Emily and River meet in Miami, where they have the time of their lives, but it isn't meant to be: the next morning, Emily leaves for San Francisco, leaving both their hearts broken. They don't think they'll ever see each other again.
Emily goes back...
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River Creed watched Mr. Atkinson walk away and there was nothing he could do about it but stand there. He was powerless against that man.
He'd never liked Atkinson if he was being honest, but River had put up with him because he needed this job. Working and being paid was more important than having a nice boss, so being fired really sucked despite not having to be around him anymore.
And Talia... What could he say to her? There was no excuse this time for him being fired. He was just being stupid and he knew she wouldn't accept being related to someone stupid.
So why he decided to do another stupid thing, he didn't know.
He walked out of the kitchen and spotted Mr. Atkinson holding two plates in his hands, about to walk up to two customers in the back of the cafe. It's now or never, he thought.
"Boss!" he said, just loud enough for Atkinson to hear him but not too loud to be annoying the customers. He'd made a scene already and he wasn't about to make another one. His cheeks were still blushing at the thought of what had just happened. That sweet girl was the real victim, having to watch him struggle, and he didn't know how to tell her he was sorry. "Can I please talk to you?" he asked his boss instead. He'd gotten the attention of his employer once again, but Mr. Atkinson was not pleased.
"Outside," was his response, to which they both exited the room while being followed by many eyes. Despite his efforts of trying to be invisible, he had failed miserably today.
"I'm asking you, sir, for one more chance," River began.
Mr. Atkinson raised one eyebrow and River couldn't tell whether it was meant as a surprised expression because River had used 'sir' or if River had gotten on his nerves. It was probably both.
"I'm just having a bad day, that's all," he continued. "It was just a mistake and I'm sure the lady didn't mind." The more he talked, the less sure he became on whether he even had a chance on getting his job back. It was hard to read Mr. Atkinson's emotions and it wasn't the first time that River questioned whether he really had any; if he was even capable of feeling emotions.
"I'll make it up to you," he said. "I'll work every day, the whole day, every day of the week. I'll work so hard - you've never seen someone work so hard before and you never will, because I'll do my absolute best." He was talking fast, not giving his boss the time to interrupt him or for River to take a breath. "And I can promise-"
"You had me until there, my friend," the employer said, and River was certain 'my friend' was meant sarcastically. "You can't keep your promises, you never have. And you have to learn that making mistakes will have consequences, and this is yours. You'll find another job, you're still young. But you'll never work under my roof again."
With those words, River knew the damage was done. He couldn't turn back time, no matter how hard he tried. It was over.
He didn't disagree with Mr. Atkinson; there was some truth to what he said. It wasn't the first time that River had messed up and the employer had given him numerous second chances. In the two weeks that River had worked here, not a day had gone by without him making a mistake. The pie situation was the last straw that broke the camel's back.
