Chapter 3: A New Day

I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the new day.

I sat up to stretch and I could feel the familiar pain of the angry bruises that painted my body. The pain was starting to dull down bit by bit each day; it'll be reduced to an uncomfortable but far less painful feeling in a couple more days or so. The bruises he inflicted always lingered longer.

I looked at my body in the mirror as I was getting dressed for the day. The bruise that covered most of my stomach was the worst of the ones I currently had. The shade still an angry purple, had shown no signs of fading yet. He had kicked me harder than I thought, I could still feel the impact of his foot slamming into my stomach all three times. That one will definitely take at least another week to heal.

I turned to look at the rest of my body; the bruises on my back and right shoulder still visible, but thankfully fading away. The bruise at my left temple had faded slightly more since yesterday, my hair could easily hide it. The angry cut on my lip, however still felt fresh despite it being four days old now; that one I can't hide easily. Makeup wouldn't be enough to cover it, I'll just have to hope people don't care enough to notice or at least not ask about it.

You're okay, Iris. These wounds will fade away like they always do. He'll never lay a hand on you again. Soon those bruises and the monster that inflicted them will be nothing but a bad dream. You survived. You're safe.

I quickly got dressed to cover up the ugly marks on my body, and continued getting ready for the day.

I looked through my backpack for the stack of money I kept hidden. I still had over $3,000 left, which would keep me comfortable for only a short while, but it wasn't going to last forever.

I was going to have to look for a job.

The thought of it made me anxious. Anxious that the fake identification papers I had to sneak off to get (and got severely punished as a result) wouldn't work. Anxious that not having a resume would ruin any chances of getting a job. Anxious that people would see through the lie. Anxious that he would somehow be in my place of work and see me.

I was stressing myself out over these "what if's". I took a deep breath, and decided to push the job hunt for a later time and go shopping for food at a real grocery store instead. I also needed a phone, and some more essentials for home. But first, find the nearest coffee shop for some breakfast. With that plan in place, I grabbed my backpack to head out the door.

I found a little coffee shop close by where I was able to get a large chai latte and two blueberry muffins. I had already inhaled the first muffin by the time I got to the door, I was so damn hungry.

When I was about to open the door to exit, someone was opening it to get in. I had stopped just in time to avoid crashing into the person entering the coffee shop.

"Excuse me," I said as I held the door open for the person as I kept my eyes on my drink to make sure it would avoid being spilled.

I looked up when I heard a familiar voice chuckle, "I'm glad you managed to avoid a second assault this time, neighbor."

I couldn't help but laugh at how fate worked. "Mr. Murdock! If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to get in my way on purpose." I teased as I opened the door wider to allow him in.

"Well business has been slow, so I try to grab potential cases wherever I can get them. And I'm pretty sure I told you to call me Matt, Iris." He replied with a teasing smile that lit up his beautiful face.

Down, girl. Don't let him get you all flustered again, no matter how sexy he looks in that grey suit of his.

"What's this I'm hearing about cases, don't you be holding out on me, Matthew!" A new male voice chimed in, interrupting my thoughts, causing me to tense up.

Matt let out a laugh as he turned toward the voice in question. "Sorry, Foggy. Just an inside joke between neighbors."

The blonde gentleman the voice belonged to frowned as he stood next to Matt. "Well now I feel left out of the loop. How dare you give me false hope?" He dramatically shook his fist at Matt.

Matt and I let out a laugh, his friend instantly making me feel at ease. Matt turned toward me to make the introductions, "Foggy, this lovely lady is my next door neighbor Iris..." he trailed off, not knowing my last name.

"Roberts." I replied, thankful I actually remembered the new last name I had.

"Iris Roberts." Matt finished, with a hint of skepticism in his voice. He turned toward Foggy, "And this is-"

"Foggy Nelson, of Nelson & Murdock," Foggy cut in, making a silly attempt at being suave as he reached for my hand, "Law partner and much better looking best friend to this putz here." He gestured his thumb toward Matt, who was practically rolling his eyes at his best friend.

"And it is a pleasure to meet you, Iris." He finished with a brief kiss on my hand and a sweet smile on his slightly rounder face.

I let out a giggle at his silliness. Foggy was as endearing as a teddy bear, I couldn't help but like him already. "And it's most certainly a pleasure to meet you as well, Foggy." I curtsied, joining in on his silliness as well.

Foggy chuckled and turned to Matt, "She just did a little curtsy. It was adorable."

Matt smiles towards me, "I bet it was." It felt as if his eyes were piercing through me, even though he couldn't see. I couldn't control the blush coloring my cheeks.

Foggy looked toward me again only for his smile to fall into a frown as he focused on my face, "Oh wow, are you okay?" He asked with concern.

I frowned in confusion, "What do you mean?"

He shook his head as he softly replied, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude or to pry, but that's a pretty nasty cut on your lip."

My heart stopped. My face changed from a flushed red to pale white. How could I have thought that nobody would notice?

Because Matt and Foggy are the first real decent people you've met, and are obviously the kind of people who are going to ask questions.

My heart was beating so fast, I could hear the rhythm in my ears, and I thought the entire coffee shop could too. Matt's face tightened into a puzzled frown as he turned towards me.

"Uh..well I...I..." I was stuttering. I was panicking, I had to leave. "It's nothing! I'm just a clumsy clod. Matt can testify to that," I gestured to Matt who looked concerned and almost angry. Whether at me or something else, I had no idea.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got a lot to do today," I said in a rush as I was inching closer and closer towards the door. Both gentlemen looking at me in bewilderment. "It was nice seeing you, Matt. Foggy, it was great to meet you. Bye!" I bolted out the door without so much as a backwards glance.

Matt and Foggy

The two friends were frowning as Iris all but ran away from the coffee shop.

Foggy cleared his throat, "I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to spook her like that. It just shocked me, I guess."

Matt's teeth clenched, his jaw tight with tension and aggravation as he asked, "How bad was it?"

"How bad was..." Foggy trailed off.

"The cut, Foggy," Matt spat out, his jaw clenching even tighter as he held a firm grip on his cane, "How bad was it?"

Foggy sighed, "Pretty fucking bad, Matt. Like she fell into someone's fist instead of a piece of furniture."

Matt's grip on his cane tightened even further as he tried to control is growing anger. He could sense Foggy hesitating. "What is it, Foggy?"

His friend paused for a moment before replying, "I don't know for sure, but it looked like she had a bruise on the temple of her left eye as well."

Snap!

Matt snapped out of his thoughts as he held the loose piece of his now broken cane.

"Oh shit, Matt!" Foggy exclaimed as he looked at his friend with concern and unease.

"I have more at home." Matt stated, though he couldn't care less about the cane.

Foggy left Matt alone with his thoughts as he went to place their order. He returned with two coffees.

"Do you think she's in trouble?" Foggy asked, feeling concern for the petite redhead that's captured his best friend's attention.

"I think so. I don't know for sure what's going on with her," Matt replied as he stood still, "staring" at the spot Iris stood at. "But I'm going to find out. And if she is, then whoever's giving her trouble is going to have to answer to me."

Goddamn you suck at this! Stop folding under pressure like origami every time you get caught off guard!

I felt so stupid for slipping up again; in front of Matt and his friend no less! I didn't understand why I lost my composure in front of Matt so easily. I guess because it felt like he could see right through me despite having no sight. I felt so at ease and comfortable around him, I didn't want to lie to him. I didn't want him to know the truth either though. I just needed to stop engaging in conversations with him. Easier said than done, apparently.

But I didn't have time to dwell on that any further. I needed to look for a job. I hadn't worked in years, I couldn't help but worry that my lack of work experience would really hinder me...

My lack of experience wasn't the only thing that hindered me. It was also "we're not hiring at this time", "we've already accepted another candidate", and also the fact that some establishments were too overwhelming for me to even try to apply. Waitressing was definitely a no. Customers can be absolutely horrible and downright abusive to the servers, and my skin just wasn't thick enough for that; not after just escaping from my own abusive setting.

It was mid-afternoon when I stumbled upon a cute little bakery with a pastel pink exterior on the corner just a couple streets away from my apartment. I was exhausted and frustrated from the disappointing job hunt, eating my feelings sounded really therapeutic right then and there.

I heard a bell chime as I opened the door to the bakery, followed by the catchy melody of Bobby Darin's "Beyond the Sea". It was even cuter on the inside! It was tiny and intimate with a pink and teal color scheme and a sweet vintage vibe. Beautiful assortments of cupcakes, pastries, donuts, and French macarons were displayed under the glass casing. My mouth was watering and my stomach was rumbling just looking at them.

A sweet woman's voice snapped me out of my hunger stupor, "Hi! Welcome to Sweet Heaven. How may I help you?"

I gazed at the tall, beautiful brunette the voice belonged to. She was statuesque with a slender but curvy frame in a baby pink dress with a white frilly apron. She had long dark hair hanging in loose vintage waves, kind grey eyes, and a sweet smile painted in red lipstick.

"Hi, this is my first time here." I replied with a tired smile, "Your bakery is so beautiful and everything looks delicious! What would you recommend to someone who's had a rough day and just wants to eat their feelings?"

The woman giggled in reply, "Well first of all, thank you! It took a lot of work to make my baby look the way I imagined." She winked. "Second, I would recommend the red velvet macaron, the white chocolate raspberry truffle cupcake, the sea salt caramel cronut, and/or the bacon maple cupcake."

Good God I'm going to get so fat.

My mouth watered with each item she mentioned, "You know what? I'll take all four of those. And a large hot chocolate, please. I'm going to be here for a while."

I paid for my treats and took a seat at one of the three small tables off to the side. I gazed out the window, lost in my thoughts as I waited for my cocoa. It didn't take long for the kind baker to approach my table carrying a silver tray topped with the desserts and hot cocoa, beautifully set up like it was Afternoon Tea. I noticed the tray had a second helping of each item including the cocoa.

"Here you go, sweetie." The sweet woman stated as she took a seat across from me. "Do you mind if I join you? It's a slow day today and you got me craving for these myself." She let out a giggle.

I grinned, "Thank you, I'd love the company."

Her smile brightened, "Wonderful! I'm Lucy, proud owner of this little paradise." She introduced herself, holding out her hand.

I grasped her hand in mine as I replied, "I'm Iris. It's so lovely to meet you. You have a beautiful bakery!"

Lucy's face glowed with pride, "Thank you so much! It took a long time to get this baby off the ground, but it was all worth it."

I smiled softly, feeling insecure. Oh how I envied this woman and her ambition. I wished I had accomplished something this big.

She must have noticed my discouraged thoughts as she gently asked, "I don't mean to pry, but are you okay? You mentioned wanting to eat your feelings, so I'm guessing you're having a pretty bad day."

The last I wanted was to burden anyone with my problems, hence the sorry attempt at isolation, plus it's been a long time since I was allowed to talk to anyone. But this woman seemed so genuinely sweet, and I could really use a friend.

"Yeah," I sighed, "it's been a pretty terrible day."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lucy asked with sympathy, "I'm a very good listener."

I smiled as I replied, "Well I just moved here. I'm trying to start over, but I need a job. I've gone to so many different jobs to apply and have been rejected by all of them. I thought of waitressing, but I can't handle the overwhelming craziness that comes with the job. I have hardly any job experience, and I just feel like I'll fall into another black hole after I just crawled out of one!" I finished without taking a breath, breaking down in frustration.

It was silent in the tiny bakery and I started to panic. Damn it, I've said too much. I thought for sure Lucy was going to ask me to leave.

She surprised me with her response though, "Do you have any food allergies?"

My eyebrows furrowed from being thrown off by the random question. "I'm allergic to cranberry juice, but that's it..."

Lucy nodded in understanding, "Have you ever baked from scratch before?"

My eyes widened as I started to get what was happening. "Yeah, all the time. Not professionally, though. I mean I'm decent, but I don't have a culinary degree or anything like that."

She just smiled, "That's not a problem at all." Lucy reassured me as she gently grabbed onto my hand, "Iris, my dear, your timing couldn't be more perfect! My boyfriend was working the bakery with me, but he's now my ex-boyfriend. So it's just me operating this place all by myself. I am in serious need of a co-Captain for this ship. What do you say?"

I was stunned. This was honestly the most unconventional and unexpected job offer I'd ever had. "Lucy, are you sure you want to hire me? I don't know the first thing about working in a bakery. I don't think I'm qualified." I replied, not wanting to turn down the offer, but just being as honest as I could.

Lucy wasn't the least bothered. "Don't you worry about that. We'll set you up to get your food handlers card to please the health inspector on their occasional visits, I'll take you on as my baking apprentice and train you every step of the way. Please say yes." She held her hands together in a silent prayer waiting for my answer.

This felt so unreal. These kind of things never usually happened. It seemed too good to be true. But all I felt from Lucy was genuine kindness and trust. I didn't feel an inch of doubt towards her. She was a sweet, unconventional business woman who was giving me a chance when I had none. Who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth?

"How could I refuse such an amazing offer?" I asked with a glowing smile on my face. "I'm in!"

Lucy squealed with excitement as she shuffled over to my side to hug me. "This is going to be great! I have a good feeling about you, and I'm usually a pretty good judge of character, ex-boyfriend being the one exception."

I giggled with her on that, knowing all too well about being wrong about an ex.

"Now," she continued, "let's enjoy our sweets in celebration and get to know each other, shall we?"

"I'll drink to that!" I happily replied as I held up my now warm cocoa, causing Lucy to hold hers up as well.

"Iris, my dear, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship." Lucy declared with excitement.

"I couldn't agree more, Lucy, my dear." I replied with a grin. "To a new start!"

"To a new start!" Lucy responded as we clanged our mugs together.

I felt like I was walking on sunshine. Things were truly looking up.

Hope you guys enjoyed it! For Lucy, I chose the beautiful Christine McConnell. Feedback is always appreciated! Until next time... *kiss noise*