Five: Mia Conner

Five 

Mia Conner 

 For the first time in my life, I didn't have anyone to answer to. I woke up early, had breakfast with my daughter, and I took her to pre-school. I then had to pick some things up for the bakery and by the time that I was done with everything, it was already lunch time. I went to a restaurant nearby and I got a sandwich and some lemonade to drink. I was sitting on one of the outdoor tables when a shadow fell over me. 

 "Mia Conner?" a voice said. 

 I looked up, and was surprised to see Sullivan Carina in front of me. Sullivan was one of the werewolves that had announced themselves to the world in recent years. We'd gone to college together. He was around my age, twenty-something. He was tall, with blond hair, and blue eyes. "Oh my god! Hi." 

 I got up and gave him a hug. "What were you doing there?" 

 "My family is opening a new branch of their company here. I was sent to help oversee the California branch." 

 I smiled. "That's amazing, I'm so happy for you." 

 "Thanks. I feel important, carrying on the family legacy. What about you? Didn't you move down here because of a fellowship or something?" 

 I nodded. "I finished it, and I taught for a few years. I'm actually opening my own bakery right now." 

 "That's amazing! I know that was always your dream." 

 "Yeah, it's great. I like knowing that I'm building a legacy for my daughter to have if she needs it." 

 Sullivan raised an eyebrow. "A daughter?" 

 "Yeah, Harper." 

 "Oh wow! That's great. When did you get married?" 

 I shook my head. "I didn't. Harper was just a happy mistake." 

 He smiled. "Nice. Well, I'm glad to see you again. I always wondered what happened to you. I thought maybe you'd been swept up by some handsome guy and whisked away somewhere." 

 I shook my head. "No, just got my dream job." 

 "Right uh…well, are you seeing anyone?" 

 "Um…no. I'm not. I actually haven't been dating anyone right now. I just want to focus on caring for my daughter. I think having men coming in and out of her life right now would make things too complicated." 

 He scratched his chin. "Oh, that's too bad. I always kind of had a crush on you." 

 I blushed. "Did you now?" 

 He nodded. "I only stayed away because I knew that you were friends with Brooklyn. And well, my family's history with hers has always been complicated." 

 "Oh," I said, "that's right. I saw something about that on the news."

 He sighed. "Yeah, you know journalists. They only tell their version of events without really knowing the full story." 

 "I'll take your word for it. Can't say that I've ever had to deal with that kind of thing. I'm not the kind of girl that people are curious enough to right about." 

 Sullivan shrugged. "You never know, Mia. You're a pastry chef. People like foodies. Start posting some baking videos online. Who knows? Maybe you can make some extra money on the side by doing that, and spread the word about the bakery. Free publicity." 

I raised an eyebrow. "You really think so? I don't know if I would be good at that sort of thing." 

 "Oh, I know so. Social media is a huge part of business. How else are you going to get the word out? People don't just do word of mouth anymore, you know. They want to see everything that you're up to and feel connected." 

 I took a sip of her lemonade. "Hmm. I hadn't thought about it to be completely honest." 

 "Well, I'm the head of social media for my family's company. Why don't I meet up with you again and I can teach you some stuff? If you want your new business to succeed, you've got to know who your audience is." 

 "For a bakery?" Mia was skeptical. She didn't really spend too much time online. She preferred spending her time reading books on cooking, or perfecting new techniques. That world was something completely unknown to her. 

 Sullivan nodded. "Oh yeah, totally. You'd be surprised how many people enjoy watching people make stuff, especially if its food." 

 I hesitated. Sullivan was really smart when it came to business stuff. And I did want my business to succeed. But I didn't know if I was comfortable with all of that stuff. But I didn't even really like getting my picture taken. Would I be able to talk in front of a camera? 

 He nudged me. "Come on, Mia. It's the least I can do. Consider it payback for all of those times you made me muffins for breakfast because you knew I would oversleep and not get to eat breakfast."

 I laughed. "I guess you did go through a lot of muffins." 

 "Exactly," said Sullivan, "let me pay you back. What's the harm? You kill a day?" 

 I sighed. "Okay, fine. You can teach me how to do the whole social media thing, or whatever." 

 Sullivan pumped his fists in the air. "Yes!" He grinned. "Excellent. Uh, do you still have the same number?" 

 I nodded. "Phone hasn't changed in a few years either." 

 He laughed. "Alright. We can fix that. Anyway, I'll give you a call and we'll set something up." 

 "That sounds great," I said, "it was really good to see you, Sulli." 

 "Good to see you too, Mia. I thought we'd lost you there for a while. When everyone found out about the whole werewolf thing…. some people didn't want to stay in touch. I thought maybe you were one of them." 

 I shook my head. "No, I just had my own drama to deal with. I'm glad you're here, Sullivan. It's nice to have friends around again." 

 "Yeah, definitely. I'll see you soon." He gave me a hug, and then left. Sullivan Carina had always been one of the nicest guys. How had I never noticed that before?