Eden Forest (Part one of the Saskia Trilogy) by Aoife Marie Sheridan

door.
    I roll my eyes and call Josh back. “Hey, sorry I missed your
    calls. I was busy.”
    “No worries. I was going to meet you for lunch, if you want?”
    “Yeah, one o’clock, meet me at Bites,” I say.
    “Okay, see you then.”
    When I go back inside the canteen, two sets of smiling eyes
    look up at me. I finish my coffee as they giggle. “You act like
    you guys are five,” I say playfully before I finish off stocking the
    history section.
    Bites is my favorite place to have lunch. Well, to be honest,
    there isn’t much of a choice. It’s Bites or Tracey’s and there’s
    more grease in her hair than on the pans.
    I spot Josh at a back booth. He’s in his work clothes, ripped
    jeans and heavy brown boots. He works in the wood mill not
    far outside town. I slide in opposite him.
    When he sees me, he raises an eyebrow. “Hey how’s work?”
    “The usual. You know, two five-year-olds working with me.”
    Josh looks confused and I laugh. “Never mind.” I pick up the
    menu and glance through it, even though I already know what
    I’m going to order.
    Rachel arrives then to take our order. “Hey, Sarajane, what
    can I get you?”
    “Hey, Rachel. Could I get bolognaise and a glass of coke?”
    Josh orders a burger and chips with a large glass of milk.
    “Have you heard from Linda since?” Josh asks once Rachel has left to get our food.
    “No, it’s been two days and nothing. But maybe it was all
    a trick. I wasn’t feeling well and you know Linda is weird
    anyway.”
    Josh gives me a little smile. In other words, he’s not convinced.
    I think I’m trying to convince myself, because if I let my mind
    believe what I thought I saw is real, then what else was possible?
    And that’s a scary thought.
    Our food arrives and it smells lovely. I dig into my bolognaise,
    my favourite dinner of all time. It isn’t a meal you would have
    for a first date, but Josh is used to me getting it all over my
    mouth.
    “So I got two tickets to the ball,” Josh says while taking a
    large bite out of his burger.
    I roll my eyes. “Why do you even go? You hate to dance.”
    He smiles slightly. “The things I do for you.”
    I laugh at his boyish grin. I’ve gone to the ball with him every
    year for the last three, but it doesn’t feel right now that Mum is
    missing. Nothing feels right, no matter how hard I try to get on
    with things for Dad and Jessica’s sake.
    Josh speaks as if he’s read my mind. “I know you don’t want
    to go anywhere with your mum… you know, but I think it
    would be good for you.”
    “Can I think about it?” The brightness leaves his brown eyes.
    I know he’s disappointed, but he tries to hide it by gobbling
    down a few chips
    “Yes, but it’s tomorrow night.”
    I nearly choke on my bolognaise. Oh God, he’s right. It is
    that close.
    Josh gives me a little smile. “I wanted to give you the tickets
    the other night, but it didn’t feel like the right time. You know,
    with Linda and…” He trails off.
    A feeling of guilt rises in my stomach. I know the tickets
    aren’t cheap.
    “All right, count me in.” His whole face lights up, his brown
    eyes sparkling.
    Going through the list in my head of things I need to do for
    the ball distracts me while I finish my food. When I look at my
    phone, I realise the time. “Christ, I’m late!” I grab my bag, but
    Josh makes it to the counter before me and pays for the food.
    “Thanks.”
    “No worries. So I will see you tomorrow night, say seven
    thirty?” Josh says with excitement in his voice.
    “Yeah, see you then.”
    I cross the road and head back to work. “Sorry, I’m late.”
    Christine peeps her head out from under the counter. “Hey,
    it’s grand. Susan went for hers ten minutes ago. I think she’s
    meeting Max.”
    I say nothing about that. “Could I finish up around three
    tomorrow?”
    She gives me a smile. “Sure, what are you up to?” Christine
    is my sort of boss. Her mother owns the shop, but she’s in