CHAPTER 1

Tenesa, remember, you’re staying late tonight.” Roxanne said raising her eyes up to look at her young protégé.

“Yes ma’am.” The brunette replied looking at her manager, who returned to decorating the cake she’s been working on for the past ten minutes.

“Good. I don’t care what you do in that time, you just have to hang out until the person comes and picks up the cake. Then just find Andy or Kenneth, whoever the hell is working, to clock you out.” Roxanne said, putting the finishing touches on the cake.

“Okay.” Tenesa nodded, watching Roxy finish the cake.

Usually the bakery department where Tenesa works in the grocery store closes at nine at night, but she had to wait for a customer to come and pick up a cake. He had called earlier and said he would be a little late and if it was okay. Tenesa didn’t really care; she got paid and had time to herself, which is partly why she didn’t care about her hours. The other reason was because all her friends worked there. They weren’t coworkers for Tenesa, but friends.

Roxanne finished up the cake then cleaned up the decorators’ table. She handed Tenesa her white apron to be thrown into the laundry bag. She pulled off her hat, revealing short black hair, which Tenesa always thought gave her character. And the look for the attitude she had. It didn’t bother Tenesa, she still liked Roxy, and she liked everyone.

“Okay, see you tomorrow.” Roxanne said, grabbing her keys and cell phone and headed out.

“See you!” Tenesa yelled at the manager as she disappeared down one of the aisles. Tenesa turned and looked around the bakery and picked up the broom to sweep.

At a quarter to seven, Tenesa was leaning against one of the three tables in the bakery. She just finished packaging and putting out the last batch of French bread and was now cleaning up the mess she had made. There was a noise at the back of the bakery where the sinks were, curiosity getting to her, Tenesa turned around and started walking to the back when she came face to face with a five-foot-ten inch man. Tenesa took a step backwards and grinned up at him.

“Hey babe.” The man said, grinning down at Tenesa and wrapping his left arm around her shoulders.

“Hey Kenny. What are you doing here?” She replied, still looking up at him, he was four inches taller then her.

“Just wanted to bug you. See if you wanted to go get something to eat.” Kenny replied.

“Kenneth, you have a call holding on line one.” A woman’s voice said over the intercom before Tenesa could reply. Kenneth rolled his eyes and walked past Tenesa and to the phone in the corner and picked it up. Tenesa leaned against one of the tables, eyes wandering around the bakery. Kenny was on the phone for a few minutes then finally hung up and looked over at Tenesa.

“Sorry about that,” Kenny said, Tenesa just shrugged. “So, want to go get something to eat now?”

“Sure, let me just tell the front end manager that I’m going on break.” Tenesa said, walking over to the store phone next to Kenny and called for the manager to pick it up, she told her that she was going on break and no one would be in the bakery then hung up, grinning at Kenny.

“Subway fine with you?” Kenny asked once she hung up the phone and followed her to the back of the bakery.

“Yeah, simple, easy, and close.” She joked, taking off her white apron and her hat; then unpinning her hair which fell down in a braid.

They walked out the back of the bakery to the break room and clocked out, then walked together through the store waving to some of the other employees. Although Tenesa was hired in May and it was now October, she knew all the employees as if she worked there for years. One of the cashiers was the reason she even had the job, they met and talked off and on for the past year and he helped her get the job.

Kenny was Tenesa first friend after she started the job, well, aside from her manager and the cashier. But the difference between Kenny and Tenesa’s relationship was that it stemmed out of work also. They’ve been on a few dates, and he met her family. As many parents, they wanted to meet him, and they let her go; but Tenesa’s mother still felt uneasy about him.

Tenesa’s mother felt energies about people, which Tenesa did and, oddly enough, so did Kenny. Tenesa knew about it, and at first she had mixed emotions about believing what her mom said or not. Blinded by love her mom had said which wasn’t necessarily true. It wasn’t love, just really good friendship. But after awhile Tenesa just let it go into the back of her mind, but still knowing what it was.

Kenny had a façade about him, and underneath was what Tenesa’s mother felt but can’t place it. She had said it was bad, but not sure how bad. Tenesa just shrugged it off, Kenny liked demons and death, but it didn’t run his life. He had also suffered from depression so Tenesa thought that was what her mom was picking up on, but who knows also the age could be a factor. Anyway, they still liked each other and hung out with one another. But Tenesa always kept her mother’s warnings and words in her mind, just incase.

It took them about five minutes to walk out and down the sidewalk to the Subway and got their food. They headed back to the store, talking about random things, joking about some of the customers and complaining about corporate always coming every couple of days. It drove everyone crazy being under surveillance with the big corporate guys and having them tell everyone what to do.

“You finally brought your car today?” Kenny asked as they walked by the parking lot and he looked over and saw the car.

“Yeah, finally,” Tenesa laughed “I haven’t taken it anywhere but to the bank, so I thought I should bring it to work since I have it now.”

“Only after how many years of having a permit?” Kenny grinned at her.

“Shuddup.” Tenesa jokingly pushed Kenny’s arm.

Unlike most people nineteen, Tenesa got her license in early September and bought a used car a few weeks ago. As she kept telling her parents, she wanted to take her little sister, Alice, trick-or-treating on Halloween which was two weeks ago. Her little sister was fourteen, and made a big deal about not hanging around with her family on Halloween. It made Alice happy when Tenesa got the car, it meant more freedom for her, but it didn’t turn out that way.

“Ah, you know you love me.” Kenny smiled.

“Do I? Didn’t know that.”

They both gave each other a serious look then started cracking up laughing, which caused the customers that were around them to look at them oddly. Which only made the laugh harder. By now they were in the store heading to the break room.

“You off at nine again tonight?” Kenny asked as they pulled up a chair around the table.

“Thanks for reminding me! I have to call up mom and tell her I’ll be late.” Tenesa said, placing her food on the table and taking her cell phone out of her left pocket and flipped it open and pressed some buttons. “Al? Is Mom there? Give her the phone….Mom, I’m gonna be late tonight. Some guy is coming to pick up a cake late. I should be home by ten. So don’t worry and I’ll see you tonight.”

“Ah, so I get to pick on you an hour longer?” Kenny asked through a bite of his sandwich looking up at Tenesa who put her phone away and sat across from him.

“Don’t talk with your mouthful. Why must all guys do that?” Tenesa asked, shaking her head taking a bite of her own sandwich.

“Cause we’re cavemen. Isn’t that right Eddy?” Kenny asked looking at a young man as he stepped into the break room.

“What? No, it’s the twenty-first century, there are no cavemen.” Eddy replied, he had dark blue eyes and light brown hair. He sat down next to Tenesa with a grin.

“That spoils Kenny’s answer. Now he has to give me a real one.” Tenesa laughed then looked at Eddy. “So how’s it going?

Eddy nodded at her, taking out his lunch. He was the cashier that helped Tenesa get the job; he was nineteen, the same age as Tenesa. When she first got the job there was a rumor going around that they were dating, it soon diminished. They were really good friends, Tenesa’s sister even hoped that they would date but that didn’t work out.

“I’m here till midnight.” Eddy replied, rolling his eyes which made Tenesa and Kenny laugh.

“So I get to boss you around some more.” Kenny joked, smiling at Eddy.

“Oh shit. Help me.” Eddy said, looking at Tenesa who raised her hands up in protest.

“Leave me out of it. I’m out of here as soon as the guy comes and picks up the cake.” Tenesa said, earning a weird look from Eddy so she had to explain to him about the cake. He just grinned.

“I thought we aren’t supposed to do overtime?” Eddy asked.

“Only if authorized by a manager. Which I am. Actually, I got told to by a manager.”

“Hey Kenny, tell me I can leave early.”

“Hell no Eddy, but you can stay late if you want.” Kenny replied with a toothy grin.

“Ah shit. I’m clocking out at midnight.” Eddy said, going back to his meal.

The rest of the time went by quickly with the group joking around and eating. They threw away their trash and nodded to each other as they went their separate ways. Kenny going to the back to start stocking the store, Tenesa going back to the bakery to clean up, and Eddy going up front to cashier again.

The night went on without any excitement, much to Tenesa’s dismay. The phone was silent and no one dropped by to place a cake order. So she finished up her chores by half past eight and just sat on one of the tables reading a book that she brought. She was just getting to a good part when a voice from the front of the bakery jarred her out of her thoughts. She looked up, shocked that anyone could come near the bakery without her knowing.

“Hello there miss. I was just wondering if your name happened to be Tenesa Ryan.” The voice belonged to a tall man in his forties. His hair was a shiny blonde with pale green eyes. His voice was soft and low.

“Yes, I’m Tenesa Ryan. What can I do for you?” Tenesa asked, getting off of the table and walking over to the man.

“Well my friend said that if I should need someone to write on a cake that you are pretty good, and that the cakes here are exquisite. So I thought I should check it out.” The man replied with a soft smile.

“I wouldn’t say I’m good, but I’ve had practice. The cakes are right here sir.” Tenesa said, walking over to the cake case and pointing to them.

“So many to choose from. What do you like Ms. Ryan?”

“I’m a chocolate fan myself, so the double fudge classic cake is my bet.”

“Sounds delicious. I’ll take it, and can you write ‘Congratulations Duze’ for me?”

“Duze? How do you spell that?” Tenesa asked, taking out a notepad with an odd look on her face.

“I know such an odd name. It’s actually a nickname for a friend of mine. It’s spelled D-U-Z-E.”

“Cute name.” She said, turning around and walking over to the decorator’s table with the icing and opened up the cake. “Do you have a specific color you want it written in?”

“Sky blue if you have one. If not then any blue will do. He likes the sky.” The man replied with a smile on his face.

Tenesa picked up the light blue icing and carefully wrote the wording on the cake and packaged it up again and handed it to him. “There you go sir.”

“Oh, he was right, you do write nicely on the cakes. Thank you so much Ms. Ryan.” The man said, nodding to her and turned to walk off.

“You have a nice night sir.” Tenesa said to the man.

“I’ll see you again soon.” He replied, turning around and giving her a smile with his eyes sparkling and he walked away.

“Such an odd man.” Tenesa said to herself, standing there and looking around. She walked back to one of the tables and sat on it, thinking about the customer, wondering how he knew her last name. The first name is a given since it’s on the name tag, but the last name was only an initial.

She didn’t let her mind linger on the man. She picked up her book and continued reading until the customer came and picked up the cake finally at nine-twenty.

“Hey Kenny.” Tenesa greeted Kenny as she stepped out of the back of the bakery, putting her bag on her shoulder.

“Hey, you’re clocking out now?” Kenny asked pushing a trolley with boxes on it by the door.

“Yeah. So you need to clock me out.”

“Nope, first you’re gonna walk with me while I put this back, then I’ll clock you out and walk you to your car.”

“Whatever you say.” Tenesa laughed, jogging to keep up with Kenny as he walked down the back hall.

Tenesa helped him put the boxes into the recycle bailer then they both headed back to the break room where the back time clock was. Kenny scanned his name tag, pushed some buttons then scanned Tenesa’s name tag and handed it back to her; she attached it to her hat and put it in her bag. They turned and walked out of the break room and out to the store, Tenesa waved to Eddy and a few other people.

“So, when will our next outing be?” Kenny asked as they stepped out into the brisk night air, looking at Tenesa with a smile on his face.

“When we both have a day off together.” Tenesa replied, tugging her green jacket around her. “And who knows when that will be.”

“Yeah, I know. Well, can you get on messenger tonight?” Kenny asked as they reached Tenesa’s car.

“Not tonight. Remember, Alice still has school in the morning so the computer goes off at midnight. Otherwise mom gets mad.” Tenesa said, unlocking the car door and opening it.

Kenny nodded and looked at Tenesa and reached out and hugged her. “See ya later babe.”

“Later.” Tenesa smiled and stepped back and got into her car, started it, put on her seatbelt and shut the door. She waved good-bye to Kenny and drove out of the parking lot.

Kenny started back to the store but stopped when he felt eyes on him. He turned and looked around the parking lot, his eyes doing a series of saccades as it studied the parking lot. When satisfied that no one was there he stepped into the store to continue working.