Page 14 of Fibre and Ink

My mind drifted as I drove into Foggy Basin, imagining a life where I lived on the farm and helped Mickey with the herd and drove the truck all the time because... well, because we were together and maybe married and Mickey and I were a partnership. In business and in love.

It wasn’t a good thing to daydream about. I mean, it was, it was delicious. But it felt sorta wrong, especially after sleeping part of the night in his bed.

I pulled up by my family’s grocery store and parked the truck.

“Get it together, Aster. Just... focus on your one job.” I cleared my throat, shook my head and rolled my shoulders.

Focus.

Focus. So easy. It was something I was super great at, as long as it was something I was passionate about.

Cooking dinner for Mickey, I could get passionate about that.

I went into the store.

Dillon was at the checkout, ringing up Evelyn, the town busybody. He nodded at me but kept his attention on her.

I slunk behind the displays so she didn’t see me. Being interrogated about living at Mickey’s was the last thing I wanted.

Thankfully she left without spotting me.

I filled my basket with supplies for the best soup I knew how to make: sweet potato, red lentil and carrot soup.

I wanted to impress Mickey, show him I wasn’t a freeloader taking advantage of a place to stay with no rent... not that Mickey would be thinking of me that way. He was a better guy than that, but he’d made something amazing for me the night before and I wanted to return the favor. I’d spotted a crockpot in the kitchen so I knew I could do my soup the way I was used to.

I grabbed some garlic bread to go with it. I looked at my favorite cereals and realized Mickey’s granola was all I wanted for the next while anyway.

I picked up some of my favorite energy drinks and a box of the orange and turmeric tea I preferred, and snacks... I got a lot of snacks. Mostly potato chips and candy bars. Dillon was going to have something to say about that, but it wasn’t like I could just pop down to the store if I got snackish in the middle of the night.

“How’s it going?” Dillon’s smile was sincere, but, judging by his eyes, I knew from long habit that his mind was working on some problem.

I set my basket on the checkout.

“You don’t have to pay you know.”

“Just give me the family discount, Dill it’s fine.”

He rang me up. “Good, the farm is so serene. Mickey made fried chicken last night.”

“Sounds good.” Dillon realized how many packets of potato chips he’d rung up. He raised an eyebrow. “Aster...”

“I’m a grown man with grown man money, Dillon. If I want to drown in sour cream and onion chips that’s up to me.”

Dillon shook his head and smiled. “Fine.”

I paid the bill. It was very low, he’d maybe skipped a few items.

Dillon came out from behind the checkout to hug me. “Come round for dinner soon, yeah?”

I hugged him back. How had I lucked out so hard in the brother department? “Yeah, absolutely. See you soon, big bro.”

I was carrying the paper bags to the truck, and minding my own business when I overheard it. Actually, I was considering a trip to Don’t Go Bakin’ My Heart for cinnamon rolls, but that’s beside the point.

“Yeah, an AI data center.”

My eyes cut immediately to the person speaking. Some cis white guy in a blue suit was on his cellphone, pacing up and down.

Did I recognize him? Maybe he was on the town council?