{Author's note: Xenoclea is influencing my chapter names..tehehe}

*

"Please, Roy, follow me. This way." Peaches said cheerfully.

Sophie chased Brent back into the kitchen and Elmer emphatically smiled.

Back through the bakery was a back room tucked behind a shit ton of loaves of bread. The room didn't seem to be insulated and had a draft compared to the rest of the building.

"Oh and here's the combination to the safe. You'll need that of course. We're a fucking empire, Roy, that we are."

"Oh yeah?"

Peaches threw herself into a small futon next to an old oak desk.

"Ok it's really simple. I just need you to copy the shit that we make. Y'know, and investments, whatever goes into savings,oh and package the flour."

"Package the flour?"

"For our other diners. You know damn well you can't bake pie without flour."

"That's true."

Peaches grasped Roy's hand, staring deep into his eyes. It made him kind of uncomfortable, and he started blushing.

"We're just so glad to have you here," she nodded.

"Thanks..."

Sophie burst into the office holding a pot of coffee and a small burlap sack. Almost immediately she bumped into Roy, spilling the scalding hot coffee all over his lap.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" She exclaimed. "Oh my god I'm so sorry I didn't see you! Oh my god I'm so clumsy!"

"Sophie what the hell?" Peaches sighed.

"Can't feel it anyway..." Roy mumbled.

Peaches didn't find it funny and Sophie looked mortified, running back to grab a towel.

"Dammit the energy in here is so negative," Peaches sighed. "I mean I'm thinking about divorcing Holger, first of all..."

Dear god please do not pour your heart out to me...

"Y'know I do love my husband but goddammit!" Peaches exclaimed.

Sophie had handed Roy a towel and the burlap sack to Peaches. In return she opened up the safe in the wall and to Roy's not-so surprise there was...not just one rat, but a family of rats. In the safe. A family of rats living in the safe.

Roy couldn't believe millionaires own such a cheap ass excuse for a restaurant.

Peaches turned to Roy. "You'll start Monday, okay?"

"Okay..."

And in that case, Roy was certain of going back to the library tomorrow.

"That coffee was fuckin hot you should get that checked out," Brent commented in the doorway, shoving a bagel in his mouth.

"Go work!" Peaches yelled. "I met a man," she sighed.

"Oh..." Roy said.

"I'm having an affair."

I don't want to know.

"Yeah?"

"We met getting coffee." She smiled pitifully considering the steam rising from Roy's trousers. "My friend, you wouldn't believe we ordered the same kind. Medium hazelnut with two shots of half and half."

So do I tell Holger or not?

"He's an actor," she said casually lighting a cigarette and closing the door to the safe with the rats still inside. "My father wouldn't quite like an actor but he has quite the reputation."

"Nice..."

"Yes, it's nice," she nodded enthusiastically. "Absolute charmer. Ohhh if only I could just kill my husband or something..."

Oh.

"But our diner empire, you see. Actors have money, Sinclair has money, but Holger and I have an empire."

No fucking way.

Roy knew Sinclair dumped Alice for someone else but...

Peaches Fritzges? That's who he left Alice for? Arm candy married to a German diner owning millionaire? Oh boy. Roy wondered if he should bring this up to MacKenzie. Or anyone for that matter. Peaches' eyes were wild.

"Y'know what I don't think this job is for me."

Peaches looked panicked. She bit her lip, she was prepared to beg him to work for her.

"Roy, we need you here!"

"I uh...I actually got another job offer." Well, not technically... "I mean I'm not sure I have it but..."

Peaches crossed her arms, obviously displeased. "Get back to us?"

"Yeah, I'll get back to you," Roy nodded.

And as he began to leave, Peaches put her hands on the back of Roy's wheelchair in order to stop him.

Nice. If there was any hope of me working for you it's gone now.

Peaches leaned over and whispered in Roy's ear. "We'll be waiting for you to stop by, regardless."

"Sure..." Roy said, feigning excitement.

Still covered in drying sticky coffee, he sat outside of the diner procrastinating on transferring into his car and lit a cigarette.

"You can't smoke cigarettes and be in a wheelchair, you're fucked up enough already, cheers."

Roy felt his face turning red at the unnecessary comment made by a random business executive entering the diner.

Your face looks like a testicle but okay.

About then he suddenly heard heavy breathing come over next to him.

"I thought my life was pretty bad until I met you." Brent proceeded to then light a cigarette.

"Gee, thanks!"

"I sympathize," Brent said. "I sympathize very good."

Roy didn't even notice at first that Brent had thrown a small clear bag filled with white powder on his lap.

"It's my last one but you seem in need of a pick up. Y'know they put it in the Coca Cola?"

"Ohhhhhhhh."

"Just don't snort too much."

"Um...thanks?"

Granted the Harrison Act passed the year before tightly regulated the distribution and sale of cocaine, but Roy knew it was popular back at the movie studio. He'd never tried it, and didn't know how it would affect him.

But Roy put it in his pocket, and didn't tell MacKenzie of his disturbingly disastrous experience that happened that day, and cooked her dinner, and rubbed her temples when she complained of a headache.

And she curled up next to him in bed the way she always did, her hair getting longer each day, her smile getting bigger by the minute.