The Broken Road (The Broken Series) by K.S. Ruff

and Jamie, joined us as
we walked out of the office. Like Patrick, Jonathan worked primarily on health
policy. Jamie was Senator Rockefeller’s personal assistant. They all appeared
to be in their early twenties.
    I
was the youngest person working in my office in Montana, so I found the fact
that they were so much younger than me a bit unnerving. Besides, there was an
energy rolling off Patrick, Jonathan, and Jamie, that I wasn’t quite sure I
could duplicate. I felt tired just looking at them.
    The
four of us chatted amicably as we walked down the street. We turned the corner
after a couple of blocks, then fell in line outside a tiny restaurant. I
glanced at the sign. “Yamato? What kind of food does this place serve?”
    “Sushi,”
Jonathan responded.
    I
couldn’t hide my shock. “ Sushi? You mean like raw fish? We’re eating raw
fish for lunch?” A sushi restaurant had just opened in Missoula, Montana a few
months ago, but I didn’t know a single soul who’d been brave enough to eat the
stuff.
    Patrick
smiled broadly as he rocked back on his heels. “The senator has a standing
order here. He eats sushi every chance he gets. He lived in Japan for a period
of time. He loves Japanese culture and cuisine.”
    “Well,
that certainly explains the Japanese artwork in his office,” I murmured
thoughtfully. The artwork in Senator Rockefeller’s office was extremely
eclectic, with handmade quilts from West Virginia displayed on some walls and
Japanese paintings adorning others. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of art
he had hanging in his house. I reached for a take-out menu as we entered the
restaurant. “I’ve never eaten sushi, so you guys are going to have to help me
out here.”
    Jamie
pointed to an item on the menu I was holding. “Number six is a prettysafe
bet. It’s a sampler set of salmon rolls, spicy tuna rolls, and California
rolls.”
    The
woman standing behind the cash register looked at me expectantly. I handed her
a ten dollar bill. “Number six, please.”
    “Me
too,” Jamie piped up. She handed the cashier her debit card.
    Patrick
ordered next. “I’ll take two orders of the nigirizushi set, an order of the
hotate sushi, and a bowl of miso soup.”
    “This
is for Senator Rockefeller?” the cashier asked.
    “Yes.
Well, one of the nigirizushi sets is for me,” Patrick explained as he handed
her a wad of cash.
    Jamie
pointed to an autographed picture of Senator Rockefeller. The photograph was
prominently displayed on the wall next to the counter where the sushi chef was
working.
    “I’d
like an order of rainbow rolls and an order of spider rolls,” Jonathan said
with a huge grin on his face.
    “Seriously?”
Patrick asked.
    Jonathan
handed his debit card to the cashier. “What? I’m hungry, and I couldn’t decide
which one I wanted more.”
    I
couldn’t help but admire the artistry involved with the food preparation as we
watched the sushi chef make the rolls. He nodded and smiled as the waitress
packed our food into white paper bags. My new coworkers continued to educate me
about sushi and other Japanese food as we walked back to the office.
    Patrick
and I parted ways with Jamie and Jonathan as we walked to our desks. I nearly
dropped my food when I discovered a deep blue vase holding a dozen long stemmed
yellow roses and an impressive spray of baby’s breath. I set my food down and reached
for the envelope. My breath caught when I saw who the flowers were from. “ Justin? ”
    Patrick
peered over my shoulder. “Is that your boyfriend back home?”
    I
glanced at Patrick. “Uh… no.” My eyes flitted back to the card. I angled the
card away from Patrick as I silently read the message.
    Thinking
of you and hoping you have a wonderful first day at your new job! Love, Justin.
    I
groaned audibly. I threw the card in the trash, marched the flowers to the
front office, and plopped the vase in front of two people I didn’t know.
“Enjoy,” I mumbled before turning around and