Chapter 2: Just Good Friends

"Okay Saph. You were right. This place is perfect!" He stood in the doorway, his hazel eyes sparkling as they took in the coffee shop.

His name was Eragon Rider. He turned 24 last month. His light brown hair was peppered with natural blonde highlights and cropped short. He was always happy and always smiling. He could light up the room with that smile. He had written his first novel when he was in high school. His second came out while he was in college. His third right after he graduated last year. He was having a problem with his forth. He just couldn't get inspired. And with his publishing company putting a deadline on his head, he had asked his editor for help.

She was more than his editor. Saphira Engleton doubled as his best friend. She was as tall as him and just as slender and lanky. Her long blonde hair was brushed straight and hung down to the small of her back. Her bright, blue eyes sparkled and her fingernails were painted to match. They had met in high school. It had been her that encouraged him to send his first story to a publishing company. And now he was stuck with the outspoken blonde bombshell.

"You said you wanted a coffee shop. I did some research and this is the best place around." She waved her arm, showing off the place as if she was proud of her discovery.

"How have I not been here before?"

She shrugged with a smile and twirled a piece of hair around her finger. "You hate coffee."

He stuck his tongue out. "Who comes to a coffee shop for coffee?"

Saphira stepped farther inside, her eyes scanning for someone. "Thorn!" She called out, spotting the large red head behind the counter.

He looked up, smiled, and motioned for her to wait a moment. He was with a customer.

"Thorn?" Eragon raised his eyebrows. "Exactly how did you do this research of yours?"

"Okay. He may have mentioned he worked here when I ran into him at the movies."

"Ran into him?" Eragon crossed his arms and shook his head.

"Of course." She said with a nod. "Purely coincidence."

Eragon rolled his eyes. "Why don't you just tell the guy you're stalking him? Maybe he's into that and he'll ask you out faster."

Thorn lived in the loft below Eragon. The pair had met the red head when a letter addressed to Eragon was put in the wrong mailbox. Saphira was practically drooling as Eragon opened the door and the two men introduced themselves and exchanged pleasantries. Eragon hadn't heard from him since. Saphira, on the other hand, went out of her way to run into him in the hallways and wherever else she could. Once she even pretended to lock herself out of Eragon's loft and hung out at Thorn's place until Eragon showed up twenty minutes later.

"I'm not stalking him." She hissed in a drop-it tone. "I'm simply giving him ample opportunity to realize he can't live without me."

Eragon laughed. "Confident, aren't you?"

"Shut up and go pick out a table."

He laughed again as he turned to look around at the tables. Mostly they were empty. It was mid-afternoon, after all. And it was Monday. One empty table caught eye. It was in the corner, equal distance from the front door to the counter. It looked like it had a good view of the whole place. With a smile, Eragon grabbed Saphira's hand and towed her over. He pulled one of the chairs around to the backside of the table, closest to the wall. Then he pulled the bag off his shoulder and set it down on the table top. After sitting down, he unzipped the bag and pulled out his laptop.

"He's coming!" Saphira squealed, plopping down in the chair beside him. She smoothed out her skirt and ran a hand through her hair.

Eragon smiled as he booted the laptop up. It was entertaining watching Saphira whenever Thorn was the subject. She was like a giddy school girl. He had told her several times to just ask him out, but she wouldn't listen to reason.

"You could have picked a more secluded table, you know." Thorn teased, smiling at Saphira. "Eragon, right?"

The brunette nodded.

Saphira leaned on the table, smiling widely and batting her eyelashes. "He's doing research."

"Oh right." Thorn nodded. "This is your writer friend."

"Her only friend." Eragon muttered, leaning back.

Saphira jabbed him with her elbow. "I have plenty of friends."

"Yeah, right."

"I do!" She insisted, turning to glare at him.

"Whatever."

She stuck her tongue out.

"How lady-like."

She ignored his jab and turned towards the smiling Thorn. "So can you sit for a minute or are you too busy?"

Thorn turned around and looked at the quiet, mostly empty room and shrugged. "Well it is rush hour. But I think Tag can handle it for a while." His voice was laced with sarcasm. He pulled a chair over from an empty neighboring table and sat backwards on it. He folded his arms against the back and leaned forward. "So how's my little stalker?"

Saphira's face turned three shades of red and her mouth dropped open. "I didn't… I'm not…"

He smiled. "You guys should learn whisper a hell lot quieter."

"You overheard? Everything?" She dropped her head in her hands, feeling embarrassed.

Thorn smiled again and let out a soft chuckle. "Don't worry about it. I think it's cute. I've never had a girl try so hard. Though you didn't have to."

Eragon leaned forward on the table, smiling. "I told her ask you out herself weeks ago."

Thorn laughed. "I wouldn't have minded."

Saphira let out a soft groan.

"Really?" Eragon looked over at Saphira, a sly smile on his face. "Then Thorn, would you like to go out with Saphira this Friday?"

She raised her head and glared at the brunette.

"Or Saturday, if that fits your schedule better. She's free both."

She pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. "If you boys will excuse me, I have to go die now."

"Oh come on Saph." Eragon reached out to grab her arm.

She pushed him away and looked over in Thorn's direction, though she avoided his eyes. "Where's the ladies room?"

Thorn turned slightly and pointed towards a small hall with a sign that said Restrooms beside it. "And I'd love to. I'm free both nights.

Saphira practically bolted for the restroom.

"He said yes, Saph. It's not that bad." Eragon called after her fleeing form.

Thorn threw back his head and laughed. "Can I get you guys something to drink while she's off killing herself?"

"Two ice teas."

Thorn nodded and excused himself from the table.

Eragon smiled as he leaned forward and pulled his laptop close. He opened a blank document and began typing. Nothing important though. At Saphira's suggestion, he started a journal. He wrote down everything he did, everything he saw, and every thought he had. He wasn't entirely convinced it would help but Saphira said it wouldn't hurt. "You never know what will inspire you." She had said. So he typed a few words about the coffee shop layout and the conversation between the three of them and Saphira's flight. She would get a kick out of that later since she insisted she read everything. He wrote what he thought about Thorn.

I really like the guy. Him and Saph seem made for each other. Lucky she has me to ask him out for her. And I ordered an ice tea. He hit the save button, pushed the laptop away, and leaned back. He spied Thorn and Saphira chatting, leaning against the wall beside the Restroom sign. He hoped the smile on her face meant that her embarrassment was gone.

His eyes scanned the rest of the room. An elderly couple sat a few tables away, sipping from cups that steam still curled from. They held the cups firmly, as if savoring the warmth the hot liquid offered. Their hair was gray, stringy, sparse, and short and each wore thick glasses. The telltale signs of old age. But they looked happy as they talked and lifted their steaming cups to their lips.

Eragon moved on to the next occupied table. A middle aged man sat, an unfolded paper obscuring most of his face. He wore a dull gray suit with shoes and a tie that matched. He looked bleak and boring. Maybe he hated his job. Maybe he hated his life. Maybe he was consumed by corporate life and longed for an exciting life as… a skydiver.

Eragon smiled and moved on to the next person. A girl, probably around his age, with her head in a book. She sat across from another girl, her sister by their near identical features, who was bent over a laptop. Each had their own plate of half eaten pie and glasses of half drunken liquid. Red pie, probably cherry, and something dark, probably a Coke of some variation, for the book reader. A darker colored pie, raspberry or blackberry maybe, and a lighter glass, tea perhaps, for her sister. The sister closed her laptop and slipped it into her bag. She said something softly and the book reader looked up from her book, nodded, and shut her book after adjusting the bookmark. She handed the book over to her sister, who slipped it into her bag. Then the pair got up and left.

Eragon watched them through the window until they could no longer be seen and set his sights on the dark haired girl at the counter. She looked about nine or ten. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and her clothes looked faded. But she looked happy as she bent over something and scribbled away at it. Was she writing? Or drawing? Was it homework?

Eragon was puzzling over the young girl when she suddenly looked up from whatever she was doing and smiled at the man behind the counter. He set a plate of something down in front of her and they exchanged words. Eragon moved his attention from the girl to the man. Dark eyes and the same, long dark hair as the girl. He looked taller and broader than his own frame. He stood with a protective stance as he conversed with the girl. Older brother, Eragon thought with a nod. The resemblance was undeniable. It was sweet. A sister visiting her older brother at work. A brother taking care of his little sister after school. Maybe their parents worked and this was their only option. Maybe the parents were drug addicts or alcoholics. Maybe they were dead. Maybe she was homeschooled. Or maybe he went to college. Maybe he graduated and was working to pay off school loans.

"Earth to Eragon!"

Eragon tore his gaze away from the girl and her older brother. Thorn and Saphira had returned and brought drinks and Saphira was looking at him like she was about to slap him.

Thorn laughed and shook his head. "Dude. That was some wicked trance."

Eragon laughed. "Lost in thought."

"Uh huh." Saphira glanced around. "So who caught your eye this time?"

"Everyone. But mostly…" Eragon nodded towards the counter. "The man behind the counter."

"Who? Tag?" Thorn turned to look.

"Tag?" Eragon repeated, looking over at Thorn.

"Murtagh. He works the shift with me."

"Murtagh." Eragon repeated, looking over at him again.

"The cutie he's with is his daughter."

Eragon nearly spit out the sip of tea he has just taken. "Daughter? Adopted?" Though Eragon knew that wasn't possible. She was the spitting image of the dark man.

Thorn shook his head. "Knocked up a girl in high school."

"Wow." Eragon shook his head slowly and turned to look at the man again. He was at the cash register, chatting with a customer. Eragon watched as he handed a slip of paper, a receipt probably, to the customer. The customer, the dull newspaperman, folded the receipt, slipped it in his pocked, and turned for the door. "She's got to be like ten years old."

"Nine, actually."

"A nine year old daughter." His mind exploded with possibilities. "Single parent?"

Thorn paused for a moment before nodding his head slowly. "He takes care of her all by himself. Works two jobs. She spends most evenings here."

"He go to school anywhere?"

Thorn shook his head. "He's always working."

"Did he graduate high school?"

"I think so."

"Around here?"

Thorn shrugged. "I assume so. He said he's always lived here."

"Parents around?"

"His mom is. Dad died a few years back."

"They live with her?"

Thorn laughed and shook his head. "No. They have a small apartment down the block."

"You'll have to excuse Eragon." Saphira interrupted the line of questioning. "He's obsessed with people."

"I'm not obsessed." Eragon took a breath and leaned back. "I'm simply trying to figure out the plot."

Thorn shrugged. "Well… if you want any more clues to follow, you'll have to go to the source. That's pretty much everything I know about him."

Eragon tuned out after that. The dark man and his daughter intrigued him. He sat, watching them while he ordered a burger and continued to while he ate. Not much changed. The man, Tag, waited on tables, chatted with a few customers, and cleared tables. The girl sat at the counter, coloring or writing or drawing, mostly but a few times she got up and followed her dad around, refilling salt and pepper shakers.

"You could just go over and talk to him." Saphira said after a long while. She leaned back in her chair and gave him an irritated side glance. They had been there for a few hours. Eragon hadn't moved and while Saphira enjoyed being around Thorn, she was bored. And the place was packed. And Thorn was too busy.

"Not yet." Eragon said softly, looking over at her. He signed, seeing her agitation, and closed his laptop. "Alright. We can leave. I'm sorry."

She sighed again and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I'm just… a little cranky, I guess. The most important thing is your book. If this place is helping, then we can stay as long as you want."

Eragon shook his head. "Nah. I think I'll come back tomorrow."

"Alright, though you'll have to go it alone. I promised mom I'd help her out tomorrow."

Eragon nodded as he slipped his laptop into his bag and stood up. "That's fine. Probably better. Don't want to bore you away."

Saphira laughed and shook her head. "I'm going to say bye to Thorn and get the check." She practically bounced off and Eragon smiled.

His eyes went back to the little girl, whose father was now cleaning off a newly empty table. I wonder what her name is, he thought when he realized Thorn hadn't said and he had neglected to ask. Tomorrow, he'd ask. Tomorrow.

"But dad! I just got here!" She knew better then to whine and would certainly never do it in front of her mother. But when her dad told her he had to leave minutes after she got off the bus, her voice took on that whiney tone.

He sighed and shook his head. "An hour tops. I promise."

"But why?"

"The boss wants me to run errands for her."

"But…"

"She's my boss, Gasey. She tells me to do something and I have to do it. End of discussion. Now, you sit here, behave, and do your homework. If you get done, you can go in the break room and watch TV."

Gasey sighed and looked down at the counter. "Okay dad. I'm sorry."

He ruffled her hair. "Maybe tomorrow we can call grandma and you can spend the evening with her."

She looked up quickly and shook her head. "No! I like it here! I won't complain anymore! I swear!"

He watched her for a moment before nodding. "I'll be back. You listen to Thorn and don't get in his way."

"Love you daddy!" She jumped off the stool and hugged his waist. They exchanged goodbyes and after watching him leave, Gasey returned to her stool and pulled out her math workbook.

She was troubling over a difficult problem when she heard someone sit down on the stool beside her. She glanced up out of the corner of her eye. She wondered why the brunette man chose that stool to sit on when most of the tables were empty. She turned her attention from the stranger back to her math problem. She chewed on her bottom lip as she worked it out and came up with the answer. She moved on to the next one and then the next. Then she heard the stranger's voice.

"Thorn!" He said.

She looked up to see the large red head walk towards them, waving.

"Eragon, man." Thorn looked over at Gasey and gave her a wink. "Is this guy here bothering you?"

She lowered her head slightly and shook it. "No, sir."

"Are you sure? I could have him thrown out on his ass… uh… butt."

Gasey laughed softly as the stranger shook his head and held up his hand. "Hold on there a minute, Thorn."

She laughed harder and covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle it.

The man shook his head and leaned back on his stool. "Yeah, sure. Poke fun at the guy who got you a date yesterday."

Thorn rolled his eyes and waved him off. "I would have eventually realized I was being stalked and asked her out."

"Stalked?" Gasey's mouth dropped over and she leaned on the counter. "You asked out a stalker?"

"She has a crush on me." Thorn said with a wink.

"Oh." Gasey dropped her gaze down to her homework and scribbled the answer to the last math problem. "That makes sense. Is she nice?"

"Very."

"Is she smart?"

"Very."

"Pretty?"

"Very."

"Then yes, you should go out with your stalker. But you should tell her it's not nice to stalk people."

"I did tell her that." Eragon turned slightly on his stool to watch her. "Quite a few times."

Gasey closed her workbook and slipped it back in her backpack.

"All done with your homework?" Thorn asked.

She nodded. "Dad told me to go in the break room when I was done but can I stay out here? If I promise to sit here and not get in your way?"

Thorn pretended to think about for a few minutes. He tilted his head to the side and nodded. "Alright. You sit right there and don't move a single muscle."

She nodded with a smile. "Promise."

"Hey! That's moving."

Eragon watched the two and chuckled softly.

Thorn looked over at the brunette. He stepped closer to the counter and leaned towards Gasey. "You know… Eragon's here's a good guy. He's a friend. He's kind of weird and nosey and he asks a lot of questions. Especially about your dad."

Eragon made a face at the other man and snorted.

"Hey. It's true. You did." Thorn straightened and dug around in his apron for his pen and pad. A group of teenagers just walked in.

"You don't have to make me sound like a stalker." Eragon frowned slightly and sulked.

"What would you call it?" Thorn asked as he watched the group.

Eragon shrugged. "Research."

"Be right with you." Thorn called as the newcomers sat down at a table. "Now… I got to get back to what they pay me for around here. Can I get you anything?"

Gasey nodded. "Yes please."

"Usual?"

She nodded again.

Thorn smiled and turned to Eragon. "How about you?"

"I'll have what she's having."

Thorn laughed and shook his head as he turned to walk away.

"You said you're doing research?" Her voice was soft as she spoke directly to him for the first time. "About daddy?" Gasey turned slowly and looked up at him shyly.

"Sort of. My friend Saph and I… Saphira's the girl who has a crush on Thorn, we came in yesterday and I noticed you and your dad and came back today… and I sound like a stalker, huh?"

She nodded slowly and a silence followed. "My name's Gasey." She said suddenly, remembering she hadn't introduced herself.

"That's a pretty name."

She looked down shyly. "Thank you."

"Thorn told me you were nine."

She nodded. "I'll be ten soon."

"Ten? Wow. That's a big birthday. Double digits."

She nodded.

"Are you having a party?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Really? Why not?"

She dipped her head a bit and wiggled a bit on her stool. "I don't have any friends to invite to a party."

"Oh… well… that's just too bad for everyone else. Because you're a great little kid."

She shrugged. "They all think I'm weird."

"Who?"

"The kids in my class."

"Ah. Same thing happened to me. I was really shy in school. Very quiet and nervous all the time. I carried around a notebook wherever I went and the kids were so mean. I didn't have any friends until high school."

"Really?" She looked up at him, growing more curious about the stalker stranger.

He nodded. "Saph was the first person who didn't tease me about the notebooks. She helped me get my work published."

Her eyes widened and she leaned forward slightly. "Published?"

He nodded again. "I wrote stories in those notebooks."

"You're a writer? Oh. Research." She giggled. "I get it now."

He smiled and bent down to get his computer bag. He pulled a paperback book out of the front pocket. He placed it on the counter and pushed it towards her.

"Talon of the Dragon." She said, reading the cover. "Eragon Rider." She ran her fingers along the pretty, blue-gray dragon on it. She picked it up, flipped through it, and stopped on the last page. Eragon smiled at her from the page. "That's you. You really are a writer." She pushed the book back towards him.

"Why don't you keep it?"

She smiled but shook her head. The man seemed nice and genuine enough, but he was still a stranger. And she felt wrong accepting a gift from a stranger.

"No?" He fished around in his bag, pulled out a pen, and scribbled something on the inside. "Here."

She looked at him a second before picking up the book. "To Gasey. Happy birthday and take the book. Remember to dream big."

"See? It has your name on it. So it's yours."

"But…"

"Take it."

She smiled, nodded, and slipped it in her backpack. "Thank you."

"I still think you need a party."

She shrugged. "We never celebrate birthdays. Mom doesn't like parties. She's out of town this year. She was last year too."

"Your mom?" Eragon's mouth dropped open.

Gasey nodded. "She's a model."

"Oh." He nodded slowly as another plot formed in his head. "So you don't get to see her much?"

Gasey shook her head. "Not really."

"Does she live far away?"

"Across the hall."

"The hall?" And the plot takes another turn, he thought, shaking his head. "She lives with you?"

"Yes. She's just… busy. She's… not home a lot."

"So… your parents are… married then?"

"Yes." She looked at him oddly. "Why?"

"Thorn said… never mind." He said, shaking his head slowly. "So she's a model?"

She nodded. "She's doing a commercial now."

"How long will she be gone?"

"Uh… I don't remember. I think daddy said a week."

Eragon could hear the sadness in her voice when she talked about her mother. "Do you like it better when she's gone?"

"Boy… you do ask a lot of weird questions."

Eragon laughed, a touch of nervousness in it, and scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah. Sorry. I tend to do that a lot. I can leave you alone, if you want."

She shook her head. She found the man strange and he asked too many questions. But Gasey had no friends her age. The only people she regularly talked to were her father and Thorn. And if she didn't count her father, then there was Thorn. He was older and daddy had no objection to her talking to him. And Eragon was a friend of Thorn's, wasn't he? Thorn had said he was a good guy. Thorn had left her sitting with him. And daddy had said to listen to Thorn while he was gone.

Eragon bent over to pick up his bag, assuming her silence was a request for him to leave.

"I like it a lot better when she's gone." Gasey said softly, her eyes on the counter in front of her. "It's easier. She's not happy when she's home or when she has to watch me. She doesn't like me."

Eragon let his bag fall back to the ground and leaned closer to Gasey, his arms folded on the counter. "I'm sure that's not true. I'm sure she loves you. Maybe she just... doesn't know how to… express herself."

"Daddy said that once. But I know the truth."

"Truth?"

"Mom yells a lot at daddy. I overhear a lot when they think I'm asleep. She didn't want me. I was an accident that ruined her life. I forced her to get married and ruin her career."

She had said it easily and calmly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. There were no signs of tears, her voice didn't crack. Eragon shook his head as he watched her. "She didn't mean that."

"You don't know her."

"Adult sometimes say things they don't mean when they are angry."

"Oh no. She did mean them. Every time."

Eragon opened his mouth to object but he never got to.

Thorn walked over, carrying a tray with plates and drinks on it. "Here you go!" He set a glass of ice tea and a plate with a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato in front of each of them.

Eragon smiled. "Of all the things they make her, your favorite is a simple grilled cheese sandwich, huh?"

"She has it at least three times a week."

Gasey stuck her tongue out at Thorn and reached over the counter to grab a straw out of his apron. She pulled the paper off and stuck it in her glass.

Thorn smiled and folded his arms. "Everything alright?"

Gasey nodded after taking a swig on the straw. "Yep. Eragon talks a lot."

Eragon shook his head after taking a bite. "Why does everyone feel the need to tease me today? Is there a sign on my back or something?"

Thorn laughed swirled his finger around. "Turn around."

Eragon glared at him. "I was being sarcastic."

Gasey jumped off her stool and peaked behind the brunette. "Nope! No sign."

Thorn laughed and shook his head. "I have to get back to work. It's getting busy and Tag's not back yet."

They ate, chatted, and laughed. Eragon had asked so many questions about her and her parents and Gasey said it was her turn. She asked about his parents, his family, where he grew up, what sort of things he liked and everything else that popped in her head. He was much like an overgrown kid.

A ringing halted their laughter after they had finished eating.

Eragon made a face as he pulled the ringing phone out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. "I have to take this. My publisher." He smiled and stuck out his tongue. "I'll be right back."

Gasey's eyes followed him outside and then she turned to her backpack. She grabbed her pencils and sketchpad and flipped it open. She was working on a picture of a cat. She had colored the eyes green and the fur had patches of white, orange, black, and brown. She picked out her pink pencil and was about to color the nose when her own phone rang. She pulled it out and flipped it open. "Hi daddy."

"Hey. How's it going?"

"Good." She said, setting the pencil down. "I'm staying out of the way."

He laughed over the phone. "That's good. I'm on my way back. Should be there in ten minutes."

"Okay." She said as Eragon sat back down on the stool beside her. "Love you daddy." She flipped the phone closed and put it down on the counter. "Are you in trouble?"

"Huh?"

"With your publisher."

"Oh." Eragon smiled and shook his head. "No. Just bugging me. Was that your dad on the phone?"

Gasey nodded. "You can meet him. He's on his way back."

"Oh. That's too bad. I have to get going."

"Awe! No! Not yet! Stay and meet daddy. Then you can finish your research."

"I really have to go. But how about I come back tomorrow? You'll be here tomorrow?"

Gasey smiled and nodded. "Yes! I will!"

"Okay then. I'll come back tomorrow."

"You promise?"

He laughed and nodded as he bent to pick up his bag. "Yes. I promise. You'll have to show me what you're drawing to."

She threw her arms over the picture so he couldn't see it. "Maybe I will. Maybe I won't."

He laughed as he turned towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She watched him as he left and smiled. She liked Eragon. She hoped he would come tomorrow and that daddy would like him too. She turned back to her picture and was about to pick up her pencils when she heard her name.

"Gasey!"

She lifted her head and smiled as he came over. "Hi daddy."

"Sorry it took longer than I said." He sat down on the stool beside her.

She shrugged. "That's okay."

He leaned on the counter, feeling tired. "Are you ready to go?"

"Go?"

He smiled. "Boss is letting me off early."

"Really?" She practically squealed.

He nodded. "She hired a couple of extra people for the morning and weekend shifts. She'll be by with them in a bit. She wants to do the training herself."

Thorn came up behind them, shaking his head slowly. "Yeah. So you get to go home while I get to stay here and help."

Murtagh laughed. "Hey. Better you than me."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." But Thorn wasn't really jealous. He punched Murtagh in the arm playfully and winked at Gasey. "You two get out of here and have a nice evening."

Murtagh rubbed at his arm. It hadn't hurt a lot, but he sometimes wondered if Thorn forgot how strong he was. "Not quite yet. Got to wait for the boss lady to get here first."

Thorn glanced over at the door as a group of people came in. "Damn customers keep coming in."

"Yeah. They do that." Murtagh shook his head and turned to Gasey after Thorn sulked away. "So what do you want to do tonight?"

"Go home." She answered without thinking about it.

"Home? Of all the things we could do on a night off, you want to go home?"

"Yep." She said with a nod. "I want to sit on the couch and watch a movie with my dad. And ice cream! I want ice cream."

He laughed. "Okay. Hang out here for a bit and I'll come get you when it's time to leave." He got off the stool and started walking away.

"Great! I can tell you about Eragon later." She said, dropping her eyes back to her picture.

He stopped and turned around. "Eragon?"

"Thorn's friend."

"Uh huh." He wanted to ask who Eragon was but more customers came in. He would question her later. "Okay…"

"So… who is this friend of Thorn's?"

Gasey jumped up from the kitchen table as Murtagh sat down.

"Where are you going?"

"You forgot spoons." The silverware drawer rattled as she opened it and fished two out.

He looked down at the twin sundaes and laughed. "I did, didn't I?"

She bounced back and plopped the two spoons down on the table. Then she darted out of the kitchen without a word.

"Now where are you going?"

"To get the book." She called from her room as she rooted around in her backpack for the book she'd be given today.

"A book? What book?"

"Yeah." She grabbed it and hurried back to the kitchen. She put it down on the table in front of him and pointed to the author's name. "That's Eragon, Thorn's friend." She flipped it over and opened the back cover. "See? There's a picture."

He vaguely remembered seeing the brunette before… maybe with a blonde girl. "Was he at the shop yesterday?"

She nodded. "Yeah. He came back today. And he said he'd come tomorrow too. To meet you."

"To meet me?"

She nodded and sat down. "He's doing research." She reached for a spoon and dug it in the ice cream.

He grabbed for the second spoon and swirled the ice cream, caramel, and chocolate sauces together. "Research on what?"

"On you, I think." She took a big bite.

He stopped and looked at her. "On me?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Thorn said he came yesterday with his friend, Saph and he asked a lot of questions about you. He said he's not a stalker though. It must be a thing with people who write because his friend Saph is his editor and she stalked Thorn because she has a crush on him."

He nodded slowly, thinking. "Thorn mentioned that this morning."

"She didn't come today so I didn't get to meet her. But Thorn says she's nice. Eragon too. Maybe she'll come with Eragon tomorrow."

There was a moment of silence as Murtagh took a bite. He wasn't exactly sure he liked the idea of his daughter talking to a complete stranger. It was bad enough he had to ride the public but to get to the shop after school. "So you talked to this guy and he gave you a book."

She took another bite and nodded.

"What exactly did you talk about? What questions did he ask?"

Between bites Gasey went over most of the conversation she had with Eragon. She left out what she said about her mother though. She knew her dad disliked when negatives things were said about her.

"So you really just talked? Nothing weird happened?"

"Weird? Like what?" She tilted her head to the side and looked at him confused.

Murtagh stared at her for a few minutes, trying to read her. He wouldn't hesitate to go after this Eragon if he turned out to be some sick pervert. He'd talk to Thorn tomorrow and see what he really had to say about the guy. And if Eragon did indeed come by, he'd talk to him too.

"Daddy?"

He shook the thoughts from his head and stood up. He picked the empty bowls off the table. "Never mind. Go pick out a movie."

She chewed on her bottom lip as she turned to watch him head over to the sink. She didn't know what he meant by weird. And he wouldn't give her an answer. Maybe she could ask Eragon tomorrow. "Okay." She turned and bounced out.

Murtagh's phone rang as he set the bowls in the sink and ran water over them. "Hello?"

"Hello sweetie!"

He rolled his eyes as he heard her overly sweet voice. What did she want now? "How's everything going, Arya?"

"Everything is going fantastic."

He turned the water off and leaned against the counter. "That's wonderful."

"So fantastic in fact… that I've been…"

"Arya, I'd love to hear about it but I'm really, really busy." He said, stressing the word really. "Any chance we can talk tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

He heard the whine in her voice and knew she wanted to brag about something, probably a new job that would keep her away longer.

"Okay. I'm sure I can find a few minutes to spare."

"Great." He shook his head slowly. "Do you know how much longer?"

"If all goes well, another week. I'm meeting with…"

"I have to go Arya." He interrupted quickly. "But I promise I'll listen tomorrow."

"Oh alright."

Murtagh smiled slightly as he flipped the phone closed and dropped it in his pocket. Another week without having to worry about keeping on his wife's good side.

Author's Notes: This came out like 3 times longer than I meant it to. Seriously. So chopped it in half. And I hope Gasey isn't coming off sounding too old. I'm trying to write her like a young 10 year old friend of mine, who's pretty odd and seems a whole lot older than she really is. The age difference is about the same, a 10 year old and a 24 year old. That's how I see Gasey.