Ever since he and Andi started dating over winter break, Cuppa Joe’s has become Jimmy’s official after-school hangout spot, provided he’s not working or in rehearsal. He’s gotten to the point where they don’t even make him follow the “If you’re taking up our space, you’d better be buying our drinks” rule, as long as he grabs a broom and takes out the trash every once in a while. Eddie will give him the side-eye if he doesn’t buy at least one coffee while he’s there, but Jimmy follows Andi’s lead and ignores Eddie more often than not.
And he has to say, he really can see what Andi likes about working here. It beats the Arcade, that’s for damn sure. It smells better, it’s lit better, and it’s not filled with hordes of shrieking children every hour of the day. But it’s the people and the atmosphere that Jimmy really likes. There are so many stories walking around here, all of them more nuanced than just ‘Harried parent slowly loses control of child’s birthday party, and life.’
It is also the perfect venue from which to watch the unfolding of Zoe and Alex’s story.
“So, Zoe thinks Alex is pissed at her?” Jimmy asks, leaning against the counter.
“Yeah,” Andi says with a sigh. “Because she accidentally didn’t write for a week.”
“But you said he’d picked up her letter? Did he seem angry?”
“I don’t know, I wasn’t working,” she says with regret.
“He wasn’t angry,” Violet chimes in. “I’m the one who gave it to him.”
“And you didn’t say anything before now?” Andi demands, turning on the other girl. “What was he like? How did he react? ”
“I don’t know,” Violet says, defensive. “He was Alex, okay? He’s a pretty stoic guy!”
“Okay, well, did you tell him what I told everyone to tell him, that Zoe was —”
“Zoe, four o’clock,” Jimmy says as the door chimes and Zoe heads in. Andi immediately moves to the cash register.
“Hey Zo!” she says with a smile that Zoe almost returns.
“Anything?” she asks, and Andi leans back and looks down.
“Doesn’t look like it,” she says, voice full of regret, and they both watch Zoe’s face fall. Then Andi seems to catch something out of the corner of her eye. “Wait! Sorry! I lied!” she exclaims, ducking behind the counter and emerging a second later with a scrap of paper folded in half. This, she holds out to Zoe with a grin. “Aha! See? Doesn’t hate you.”
Again, Zoe tries to smile, but as she takes the paper, she says, “I’ve never gotten anything this short before.”
“Well, it’s probably one of his puzzles,” Andi says. “Can I get you anything?”
“Peppermint tea,” Zoe says, distracted by the paper in her hand. While Andi pours the hot water, Zoe unfolds the scrap and reads it, and Jimmy watches her face go from anxious hesitation to full-on upset heartbreak. Shit, he thinks. Zoe is clearly holding back tears. “Um,” she says, her voice wavering. “Actually, never mind. Sorry.” And she turns and books it out of the store.
“Shit, shit, shit, Alex Carter, what did you do?” Violet demands, standing on tiptoe and craning to follow Zoe’s path as she heads across the parking lot.
“No, I don’t believe it, I must have missed something,” Andi says and disappears behind the counter. Seconds later, she pops back up. “Got it! This got caught in the back! Jimmy, go, catch her!” And she shoves something into his hands.
“What, me?” he asks, bewildered.
“Yes, go!” both girls shout at him, so he takes off, out the door.
“Zoe! Hold up!” he shouts as he runs over to her car. He watches her swipe tears from her face, but pretends not to see. “Andi sent me. She said this got shoved to the back of the shelf, but it’s supposed to go with your note.”
“What is it?” she asks.
“Well,” Jimmy says, looking at what Andi shoved into his hands for the first time. It’s a glossy green pamphlet. “It looks like a map. Ye-ep, a map of Carmel Creek Park.”
Frowning, Zoe takes it from him and skims over it, eventually muttering, “There’s nothing there.” Jimmy peers at the map over her shoulder. Along one of the marked running paths is a big red circle, inked in. There’s nothing inside the circle, but Jimmy knows that park pretty well.
“Yes, there is,” he tells her with a grin. “Caela goes running there all the time, and there’s this big, massive oak tree right where he’s circled.”
“An oak tree?” Zoe repeats, puzzled. “But—” Something seems to click into place. “‘Go climb a tree,’” she repeats to herself. “Like actually, literally, go climb a tree. Oh, thank God.” She visibly sags with relief against her car.
“Y’okay, there, Zo?” he asks with a little laugh.
“Yeah,” she says with a quick shake of her head. “I accidently missed a week, writing, and I was really upset he was going to be mad at me for it. And then, all I got was a little slip of paper that said ‘Go climb a tree, no really, I mean it.”
Aha. No wonder she reacted the way she did. “And you thought he meant it, like, make like a tree and leaf,” he fills in.
Zoe nods. “Yeah. But he didn’t. He meant that I should actually go climb a tree — shit.” The word slips out like punctuation. “He’s making me climb a tree. God damn it.”
“Is this an issue?”
“Yeah,” she says, frowning at the map. “The last time I attempted to climb a tree, I ended up with eight stitches in my head.”
He tries not to laugh out loud, he really does. “Well, might I suggest that you avoid that this time around?” Zoe shoots him a look.
“Thanks,” she says dryly. “Fantastic advice, Jimmy. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
Jimmy flashes her a winning grin. “I know,” he says. “Okay, Zoe Ballard. If my duties are discharged, then—”
“Wait!” Zoe breaks in, grabbing at his arm. “You climb trees,” she says. “You’re a fantastic tree climber.”
“Well . . .” Jimmy says. He doesn’t like to brag, but she’s right. He is a fantastic tree climber. He’s listed it on his resume under Special Skills.
“You want to go take a walk in the park?”
Ten minutes later, they’re standing under a massive oak tree in Carmel Creek Park, staring up at a white envelope tied to a branch several feet in the air. Jimmy is suitably impressed with Alex’s climbing skills.
“Okay,” Jimmy says from where he stands beside her. “So what’s the game plan?”
“The game plan is, you climb up there and get the letter and bring it down for me.”
“Nuh uh,” he says immediately with a shake of his head. “I don’t think those were your instructions.”
“Come on, Jimmy!” Zoe almost whines. “That’s why I brought you here!” He’s aware of that, but he’s also aware of Alex’s visit to the arcade not that long ago.
“And I think Alex wants you to climb this tree. The guy played a pretty embarrassing Skee-ball game for you. I think you owe it to him to climb this tree. Now, I’ll help. But you’re the one getting that letter.”
“I kind of hate you,” she tells him. He just flashes her another winning smile.
“First thing you want to do,” he tells her, “is find a thick, sturdy branch low enough for you to reach.”
“If I end up needing another eight stitches, you’re paying for them,” she informs him, but she circles the tree, looking for something she can grab. There’s only one option — a thick branch she can just get her hands on top of if she stretches to her full height. “I don’t think this is gonna work,” she tells him. “I’m not tall enough.”
Jimmy eyes the branch. “I’m your height, right?” he asks, then without waiting for an answer, he jumps, grabs the branch, hoists himself up so he’s hanging from it like a sloth, then flips himself around so he’s sitting on the branch right by the trunk. All in about twenty seconds. He grins down at her. “Easy,” he says.
“Show off,” she retorts.
“Just try it,” he says. “Use your momentum and get your legs around the branch. I’ll help from there.”
She does try. She gives it three solid attempts. The first time she gets a good grip on the branch, but she can’t get her legs up. The second time, she misses the grip on the branch when she jumps. The third time, she almost makes it, but her hands slip off the branch and she just barely gets her feet under her.
“This isn’t gonna work,” she tells him, and Jimmy looks down at her, considering. He really does want her to get the letter for herself. But he also doesn’t want her to scrape up her hands and get hurt. Luckily for Zoe Ballard, there is more than one way to climb a tree.
“Okay, hang on,” he says, standing carefully on the branch. “Let me look for something.” He moves through the branches, circling the tree from six feet in the air. Finally, on the far side of the tree, he finds what he’s looking for — a nice, big knothole only a couple feet from the ground.
“What am I supposed to do with that?” Zoe asks when he shows it to her.
“You can use it as a foothold. See that small branch within arm’s reach? Use that as an anchor, push up from the knot, and you should be able to get to the branch I’m on.” She stares up at him blankly, and he holds back a grin. “Here. I’ll show you.” And he jumps nimbly down from his branch and swiftly climbs back up using the new path.
She tries to echo his movements, she really does, but she can’t get the leverage. Even with Jimmy grabbing her hand from above and trying to help her up, her foot slips off the knot, and she’s back on the ground.
“Jimmy, I can’t,” she says in frustration, wiping bits of bark and sap off her hands. “Please just get the letter for me?”
“I didn’t peg you as someone who gave up after four tries.” She glares at him for all she’s worth. “Okay,” he says, relenting. “I will not get the letter for you, but I will give you a boost, if you don’t mind my hands potentially ending up on your ass.”
“Well, it’ll be the most action I’ve gotten in a year, so . . .”
Jimmy grins. He’s on the ground again in one swift move, kneeling behind her and offering his knee for her to use as a stepping stone. “Go ahead,” he says, voice full of encouragement. “You can do this. For Alex.”
“I’m not feeling particularly charitable toward him at the moment,” she mutters, “so that’s maybe not the best motivator.” But bracing herself against the trunk, she steps up onto Jimmy’s knee, the moves her other foot to the knot. Then Jimmy’s hands are on the backs of her thighs, giving her just the little extra momentum she needs to plant her foot on a thick, sturdy branch. She clings to the tree trunk, resting her cheek against the rough bark, and heaving a sigh of relief.
“Huzzah!” Jimmy cheers. “That was the hard part. Now, just make sure you have a firm foothold and handhold before you put your full weight on a new branch, and work your way up. I’ll spot you from down here.”
Within minutes, she has the letter, stored safely in her teeth, and then slowly, carefully, she makes her way back down. Once at the first branch, she braces herself against the trunk and slowly lowers her foot, seeking the knothole. Jimmy carefully guides her foot down to it. “Careful,” he says, and he places his hands at her back, bracing her from behind as she shifts her weight and brings her other foot to the ground. “You did it!” Jimmy cheers, trying to get her to look a little excited at her accomplishment. Zoe manages a smile, but that’s about it.
“Yeah,” she says. “Thank you. I’m gonna sit and read my letter, so you can head off to whatever you have to do next.”
“Yeah, I have rehearsal in, like, twenty minutes. See you around, Zoe.” And he heads back to Cuppa Joe’s, where Violet and Andi immediately pounce on him for details.
“Where did you go?”
“Alex hid the letter up in a tree in Carmel Creek. I helped her get it down.”
“And?” Andi asks.
“And, he wrote her a full letter. That’s good, right?” Violet asks, looking at Jimmy.
“She wasn’t too thrilled with him, actually,” Jimmy hates to inform them. “And she didn’t look too happy reading the letter either, but I’m sure it’s fine.” He aims for reassuring, but doesn’t quite get there. “I mean, they’re writing again, right?”
“Yeah,” Violet says, looking dejected. Andi, however, doesn’t look too concerned.
Andi and Jimmy have to leave then, to make their rehearsal, but as they head to Andi’s car, Jimmy asks her, “Why aren’t you more worried?”
“Violet’s worried because she’s banking on now through Saturday,” she informs him, pulling out of the parking lot. “Me? I don’t have another day claimed until late March. The way I see it, they’re right on track.” She grins at him over the console, and he shakes his head back. His girlfriend is nothing if not utterly devious.