"Here's your pay, Agatha. I have to say I was skeptical taking you on. Glad to say I'm pleasantly surprised."

"Thank you," Agatha said with a genuine smile as opposed to the once forced with the customers.

Andy, her boss, handed her a small envelope with cash. Working under the table wasn't ideal, but it was a job in a fairly decent place. The cleanest? No. Friendliest? Enough.

It'd been a good week. Better than any she'd had in a long time. Withdrawals aside, nothing horrendous took place. She wasn't angry with Grace about the part, something that somewhat surprised her. That and the fact she hadn't seen or heard from her since their telephone call a few nights back. At first, there were feelings of resentment. It was happening all over again. She was more interested in her life away. Then she started to think, catching herself in this thought pattern that hadn't done her any good at all. Even if Grace did drift away, life wasn't too bad. Plus, being on better terms meant a door was open. It wouldn't be the exact same way it was before. Her energy was better spent on new people or at least a new environment.

"It won't be right away, but if you're planin' on stickin' around for a little while, I might be able to promise you some more hours in the future."

"That would be great," Agatha said as she tucked the envelope

"Don't get your hopes up just yet, though. If I need more help it'll be around Christmas. Haven't been able to predict the crowds much the past few years. People still seem to have some money to travel and see their families somehow. Good thing, too. Could be why I'm still in business."

"Yeah, whatever works, huh?"

"Been close to shutin' down a few times. My wife went and found herself a laundry job and that's how we made it."

By now, Agatha knew Andy was one to chat, but she was eager to go spend some of the money in her pocket. New clothes were a must. Not having a drink constantly under her nose brought to her attention the fact all of her dresses had the same stale smell that apparently no amount of washing was going to get rid of. It made her realize why that Mr. Bundles always looked so terrified of her. The stores wouldn't be open much longer today.

"That's good," she replied. At the same time, she couldn't deny herself a proper conversation after sitting in the dead quiet of her hotel room evening after evening.

Andy chatted on for a little while longer. Agatha listened for the most part but was pleased when she was finally able to leave. Checking her watch, she noticed she had about a half an hour before the shops closed. However, her plans changed as soon as she set foot outside the door.

"Agatha!"

Looking up, Grace saw Grace rushing towards her.

"Oh, hey, Grace. What are you doing here?"

"I stopped by the hotel but you weren't there. I figured you were at work."

"Yep, just got off."

"How was your day?"

Agatha shrugged. "Can't complain."

"Are you heading back to your room?"

"Actually," Agatha said as she glanced at her watch again, "I was just about to run and see about getting a couple new dresses. Don't think I'm being irresponsible, it's just that I was just paid and I-"

"You don't have to explain," Grace said, holding up a hand. "Those clothes are practically falling off of you."

"Do you want to come? I mean, it won't be all that much fun given the hour but beats sitting in a stuffy hotel room."

"Sure, but I'll have to head home after that."

As the two started walking, Grace continued. "I really came by to apologize again for everything that happened. You know, the party."

"Don't mention it. It's not an issue."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. It all worked out how it was supposed to. From the article I read in the paper, it seemed to be a hit."

"Yes," Grace nodded. "It went very well, thank you."

"And you and Warbucks decided to go public?"

With a slight tint appearing on her cheeks, Grace replied, "Not officially, but I suppose so. It's not a secret, it's just not something we're shouting from the rooftops."

"Well, in any case, you look good together."

"You mean it?" Grace asked with a small smile.

"Sure."

"… He's really wonderful."

"I wouldn't know."

"Is something wrong?" Grace asked in response to Agatha's tone.

"No, I just thought you didn't want to talk about it."

"I do and don't I suppose. It's so new and different."

"Different I get, but new? You've been in relationships before."

"Yeah, but not like this. There's so much passion — and before you ask, no, not that kind of passion."

"Funny how you still know me," Agatha joked.

Rolling her eyes, Grace continued, "I didn't think I was in for any of that, especially not at my age."

"Ya know, I can't see Warbucks as a serious lover. He seems too… I dunno the word. Polished?"

Grace chuckled. "I don't think I'd use the word polished to describe him any time."

"You know what I mean."

"He's very different in private than he is to the public. There are so many rumors about how he mistreats his staff and how he fires people on a daily basis…"

"They aren't true?"

"Hardly. He hires a lot of temps. Unless they're slowing things down or in general a bad employee he hardly ever fires anybody. He has the most loyal staff you could ever imagine."

"Makes sense," Agatha said. "You're still there after all this time."

"And many people have been there longer."

"Funny how these things get around."

"I'll tell you… it's amazing how far out of their way people go to make a good person look bad. Oliver says that's when you know you're doing your job right."

"Makes sense, but even you have to admit it isn't hard sometimes."

"He's under a lot of pressure. I must say, though, since Annie's first couple of days I haven't seen him really lose his temper. I almost feel like I'm waiting for something to set him off."

"Probably'll happen."

Grace sighed, nodding in agreement. "I know."

Conversation lulled as they arrived at the store Agatha had been leading them to. As Grace was about to bring up the [a] conversation she'd had with Oliver a few nights back, she looked at the marquee and couldn't help but ask, "Is this where you want to get your dress from?"

"Sure… why?"

With a shrug, Grace answered, "Their patterns are pretty bold, don't you think?"

Agatha raised her eyes as she took a step back, gesturing to her attire. "Have you taken a good look at me? This is what I can afford. Anyway, what's wrong with wanting to stand out a little? In case you haven't noticed, I didn't fill out as nicely as you."

"I'm not saying you need to wear what I wear, I just think you should be finding something suitable for work. I can see you're not required to wear a uniform."

"Yeah, it's gotta be for work but there's no rule about the pattern, only the cut."

"Forget I said anything. I don't want to intrude."

It took everything inside of her not to say something back. Somehow resisting her natural responses, she simply gave a nod of her head before going inside.

. . .

They went their separate ways after shopping. Agatha was glad to have had a normal moment out. It'd been a long time. Anyone on the streets saw her and didn't see a desperate woman sneaking around. They saw some person out for a walk and doing some shopping with a friend. It felt good. She made some honest money, paid for a couple dresses with it, and now was on her way home to have a decent supper. So much could still happen ahead but it didn't change the fact that she was proud of herself. She couldn't remember the last time she had a moment like this. They didn't come often.

Her mood continued to grow brighter as she tried on her new clothes. They looked and smelled so fresh. The colors weren't as vibrant as she would have liked, however, they would do. Plus, they were suitable for work. It'd be nice to stop getting fringe and ruffles caught on counters and tables. All in all, today was good. Today made any moment of temptation worth fighting. Had anyone told her a month ago she'd be where she was now she would have laughed in their face.

The rate at which this all took place did concern her, however. Yes, all was fine now aside from long nights with cravings and lack of sleep. But other than the knowledge she could have a drink if she really wanted to, she did what she wanted to avoid in the first place which was quitting cold turkey. Opening the bottle to take a whiff of the scent must have been doing wonders after all… she hoped.

Grace took her time going to find Oliver once she was home. Instead, she went to find Annie. It was amazing how empty and quiet the house had become now that the other girls had all been adopted. Annie missed them all terribly. But Grace silently admitted she was glad everyone was getting settled in for good now. It made spending time with Annie much easier. Not that she didn't love the other children, but she knew they weren't hers to get attached to. She'd been lucky getting Oliver to agree to one child. Six more most definitely would have been pushing.

She felt bad for not telling Agatha that she wasn't going to be around so much for a little while. She seemed to be in such a good place. The last thing she wanted to do was start an argument. She knew it was a strange topic to bring up, but Oliver had taken a risk voicing his needs. Both of them were important to her, but Oliver was the one who'd been there for the last ten years. Not to mention the fact that, from the way things have been going, her name would be placed on the adoption Annie's adoption papers soon enough. Oliver was absolutely right. This time was family time. He was new to this and wanted her help. Quite frankly, this was what she wanted most of all. A family. An actual family. After giving up hope she finally had one.