

The walk was short, but still dismal. His tea rarely cheered him nowadays, regardless of the little pleasure that made its way to his face when he slandered another for having shitty tea. It was just what he did, which was supposedly a sign of 'recovery'. It made things odd when he passed one of the British twins as he neared the cafe, who had just seemingly left. No words were said as Jacob passed on the other side of the sidewalk, though he did manage a little nod in his direction before carrying on towards the door - again, depending on who you would talk to, that was progress. The twin passing him got him wondering if he had passed any of the others in his building without paying attention. It did happen sometimes.

Jacob entered the Mighty Bean to the same tune as always - a few gave him a glance, either recognized him from the HUB or from around town, and then instantly turned back to their tables. Jacob, on the other hand, barely acknowledged them as he got in line. It wasn't that Jacob didn't mind conversing with others - okay, he sort of did - but it was just that he liked to run on a schedule. While this schedule did allow for hours of flexibility, if nothing ever happened to him, he just moved right on through with his skimpy ideas for the day. In the background, he could hear the voices of the other tenants that he considered between acquaintances and pretty good friends, ranging from Cajun - pretty cool chick - to Blair - decent enough dude. When he got to the counter, he was mildly annoyed by the fact that Evangeline wasn't there, as she usually gave him some sort of deal or something. Instead, he was greeted by a girl that either was just hired, or he didn't give two shits about. So he ordered his standard: two sweetrolls of random flavours, two tea biscuits and a bagel with everything on it - and this was only half his breakfast. Jacob liked to eat in the mornings, since it got him prepped for the day, especially if he decided to go to the gym.

While the lady flustered and got his order, Jacob finally took in his surroundings: it seemed that a lot of the people were here, with Eva, Blair and Harper not to far from him at all. Odd, he hadn't noticed. Once he got everything, he walked to the same place he sat everytime he entered the Bean, which was roughly two tables away from Gordon; and just like every other morning he entered the Bean, he gave Gordon a greeting, from one entrepreneur to another. "Morning." That was it, and Jacob sat down to eat in silence. Sure, before he would have a few people talking to him - but he was content with either silence or camaraderie, as regardless, neither made him any better in the morning.

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Harper let her phone relax by her side as the line moved up an inch or so. Just then the perky waitress on the other side of the counter had come around to stand by the man in front of her. “Hey! I've got a plate already cooked up if you want it. Oh — I'm getting off early today! Swing ‘round by my place around lunch? If you can, that is.” Harper forced her eyes to the ground, trying not to look like she was dropping in on their conversation. It was almost impossible not to- her chippy voice was impossible to ignore and they were standing right beside her. Luckily, her phone vibrated in her hands, allowing her a legitimate distraction.

From: Amber
Message: My apologies, Harper. I was a little late getting in. Be there in fifteen.

Harper clicked the screen off and let the phone go back to her side. No point in sending a text with one word. With nothing left to distract her, she found herself drifting back into the stranger's conversation. "....come over and we can play some video games or watch a movie. I'm pretty sure Greyson isn't having a party tonight so no worries there....That is if your not busy tonight." Luckily, the man had just received his coffee and Harper was able to side step him and order hers. She was standing by the pick up counter when Amber came breathlessly to her side. "Sorry it took me so long. Pleasant morning?" "So far so good. How did everything..." Harper trailed off as she noticed Amber texting and then glancing over to the door.

Sure enough, there was the guy she was always around- Finn. A grin brushed up the corners of Harper's mouth as she took her coffee and turned to Amber. "Oh, Ambs..." A giggle bubbled in her throat as she nodded toward the counter. "That boy is hopeless. You getting anything?" Shaking her head, still smiling, she looked across the cafe. Her boss had come in, and shortly after him came Dakota. Harper's jaw locked and she made an effort to resist rolling her eyes. "And that's my cue to leave... I'll meet you outside." With a 'I can't stand that bitch' look and nod in Dakota's direction, Harper swiftly made her way out of the shop.

Shane looked up at the sound of the bell going off, and stood when he noticed it was Harper. "Sorry, boy, we had to wait on Ambs. Just give her a few." With a huff, and as if he understood, Shane sat back down and whimpered lightly up at Harper. Glancing up, Harper noticed an older man staring at her with one brow raised. Right.. she was talking to Shane in public again. Slowly, Harper sat on the bench outside to wait for Amber. "If I'm not careful they're going to think I've gone insane, Shane," she muttered under her breath to the dalmatian who sat at her heels.

When Amber joined them, Harper stood and untied Shane from the bench. "So, tell me all about it! How'd it go? Meet anyone? Any luck? Deets! I need deets." With that, Harper nodded toward the sidewalk which would lead them to the end of the block and to the neighborhood park. As she walked, she slipped her phone into her pocket and looked over to her friend.

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Harper's giggle drew away her gaze, "That boy is hopeless." At first, she didn't know about whom she was referring. That is, until she made the connection. Amber would spend almost as much time, if not more, with Phineas as she did with Harper. Perhaps she was misconstruing her friendship with the younger man and interpreting it as some romantic relationship. She wouldn't blame her for making the mistake when most others automatically came to that conclusion themselves, nor did she have the urge to correct her—which was odd in and of itself. Though, he friend's follow up inquiry helped deter her from that thought. "You getting anything?"

"Perhaps just a tea, not very hungry." She responded, her French accent faint though ever present. Amber's attention was on of the cashiers behind the counter as she placed her order. She cut her eyes over her shoulder as Harper announced her leave, nodding once to insure that she'd be there in a moment. She paid for her cup of hot tea, standing off to the side to read her order, finally texting Finn back.





She smiled and put away her phone, receiving her tea before making her way out the door to her friend and possibly the only dog she's ever felt comfortable around. A smile lit up her face as she squatted down in front of him, petting his head and scratching behind his ears. He wagged his tail happily, sticking out his tongue and letting it dangle in anticipation. Amber giggled, "Oh alright, you greedy thing." Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a brown paper bag where she kept a dog treats she smuggles in from foreign countries. Shane never complained and seemed to take an immense liking to them, if his salivating was anything to go by. She tossed it in the air and he caught it, munching away as Harper stood, untying him from the bench. Her smile softened in her friend's presence, sipping at her tea as she was lead toward the park, immediately bombarded with questions about her trip to Italy. Like with all of Harper's slew of inquiries, Amber answered them all in chronological order, "It went alright, for the most part. I did a couple of photo-shoots, but nothing international. If you're referring to meeting anyone romantically then, no-..." She glowered at her playfully, "I didn't. However I did meet up with a new client who wants to use me for her new perfume line. So, as for luck, I'd say it was a success." She paused only to take another sip of her tea, glancing around and slightly taken aback that they'd reached the park already. Amber turned her attention back on Harper, taking the initiative to make sure no one could overhear their conversation, "What about you? How's Emily been?"

Evangeline couldn't help but let her smile grow as her sinewy male friend lifted her off of her feet even as he held his coffee. She took a moment to tap her chin at his proposal before giving a crestfallen expression as though she weren't going to be able to join him and it hurt her deeply. But her expression quickly changed into its usual cheerfulness once more. “Of course I'll be able to make it. And the plates right in the back. As long as I make him a plate and let him dock the cost of ingredients from my paycheck, Gordon's letting me make meals here for you guys when I'm working.” Her head turned a bit as she put the conversation on pause to notice Jacob enter followed shortly by Kota, Cali, and eventually Greyson. She gave Jacob a light grin before looking to Blair again.

“Hold that thought.” She allowed herself to dash out of line to run into the kitchen balancing three plates on a tray. “C'mon guys! Let's get those sweet rolls topped and sent out front! Y'all are movin' slower than molasses in December!” She scolded the others in the back before heading back out front, handing one of the plates to Blair, reconfirming that she could meet him later. “l can definitely swing by when you're off work - l got the new Battlefield and Madden! But I still don't see why you won't let me give you a tat for free.” She rolled her eyes with her seemingly never ending smile as she moved to Dakota's table.

“And here you go.” She set the remaining two plates in front Cali and Kota, giving Greyson a light wave before excusing herself to the kitchen where she could hear others calling for her. “What's the hold up on those cookies?! Let's get it moving people!” In all honestly, for the past year she didn't do as much baking in the kitchen as the others did. While she constantly denied the position of manager, she did perform many managerial duties. She interviewed potential employees when Gordon couldn't or simply didn't want to, kept a record of the sales, bought new ingredients, monitored the work of the other employees, and sometimes helped Gordon make out and hand out the checks. The only reason why she denied the official managerial position was because she didn't want to take on a full time position at the place. Plain and simple.

If she did, she would get sucked into it. More than she already was! How was she supposed to achieve her goals if she was stuck at The Mighty Bean all the time? This was all only temporary. Soon she was going to make it big in the world of entertainment and be renowned outside of San Francisco. She just had to work harder. “Ralentissez! Pourquoi êtes-vous déménagez si lent? Nous avons des clients! Ne me donnez pas ce regard. Je jure devant Dieu que je vais tirer la prochaine personne à commencer à se relâcher.” She clapped her hands, ushering everyone in the kitchen to finish up and to do so quickly. The great thing about The Mighty Bean was that they didn't serve meals. There were only three other people working in the kitchen with her and they usually got to go home early if they baked enough to last the day. She really hated it when they cooked as slowly as possible just to collect hours though. She moved around the kitchen with them, popping out front every now and again to arrange the food in the displays. Gordon made his way into the kitchen where he waited for her before lifting a brow as she smacked Jamie's arm. “Way too much syrup. Now it's going to get soggy all over and give somebody diabetes.”

She huffed softly before turning to her boss.

“Get out, Evan.”, he stated plainly.

She gave a confused look, narrowing her eyes. “Are you firing me?” The other bakers paused to see what drama would unfold, majorly disappointed as Gordon answered. “No, you twit. I'm telling you to leave for the day. It's your birthday weekend and there's no need for you to force yourself to be here for five more hours doing virtually nothing.” He spoke in a matter-of-factly tone, sipping some of his coffee. Evangeline heaved a sigh of relief before giving Gordon a tight hug. “Thanks, Gordy!” She gave him a tight hug and a peck on the cheek before grabbing her bag and dashing out of the kitchen. “Hey, text me if you need me today.” She called out to Dakota before quickly leaving. To the park! Or somewhere. Anywhere but here right now. Ha! She had a whole day to do whatever the fuck she wanted.

“Beep beep! Comin' through!” Evangeline shouted to nobody in particular, the hyperactive woman zipping through her apartment and throwing together two duffel bags of things she felt she might need for the day. She had no intentions of returning home until later that night and there was no telling where she was going or what she was going to do. Prior planning prevents poor performance. She remembered that from some high school JROTC kids she had interviewed once when she did a film on how such programs affected kids. Juno and Voodoo jumped around and barked at her. They could come too! What the hell, they could all come! She whistled the "Hi-Ho" song from Snow White, bouncing around while she got dressed and began trudging everything downstairs to her truck.

When she was finished she went back upstairs to usher her herd of pets out the door, locking it behind her with her Sugar Glider safely caged in a small hamster sphere. Just as she turned around she came face to face with the landlord. He was nice to her once upon a time. But time had not made him any kinder. He gave a frown as he looked at the creature in her hands before looking back at her. Evan hated talking with him over the past few years, always dodging him whenever she could. Like now. “Sorry! l'd love to stay and chat with ya, but I've got a real busy schedule. Good day to you, sir!” She cut him off just as he opened his mouth, quickly dashing down the stairs. That was a close call. Well, she loaded herself up into her truck and she was gone, baby, gone.