The Sullivan Sisters

Have You Seen This Girl?

"You see this kid come through here?"

"That depends. Who is she?"

"My little sister. Only..." Paloma winced. "Seven years ago. She still looks pretty much the same, though. Only now her cheeks aren't as gigantic, all of her teeth are in, and she's a little taller, but, honestly, not by a whole lot. Her name's Quinn."

A pitiful, worn-out, wallet-sized picture of an eight-year-old Quinn was all Paloma had on her persons. These days, she had enough current pictures of her sister on her cellphone to construct several collages but in her haste, she left it at home; likely sitting on the kitchen counter next to Quinn's.

Taking the teenager's cellphone seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but then nighttime hit and she realized Quinn had no intention of coming home.

Paloma wished with every bone in her body that she went after her before Quinn had a chance to breach the front door those hours ago but that's not what happened. And willing it to happen sure wouldn't change that. So, she started her hunt about forty-five minutes ago.

The library, the mall, a few coffee shops, not even the post office evaded her erratic search. Still, each of them left her empty-handed. Her search eventually led her down the street from her home at a local diner that she'd heard good things about but hadn't really given another thought.

It was small, as most dinners are, but it had a certain charm to it that's often lacking in the food industry. The surrounding red booths and contrasting white stools that lined the bar gave her somewhat of a nostalgic vibe while still managing to reflect the twenty-first century with the occasional, supposed 'vegan-options' their menu promised.

Paloma noticed it all at first glance then hurried to the first person she could find that stood behind the counter which led her to a somewhat mop-headed teenage boy whose nametag she couldn't be bothered to read.

The boy flashed a dimpled grin so infectious that it would've made Paloma smile had it been any other day. "I thought she looked familiar."

"Is that a 'yes'?" Paloma turned to the handful of people that passed through on their way out. "Have you seen this girl?" When they offered nothing more than a shrug, she tsked then carefully returned the photo to its home in her billfolder. Her scowl returned ten-fold when her eyes fell back on the boy.

"Forgive me, ma'am, but, who's asking?"

The brunette closed her eyes and took in an impatient breath. "Her sister. Now, if you'd kindly answer the question so we can both stop wasting my time, that'd be great."

He hummed. "I didn't know Quinn had a sister."

"Why would you know that?" Eyes narrowed, she took a long look at him. "You know my sister?"

"Yeah, we're..." He wasn't exactly sure how his brain initially planned to fill that blank. "She works here. Plus, she goes to my school."

"You're the kid that offered her the job."

The night Ava flipped Paloma's world upside down, Quinn came home with good news and, after such an emotionally draining evening, Paloma appreciated hearing something uplifting for a change.

A few hours out of every week, the girl's place was the dinner. It'd been weeks now since she'd accepted the position and, so far, things were smooth sailing. Not only that, but, Paloma couldn't have been prouder.

"She's mentioned me?" The boy tongued his check to apprehend his fervent smile. "Cool."

Paloma's patience was wearing thin. "Did she swing by?"