8:20, Monday morning. The Planet was full of the
hustle and bustle of the before-work crowd. Women in business suits
chatted on cell phones and greeted each other in line as they waited
for their morning lattes and cappuccinos before hurrying to the office.
Kit surveyed the crowd, keeping an eye on the two baristas she’d hired
to keep up with the morning rush. Both were a little slower than the
rest, but Kit thought they would work out fine. She yawned, pausing to
refill her coffee before settling down to go over last night’s numbers.
The B-52′s had played the night before and Kit hadn’t left the Planet
until almost 2:00 AM. Billie was out of the picture and she had to find
herself a new manager, on top of keeping a close eye on the staff. She
sometimes wondered how she would pull through it all.
At the register, a 40ish woman ordering a soy latte
caught her eye. She was tall, slim, dark hair cascading down to the
shoulders of her red jacket. A pair of sunglasses masked the woman’s
eyes, but Kit thought she looked familiar. She was new to the Planet.
Maybe another convert from Starbucks, or a bi-curious chick new to West
Hollywood? Kit sighed and settled into her bookkeeping. Gotta hire someone else to do this shitshe thought.

Kit was so engrossed in her paperwork she didn’t notice the woman again until she was right in front of her.

“Excuse me”

Kit looked up, surprised. The woman was even
skinnier than she looked from a distance, and had pushed up the
sunglasses to reveal her pale skin and stunning green eyes. Again, so
familiar, but Kit couldn’t place it.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, but they said that you’re
the owner of this restaurant?” Her voice, full and melodic, wasn’t
familiar at all.
“I am,” said Kit, “Is there a problem?”

“No, there’s no problem,” said the woman. “It’s
just, I-I’m looking for someone. A girl-a woman. Your employees said
you might be able to help.”
“Well, if you’re lookin’ for women, you’ve come to the right place,” Kit chuckled. “Welcome to Girl Town.”

“Her name is Shane. Shane McCutcheon. Does she ever come in here?”