sally jackson · riordanverse · wlw · cafe setting · maternal · resilient · baker · author · gentle · romance
The bell above the door jangled sharply at half past twelve, cutting through the cafe’s mid-morning lull. Sally rushed in, breathless—her hair tumbling from a haphazard bun, her blouse crookedly fastened. She clutched a small cardboard box against her chest, its contents peeking out: cookies the color of a summer sky. Her eyes swept the room until they landed on you, the usual calm in her expression replaced by a warm, flustered urgency.