June 14, 1925

The jazz band was setting up on Walton's small stage as Zora entered through the back door as always. Already a small crowd of about fifteen milled around the joint. Even though it was Sunday, the live music and dancing still drew a decent crowd. Zora wove her way through the speakeasy's patrons and sought out George, who was helping Cecil set up behind the bar. She sat down atop a bar stool and flashed a smile at George and Cecil.

"Hey there, sunshine," George greeted warmly. "Can I get you a drink?"

"That would be nifty," Zora replied, sliding a few coins toward him across the bar. George waved them away and poured some tequila into a glass, followed by a splash of orange juice and a few drops of grenadine. She was perfectly capable of drinking just straight moonshine, as many of Walton's customers did, but George liked to spoil her by fixing her sweet cocktails. He slid the glass toward her across the bar and she accepted it graciously.

"What are you up to tonight?" George asked as he went back to setting up the bar.

Zora shrugged. "Not much of anything. But I do have some news."

George arched his eyebrows. "Oh?"

Zora took a sip of her cocktail. "You remember that country fella, Daryl Dixon?"

"Course I remember him," George nodded. "It was just last week that he brought you back here."

"And you remember how good his moonshine is?"

"Shine like that's hard to forget."

"Well, James from Peachtree called me yesterday asking if I can get more. At first, I told him that was a one time thing, but he sounded so disappointed that I decided to go see what could be done about it."

"And?" George pressed. A frown was beginning to emerge on his face, and Zora could tell he was both interested and concerned with where this was going.

"And Daryl and I have come up with a sort of arrangement. A partnership, more like."

"So he's agreed to sell you shine," George stated more than asked.

"Yes. I'll head out there in about a week to pick up the first order. James said people loved this stuff, and I'm sure it'll sell like crazy."

George's frown was more prominent, and Zora resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "What?" she demanded. "Why do you look so put out?"

"It ain't that I don't agree with you, sunshine," George said. "His hooch will definitely sell. But you've gone and formed a partnership with some fella you just met a week ago. You barely know him. You sure that's a safe idea?"

Zora knew George was just looking out for her, and after what had happened two weeks prior, she couldn't blame him. But she couldn't help feeling a little annoyed. Daryl Dixon may have been rough around the edges, and he wasn't the most personable fellow, but he was harmless.

"Daryl is a good man," Zora assured George. "He hasn't given me any reason to think otherwise so far. And besides, he's a one-man operation. That means I only have to trust one person. No insubordinate lackeys. Since the deal is just between me and Daryl, I don't have to worry about other people finding out what I'm up to and trying to cause trouble. It's safer for me."

George nodded slowly. "What about Louis?" he asked. "He's gonna be expectin' you to keep buyin' from him like usual, and I don't think he'll be too happy if you start gettin' your shine somewhere else."

Zora exhaled slowly and took another sip of her drink. She hadn't really thought about how buying moonshine from Daryl might affect Louis. She remembered what Daryl had said about Louis the day before. That she should be careful to stay on his good side. She decided not to tell George about Daryl's warning. It would only worry him further.

"Well, like I said, Daryl is a one-man operation. His still is quite large, but I don't know if he'd be able to keep up with my needs. I was thinking I could sell both shines and offer Daryl's as the top-tier product. I could charge more for it, and so could my customers. That way I could still buy from Louis."

"But you'll be buyin' less than you normally do," George pointed out. "Maybe he'd understand, but maybe he wouldn't. Just be careful. Make sure you don't start relying too much on Daryl's product."

Zora nodded. George was right. She had to keep her relationship with Louis as copacetic as possible. She didn't think Louis would hurt a woman, but then again, she didn't know him that well. And if Daryl's warning about him held any truth, she had to be careful. She looked up from her drink and saw George studying her, his worried demeanor vanishing a little.

"You know I'm just lookin' out for you, sunshine," he said. "I think Daryl's a good fella, and lord knows his product is outstanding. I'd love to sell it here in Walton's, too."

Zora grinned. "After I get Peachtree's order sorted out, I can talk to him about making enough to sell here, too."

The band started up suddenly, and George flashed her a wink before moving down the bar to help Cecil prepare drinks for the customers who had begun to fill up the rest of the bar stools. Zora swiveled her stool around to watch the band, sipping contentedly on her drink. Her solitude was short-lived, however, because she soon spotted her good friend Molly, who had just entered the joint. Molly noticed Zora sitting at the bar and flounced over, looking very hip to the jive in her glad rags and plentiful makeup.

"Hey there, smarty!" Molly cried as she reached Zora and pulled her in for a hug. The two girls had been close friends for many years, but Zora hadn't seen her in a few weeks. Molly was boisterous and fun, and she envied Zora's line of work. She loved getting into trouble and breaking the rules, and though Zora often told her that her business was just that—business, not a game—Molly's thrill-seeking nature made her refuse to believe otherwise.

"Where've you been?" Zora asked with a smile.

"Oh, around," Molly replied with a bit of a twinkle in her eye. "Got a new man in my life. I've been a little . . . preoccupied."

The two girls erupted into giggles, and Zora realized how much she had missed Molly.

"Well, where is the poor goof?" Zora asked. "I wanna meet him."

Molly grinned and pointed to a young fellow chatting with a few others across the room.

"His name's Charlie," she said.

"Well, are you going to introduce me?"

"Later," Molly said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "You and I have too much catching up to do!"

Molly sat down on an empty bar stool next to Zora and ordered herself a drink. Zora ordered another one for herself, and before long, her second drink turned into her third, and then her fourth. She and Molly were chatting and giggling obnoxiously, and Zora could feel the delightful looseness of her limbs increase with each sip. Her tongue felt thick in her mouth and her head was spinning.

"Why, I'm positively zozzled," she proclaimed, and Molly snickered.

"And how!" she agreed.

Before she could protest, Molly leapt off her barstool and pulled Zora to her feet. The band had started playing a very upbeat folksy jazz number, and Molly threw herself into a solo version of the black bottom. Zora joined in, her limbs flailing in time with the beat and in sync with Molly's. They twirled around each other, and despite the effects of the booze, they were still able to keep perfect time. Though Zora no longer danced for a living, it was still one of the things she loved most. She and Molly laughed gleefully as their hips swung to the beat.

"Get hot! Get hot!" someone yelled, and Zora's grin widened. It had been too long since she had just let go and danced. She let the beat guide her and lost herself in the music, feeling like it was good to be alive.

June 15, 1925

Zora carried the last serving dish to her father's dining room table. After sleeping away her hangover for most of the day, she had decided to pay a visit to her father and make him dinner. He had been at work until just a few moments ago, and he was delighted to come home and find the home-cooked meal and his daughter waiting for him.

He sat down at the table and Zora did the same. They had never been the type of family to say grace, so the pair of them immediately dug in. She noticed that her father had retrieved a small glass of gin and tonic from the kitchen, but she had decided not to partake. After the plentiful drinking the night before, she needed a break.

"So George tells me you have a new business arrangement," her father said after a few moments.

Zora scoffed. "Didn't take him long to spill the beans on that one."

Her father shrugged. "I had lunch with him today and it came up."

She took a few careful bites, waiting for her father to begin lecturing her. When he said nothing, she raised her eyebrows at him.

"So? You don't have anything to say about it?"

He shrugged. "George already expressed most of my concerns when he talked to you last night. I take it you'll be careful to maintain your relationship with Louis as well?"

"Yes. I figure I can work something out where Daryl's shine is my more expensive, top-tier product and Louis's shine is the regular stuff."

Her father nodded. "Good idea." He was quiet for a few moments before steering the conversation in the direction Zora knew it would go. "So tell me more about this Daryl Dixon."

Zora suppressed a sigh. "What do you wanna know?"

"What do you know about him? All I know is that he's a rough sorta fellow who put you up for the night and helped you out in a pinch."

She shrugged. "He lives by himself in the house he grew up in. He supports himself out there. He grows vegetables in his garden and he's a talented hunter. He doesn't seem to need much in life, and I respect that. He seems like an honest man."

"What about his family? They around?"

Zora pursed her lips. She didn't want to tell her father about Merle, but from the way he was looking at her, she realized he probably somehow already knew.

"No. Just him."

He studied her carefully, and Zora tried to avert her eyes and focus on her food.

"Well, I looked into his family down at the station today."

Zora's eyes snapped up from her meal and she glowered at her father. She knew he couldn't help himself with the resources at his disposal and that he was trying to protect her, just like George, but she couldn't help feeling like he had violated Daryl's privacy.

"So you know about his brother then," she sighed.

"Yes. I see you also know?"

"Sort of. Daryl told me he used to live with his brother, but he got locked up for . . . for shooting someone."

Her father nodded, his expression somewhat severe. "Yes. He was put away for armed robbery and attempted murder about seven months ago. The shop keeper he shot lived, but it was enough to put Merle away for fifteen years."

"Daryl says he's nothing like his brother," Zora said quickly.

Her father nodded again. "His record is clean. Not so much as a parking ticket. But then again, it sounds like he doesn't leave the country much."

Zora felt relieved that Daryl had no record. She knew he was a good man, but it was a relief to know he hadn't been lying about his lack of criminal activity.

"His father had a record, too. A couple of charges of battery and assault. It seems that violence may run in the family."

Zora blinked. She hadn't known about Daryl's father. The only details he'd told her about him was that he wasn't a good person. She wondered what it was like growing up with such a father and brother, and suddenly his gruff demeanor made more sense.

"I'm not saying that Daryl is a violent person just because his family has a history of it," her father clarified. "From what I've heard from you and George, he seems like an all right fella. But I just want you to be careful."

"Of course, Daddy," Zora agreed.

"I'd like to meet him."

"But—"

"No buts. If you're going to be doing business with this man, I want to meet him face to face."

Zora sighed, knowing her father would not let this go until he had shaken Daryl's hand.

"All right," she said in surrender. "I pick up my first order from him on Saturday. I'll ask him if he'll come to town."

Her father nodded, seeming satisfied with her reply.

"Good," he said. "Now enough talk of business. We have a lovely meal in front of us and we shouldn't ruin it with serious talk."

Zora smiled at her father, thankful that he was willing to change the subject. She was still looking forward to seeing Daryl again on Saturday, but she was much less anxious to ask him to come meet her father. It felt like she was a teenager who'd been caught necking with a boy and now had to bring him home for Sunday dinner. She hoped Daryl would be easygoing about it, but she still resented that she had to ask him. She pushed the thought from her mind and decided to focus on enjoying the meal she had prepared. She would deal with that hurdle when she came to it.