(Pov Jasmine)

  Jasmine caught her breath as she stopped in front of the lodge. The sun was just beginning to rise on the horizon; it was, all things considered, a lovely Saturday morning.

  She walked over and picked up her water bottle. She had placed it by the door about 2 hours ago before she started her morning run. That was the benefit of not needing much sleep: you could get more out of your day and avoid that damnable sun for part of the day. Some sun was nice, of course, but it was nice to avoid it for part of the day.

  The sunrise caught the lodge’s upper floors, glowing through the fog and flashing off the last snow on the roof. Jasmine could feel a small smile play on her lips.

  She opened the door and made for the kitchen, hunger knotting her stomach. It wasn't an uncommon feeling for her, and while the food might help, it wouldn't be enough. The squirrel she had drained earlier helped more so in that regard, but no, animal blood wasn't good enough. She would be fine though. The clan was dropping off some supplies on Monday. She had gone longer without before, though it definitely wasn't pleasant.

  Her mind was dragged back to the boy she encountered on Thursday. God, he had smelled divine, and she was sure he would taste equally as good. No, stop it, I need to focus.

  Picking up her sandwich, she started towards her study. As she walked, she quietly hummed a song she couldn't quite name. Entering the Study she sat down at her desk, put down her sandwich, and turned on her computer.

  Jasmine looked at the Google map of the town of Fairvern. She needed to find a place the clan could build an inconspicuous logistical base, or at least that's what she suspected. Her mother had a plan of course, as did the other clan matrons and their allies in the state governments and various militias. But few, if any, needed to know the details of that plan, and she was sure she was not one of those who needed to know. Not yet, at least.

  That did, however, mean it needed to be somewhere inconspicuous, or at least somewhere remote but easily explainable. West Star did plenty of shipping internally or to clients that were more sensitive, so that was easily explainable with the paperwork available. However, it needed to be a place people wouldn't be all that curious about. Remote But not so much so it was suspicious or odd. Yet they would probably need substantial space, though from what she knew not in extreme quantities.

  In a town like Fairvern, there were only a few places that would fit that description. At least while also not being too dilapidated to be usable in the timeframe she had been given. Most likely, she would be looking at outlying farms, and an abandoned barn placed far enough away from the farmhouse would be preferable.

  Her sandwich was gone by the time she had found a group of candidates. There were four total, four barns still in standing condition that could work. The two most promising belong to the Andersons and the Smallers. Luckily, she would be having dinner with Samantha Anderson later today, Jasmine was paying of course, she had asked, and getting to know the locals was always important. Having a friend or two wouldn't hurt either. The woman had seemed like a horrible gossip when they first met, and while some people might say they hated hearing gossip, Jasmine was not one of them. If you wanted to look into something, you needed to know about it first and gossip was the best way to achieve that goal.

  Jasmine let out a sigh as she leaned back in her chair. She would have to drive by the two other locations and check them out. Had it been less sensitive, she might have given that particular job to Julie. She had, however, said Julie should take the day off, and she had meant it. The woman had been working far too hard over the last week; she needed time to settle. So if she wouldn't ask for it, Jasmine would simply have to give it to her.

  She wrote down the addresses on a note before she heard the sound of relatively light and rapid footsteps. Someone small had woken up and was currently walking around the house. There was only one person living here who fit that particular description.

  Jasmine walked over and opened the door to her study. Leaning out, she saw the small boy walking towards the bathroom further down the hallway.

  “Good morning, Sam.” she said in a quiet but pleasant tone.

  “Do you want me to make you some breakfast, and then we can put on some cartoons?”

  The small boy nodded while using one hand to rub the sleep from his eyes. “Bathroom.” He said while walking towards the bathroom.

  “Alright. I’ll be downstairs—pick what you want when you’re done.” Jasmine replied.

  She could look after the kid this morning. Julie seemed like she could use the sleep, so if this let her get it Jasmine was not opposed to helping. Plus, she liked Sam. He was a great kid. And it wasn't like her driving out to check on the barns needed to be done immediately either. That could wait a few hours.?

  —--------------------------

  (Pov Jason)

  The sun was still high as Jason walked up to the bright-colored McMansion. It was one of the larger houses in town, though it wasn't quite as big as the old lodge up on the mountain. He had recently heard the lodge had been bought, though he still wondered about who could afford or even wanted to do that. No, the Maison place was more reasonable in size, if only by comparison.

  The remaining gravel on the footpath from the driveway to the door crunched as Jason walked towards the door. Reaching the door, he knocked and waited. He had tried to read up on the Vietnam war before they were going to work on their project. Unfortunately, he hadn't had much success in trying to catch up on what he missed during class. Though Jason knew Chloe wouldn't have missed a thing. Jason's brows furrowed slightly.

  It took a few seconds before the door opened, revealing the beige interior decor and warm lighting within. In the doorway stood a man a few inches taller than Jason, well dressed, his eyes looking at Jason from behind round glasses.

  “Ahh, Jason. Chloe mentioned you guys were going to be working on some school work today. Come in, come in.” Mr. Maison smiled warmly as he gestured for Jason to enter.

  As Jason entered the house, the warm scent of chocolate, vanilla, and baked dough hit him. The scents of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Jason could feel his mouth start to water at the scent.

  “So, Jason, it's been a while since I saw you last. How have you been?”

  “I have been well enough, Mr. Maison. Recently got a job, so that's gonna be interesting.”

  Mr. Maison's eyebrows raised slightly.” A job is that so. I hope you're still staying on top of your school work too. Wouldn't want you to fall behind on it. Where is this new job of yours, by the way?”

  “Yes sir, I can stay on top of it. At least so far, it's a server job down at the grill. The one owned by old lady Jannet. It's only part-time, so I think I will be able to stay on top of it into the exam season.”

  “Ohh, Jannet's place. Well, it's a good starter job for later on. How are your parents do-”

  “Hey, Jason, you're here. Dad, why didn't you tell me?” Chloe interrupted her father as she came walking towards them from the kitchen. giving her dad a slightly raised eyebrow.

  “I was just talking to the boy Chloe, and Jason just got here. I simply hadn't gotten to it yet.” Mr. Maison gave a small chuckle, looking at his daughter with an amused smile playing at his lips.

  Chloe shook her head slightly. “ You could have just called for me when he got here. Anyways, Jason, we should get started on the project. I was thinking we could use my room so we can spread out without being in the way of anyone. Does that sound good to you?” Chloe smiled warmly at him as she asked, cocking her head slightly to the side.

  “Sure, that sounds good.” Jason said before he followed Chloe further into the house.

  “Oh, and by the way, I made us cookies. I figured we would be at it for a while, so we would need some snacks. They just have to cool for a bit, and then we can have some.”

  “Ohhh cookies, that sounds great, Chloe.”

  They had been at it for an hour when they had to take a break. Though it was more accurate in Jason's opinion that he needed a break, Chloe could probably have kept working for the entire day non stop. That said Jason didn't feel bad about slowing her down for long.

  Jason moaned as the taste of chocolate and vanilla flooded his mouth. The cookies tasted far better than they smelled, and they already smelled divine. Jason felt his mouth water as he was about to take another bite.

  “Thank you, Chloe. The cookies are amazing.”

  Chloe chuckled and gave him a warm smile. “Great that you like them, Jason. I was trying this new recipe, and I am happy that it turned out good. But I overheard my dad say something about you having gotten a job. What's that about?”

  “Well, it turned out fantastic.” Jason said before taking another bite of his cookie. “I got a job down at the bar and grill, as like a waiter. I will probably be working Saturdays, or that's the plan at least.”

  “Why the sudden urge to get a job? You haven't talked about it before. And given how close it is to spring proper and the planting season, you tend to be rather busy.”

  “Sophia found this thing she really wants to study, but supposedly it's really hard to get into. I figured I might as well help.”

  “Well, your sister is bright, and I am sure she appreciates it too. Though you should have told me you were looking for a job, I am sure Mr. Henderson could have used the extra pair of hands over in the resort. Plus, then we could have worked together, which could have been fun.” Chloe said the last sentence in a quieter tone.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  “Dad really came through on the job interview. It only took a few hours from I mentioned it to him, having set it up.” Jason gave a shrug.

  “Great to hear he came through for you. Do tell me if the waiter job doesn't work out, then I can talk to Mr. Henderson.”

  Jason hesitated for a second before he answered. “Ehhhh… Sure, I will try and remember that.”

  “Ahh haa.” Chloe looked at him with her eyebrows furrowed. “Anyways,” Chloe said with significant pressure. “We should probably start working again. I was thinking if you could start working on the domestic effects of the vietnam war, and I could keep working on the international stuff. Maybe start with the Nixon administration.”

  Jason nodded. “Sounds good, then I will start with Nixon first. Hopefully no one is listening in too closely to that.”

  Chloe gave him a deadpan look, which made Jason's barely suppressed chuckle come out. Chloe started to laugh, a warm light laugh which quickly turned into a sound of exasperation. “Jason, your jokes need to be a little less niche or less obscured.” She then pointed a finger at him and smiled. “ But yes, Watergate is part of it.”

  —--------------------------------------------

  (Pov Chloe)

  Chloe could feel her nails dig into her palms. She had really hoped Jason would get more of a clue while he was here. But no off course he hadn't. She had been trying to give him hints for a very, very long time, and yet it hadn't worked out. She had done everything that wasn't too obvious, she had seen recommended, she used his name frequently, asked for small favours, and on and on. Yet nothing seemed to work out.

  Taking a deep breath, she reassured herself that there had to be some way for him to realize it. She needed a change in strategy, but what more could she do? Being too forward could scare him off, having been working this particular angle for close to three years now. She wanted anything but that. With her leaving for Oregon state over the summer, and Jason remaining here, she knew she had a time limit and a shrinking one at that.

  Chloe opened the door to her room and found Jason packing his backpack. Her eyebrow raised slightly as she looked at him, taking special care not to check out Jason's fantastic backside. “You leaving?”

  “Yeah, like I said, I gotta get to work in like 30 minutes, and I need to change so. "I gotta go.” Jason turned around and gave her a shrug. “Anyways, how does next Wednesday after school sound? Then we can keep working on this in the library.”

  “Wednesday?.... Wednesday, library, yeah, that works great.”

  As Jason left, Chloe let out a sigh. Deciding that any further work on the project could wait a bit, she decided to bring what was left over of the cookies to her parents in the living room.

  —----------------------------------

  (Pov Jason)

  Jason let out a deep sigh and rubbed his temples. It was his second day on the job, a Saturday rush for the bar and most of the seating areas, and he had no help. Though that wasn't quite true, Connor was there, but he was glued to the bar. Jason had luckily passed his RASS test yesterday and could serve alcohol, and fortunately, Connor was working the bar. Unfortunately, Mari, who was also working tonight, was nowhere to be found. She had up and vanished the second Jason mentioned he could serve alcohol, which left Jason alone in dealing with all the seated customers not at the bar. Looking out over the restaurant/bar as he waited for the food for table four, he noticed how seemingly empty it was now compared to how busy it was not half an hour ago.

  “Table four ready.” A gruff voice said from just behind Jason.

  Table four was a pain in the ass. It was one of the biggest tables, and Jannet had put it as far from the kitchen—and the entrance—as possible. The group itself was combative, and there were a lot of them. Of course they all wanted the heaviest dishes on the menu.

  Picking up the first three dishes, Jason started the harrowing trip from the kitchen pass to table four. God, I wish Mari was here. Though he was sure if she was gone, it was for something important. Still, he felt a slight tightness in his chest, had something happen for her to just disappear and not tell him or anyone else.

  Jason was still some two tables away from table four when he was broken from his worry by the aggressive snapping of fingers. Looking up, Jason saw the sound was coming from a tattooed arm, mostly in Chinese, though the arm itself was white as was, he knew, the owner. He saw the head of the arms owner turn towards him, and it asked. “Dude, where's our food? We are starving here. Can't you work any faster?”

  “I am sorry, sir, the kitchen just finished with your food.” Jason said, putting on his best smile. “Who had the bacon double deluxe cheeseburger with extra cheese, extra fries, and extra bacon?”

  “That would be meeee” said an annoyed-sounding voice coming from a very petite woman.

  Handing out the remaining two dishes, he could hear the groans of…. frustration or irritation as he left to retrieve the last three dishes. Jason could feel his nails dig into the palm of his hand as he clenched his right hand while walking away. Surely they were just having a bad time with something else. People were like that sometimes; they needed a bit of a grace period before he got too annoyed at them.

  The table was no better behaved as he delivered the remaining three dishes. If anything, the table got worse. There was a tall woman, a guy dressed like the worst-styled fuckboy Jason had ever seen—clearly her boyfriend—and a third guy Jason couldn’t quite read.

  Jason's fingernail was picking at the scab on his left wrist as he walked back towards the bar. Just as he passed the entrance, he saw Mrs. Anderson come in with a woman he didn't get a good look at.

  He looked back as he reached the counter. Mrs. Anderson had just gone to table 5, though according to Mari, the regulars just did that kind of thing, and Mrs. Anderson was very much a regular. Jason picked up two menus and started towards the newcomers.

  Walking over, Jason took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. His hand was still picking at the small scabbed wound on his left wrist when he felt a slight sting as the wound became exposed to air. Jason winced; it was fine, there wouldn't be any blood on the menus, and he had a band-aid he could put on before he brought them their things if it came to that.

  The woman that Mrs. Anderson had brought in was sitting facing away from him, though she was blond; he could see that.

  “Hi, I am Jason, and I will be your server today.” He said as he came to a stop in front of the table.

  “Well, Jason, it is. It's nice to finally have a name to the face.” Jason recognized that voice as he looked over at the woman he hadn't gotten a good look at. It was her, the woman who caught him when he fell on Thursday. Jason's mind briefly flashed back to her eyes staring down at him, surrounded by curtains of gold. Heat was slowly crawling its way up his neck.

  “Ahh, well, me oh my, Mr. Smallers, I wasn't expecting to see you working here. Do you two know each other?" Mrs. Anderson lifted an eyebrow as her eyes flicked between them.

  “Smallers you say. You must be Thomas's son then. Saying we know each other is a stretch we have once though.” The woman Jason still did not know the name of said. “ But where are my manners?” She continued before offering him her hand, and her face lit up with a warm smile that seemed almost… Hungry? “ I am Jasmine Burns, but please just call me Jasmine.”

  Jason took the offered hand; it was warm and soft. Though below that softness, the grip felt solid, and it wouldn't have surprised him if she had a stronger grip than most adult men. He had to use his left, given how he was currently holding the menus but it seemed Jasmine had anticipated that. As the handshake ended, he thought for a second he could feel Jasmine's fingers touch the small wound on his wrist.

  “It's nice to meet you again.. Jasmine. And yes, Thomas is my father. Here are your menus, and I will be back in a little bit to take your orders.”

  —----------------------------------------

  (Pov Jasmine)

  Earlier that day, the sites Jasmine had checked out hadn't panned out for one reason or another. Now she was left with only two options. While she had thought she would have to seek out the Smallers, one had been served to her on a silver platter with a bow on top. Even better than he smelled divine. It had been exceptionally easy to find out where the small wound of his was; she had smelled it the second it opened up again. After that, it was only a matter of what can barely be called sleight of hand to get her pinky in contact with it to smear some blood on it.

  “So what do you recommend?" she asked Samantha, while she leaned her cheek into her left hand, looking down at her menu. Her mouth now slightly obscured, her tongue darted out and tasted her prize.

  Warmth spread throughout Jasmine's chest; the taste reminded her of cookies and vanilla with a metallic hint. It took her effort to suppress a moan at the taste of it. It was probably a form of O positive if her experience was correct, but by the gods, she had never had any blood of the kind that tasted that good. Though calling it irresistible would have been a stretch.

  “Hmmmmm.” Samantha appeared to stare at the menu for a second. “I think I would recommend the porterhouse with the Napa Valley. That's at least what I will be having.”

  A small smile played on Jasmine's lips. “That sounds like it's a great idea right now.”

  Jasmine had been entirely correct in her estimation of Samantha's character. the woman was wealth of information and in the time it took before their waiter, Jason she reminded herself, returned she had learned that the local priest was most likely cheating on his wife, that there was essentially a network of swingers in the area though Samantha didn't know who, and that a woman named Jannet had atrocious taste in interior decor with Samantha suspecting she was senile.

  “Are you two ready to order?” Jason asked as he stopped in front of the table with what was obviously a slightly forced smile.

  “Yes, I believe we are. I will be having the porterhouse steak, rare, and a glass of the Napa Valley.” Jasmine ordered before closing her menu and handing it back to Jason with a small smile on her face, though she felt it came far easier than such smiles normally did.

  “I will be having the same, but could I get the bbq sauce on the side, please.” Samantha ordered.

  “Coming right up.” Jason said before walking off.

  “You know, I am a little surprised that boy has a job. With how things are going with the Smallers' farm and all.” Samantha said in a lower tone once Jason was out of earshot.

  “Ohhh, what's up with the Smallers' farm?” Jasmine asked with her eyebrow raised.

  “Well, things haven't been going well for anyone around here lately, not since the iron mines closed down or… Well, with how things are with farming nowadays. But it's been especially hard on the Smallers. mostly bad luck and the fact that they have more hilly areas that are difficult to farm, and the cattle they did have died off a decade ago, but they haven't been able to replace them. Wonderful family that has been here since anyone could remember, but they have really bad luck.”

  Jasmine chewed a bit on the inside of her cheek before saying. “Well, that is very… unfortunate. Having met the older Mr. Smallers, they seem like good people.”

  The conversation quieted down as Jason delivered their wine. Jasmine liked red wine, though she had never been able to determine if that was because of the taste or if it was simply by association. The porterhouse, which came a bit after the wine, was also fantastic, far better than she expected, actually.

  By the time they ordered dessert, she had learned that the barn she had been looking to rent on the Anderson farm was showing some small signs of rotting, at least internally. That made it a far worse candidate, and thus, she would have to look into her other option in that regard.

  Snap, snap, snap

  Jasmine could feel her eyebrows furrow as she looked up, looking for the sound. It took her a second to find the raised hand from someone on the table next to them.

  “Waiter! Waiter!” said a man's voice rather too loudly, though it wasn't shouting. Looking over, she saw Jason pick up something and walk over. She couldn't hear most of the conversation, but she could see his smile become more and more strained.

  “terrible service…. slow….. overpriced…. green cheese.” It didn't sound good, though she had no idea what the cheese had to do with it. As Jason walked away, she could see they had paid in cash. Briefly, she glimpsed the receipt kept by the bar and grill and saw that they had tipped 4 dollars. Assholes, four dollars for that many people and that much food.

  Paying a little closer to Jason, she could see his steps were heavier than earlier, and he seemed smaller somehow. He looked like he was crestfallen and doing his absolute best to hide it, doing so fairly well by her estimation.

  That wouldn't do. A plan took form in her mind, and she could feel a small smile, a mischievous one at that, start to take hold of her lips.

  —----------------------------------------------

  (Pov Jason)

  Jason watched as Mrs. Anderson and Miss Burns left. The new woman seemed nice, though he couldn't help but flash back to the way the sun had illuminated her face through curtains of that golden hair the first time they met.

  He had let them settle up, leaving the tab on the table when they wanted to pay. He had had to get something done, and according to old lady Jannet and Mari, it was fine to do that with the regulars.

  Walking over, he picked up the small binder that the receipt was in. Opening it, his jaw dropped.

  This can't be real, it can't. He thought to himself, but as he looked at the bills the money was there, all of it. Reading the receipt, he saw that there was no mistake; the tip was written as the exact amount present. He expected one of them to come running back in to correct what had to be a mistake.

  Looking towards the door, Jason whispered to himself. “Who in their right mind tips two hundred dollars?!”