Back in Business (open)

[Kali Caraway]

Kali's life severally changed in September '11. She got knocked up by someone she wasn't in a relationship with--she hasn't been in a relationship in a LONG time. The guy was none other than her older brother's best friend, Mason McQueen. He was a nice guy, sure. But they should never have gotten drunk and done the nasty. It was just a stupid idea, and a few months later Kali found out how stupid that idea really was.

During her unknown pregnancy, Kali started to put into motion the remodeling and expansion of her bar/cafe. That construction on her bar began shortly before she realized she was pregnant. She couldn't exactly stop the workers when she found out she was preggers and needed that money she was throwing at them more now, so she had to enlist the aid of her very distraught parents.

Now, of course they were happy to have a grandchild--who in their right mind wouldn't?--but they also believed in the proper family setting, of a marriage and then a child. Kali heard every point of the argument during the months she stayed with them, but they still continued to get her the help she needed and stock up on diapers, onesies, and the other baby-necessities.

In May, Kali a now very swollen individual, went into labor in the middle of a Kmart, whilst her mother was getting her some more nursery items. Not only was she completely mortified of this, she was worried they wouldn't make it to the hospital in time to have her baby delivered (she kept the gender a secret to everyone, as well as herself). Her mother ditched the cart they had been filling with items and led a waddling Kali to her pick-up truck and drove her towards the hospital.

Of course it wouldn't ever be THAT easy. While Kali had been hastily calling Mason--whom she had been keeping in the loop about the baby since it was half his--and let him know her water had broken in the middle of Kmart and they were on the way to the hospital, that there would have been a wreck and the traffic on the highway was at a complete standstill. Fate would have it, however, that her very own OBGYN was in the car stopped next to them. Sambuca Caraway had never been so happy to see that man in her life. She screamed at him through the rolled up window about Kali, until he saw for himself and sprung from the car. After a lot of maneuvering and apologizing to the van full of child soccer players behind them, Kali was laying in the back of the pick up truck, now giving birth to Brandy Caraway. The most beautiful and healthy baby girl there ever was.

Her entrance into this life wasn't orthodox, but neither was her conception, or her parents.

After Brandy celebrated her second month into her life, Kali moved back from her parents house to Pilot Ridge. She was ready to take back at least a little bit of her job at her own Kafe--which the renovations had long since been completed--. today was her first time bringing Brandy to the Kafe.

Inside the Kafe, the initial counter and bar were the same. The wall the stage was against had been expanded six feet, so there was more of a dance floor, and the second story added a two-sided balcony. A bathroom and been added to the second floor as well as a small outside patio, that was private for the employees. The kitchen had also received an upgrade in it's appliances, a better brand for the stove which now has more room for more food. The dishwashers were new and larger as well--and faster too. On some busy days, Kali had almost ran out of dishes because of the rush and the slow washer she had.

Kali kissed the top of Brandy's sleeping head as she gazed at her Kafe, her first baby, then she looked down at her actual baby. "I think you will cost more, in the long run." She grinned faintly as she kissed her again. She couldn't care less about money. She had never cared for anything like she did for Brandy. She walked carefully across the road and thanked the man that opened the door for her. She smiled at the worker behind the counter and announced to every patron inside, "Y'all this is Brandy."

[John Thornton]

The opening of a bar in a cafe had created, no doubt unintentionally, created a place that had an atmosphere as close to an English pub as Thornton had been able to find. He had been at the bar, enjoying a pint of rather watery beer. It was maybe a little early to be drinking but the englishman had rather a lot on his mind and the alcohol released enough of the usual tension that his brain seemed to function on emotional issues a little more efficiently.

Clarisse was thinking of moving. Moving to England. The woman he... well, he...

John took another long swallow and scowled. It was at this point, Kali entered. The arrival hadn't registered a flicker, but the announcement caught his attention as the englishman turned to see what it was that shared it's name with a liquor surved in a balloon glass. And what did y'all mean? Of all the abbreviations... You All wasn't something people should say either!

The scowl melted away at the sight of the tiny baby. Brandy. A girl, then. The corners of his mouth flicked up in one of his extremely rare smiles, for a moment. "Congratulations," he nodded to the woman holding the tiny creature. "She's lovely."

[Kali Caraway]

Old faces and new, she spotted amid her haven. That was to be expected for her almost year--long absence. She could hardly stand being so far away from her structural baby, but her parents insisted that she didn't need the stress that came with it, and that she should trust those that she left in charge. They did a fabulous job, her place looked amazing. She smiled at those that obviously knew who she was, however the man that nodded towards her at the bar was a stranger.

Something must have happened to him, since he was at the bar at this time in the morning. She walked over to him, giving the rudimentary nod and mouthed 'thank you' at those who commented on her little precious angel. For a small woman, she somehow had a big baby--not that Brandy was big at eight pounds, but she wasn't tiny either. She swiveled the fidgety thing over to her other hip and leaned against the bar next to the man. She gave him a cursory once over and then smiled politely--not like she was staring him over like a creep to begin with, but after her sizing up, her smile became more....deliberate.

"Thanks so much." She bounced Brandy for a moment before she held out her hand in greeting, "the name is Kali. I own this place. Haven't been around much since I found out I was pregnant. What with the alcohol and everything. But I just gotta ask, are you allright? You look...rundown?" Maybe rundown wasn't the right word, but something wasn't going right for this guy.

[John Thornton]

It took Thornton a moment to realise the woman with the baby appeared to be holding out a hand. He hadn't expected her to do more than the usual nod at his congratulations; that had been the standard reaction from his co-workers back at the firm. The englishman shook it finally, eyebrows raising as the woman, Kali, she'd said (it had to be short for something,) mentioned she owned the place. Was it a joint partnership, or did her husband had employment elsewhere?

No, the idea that she might be a single mother had not occurred to John. He still struggled to deal with the concept of premarital intercourse.

He winced slightly, dark eyebrows lowering over his pale eyes as the power trainer glanced at the drink in his hand then at the time on his watch. Ah. Yes. Drinking before noon was perhaps a bit of a giveaway. "Just a bit on my mind." The slight amount of alcohol had brought out his accent, broadening and thickening the rough english vowels.

But pouring his own troubles out to a stranger, let along a stranger holding a young baby. Thornton smiled at Brandy again, then sighed and shook his head. Children. Not the safest thing to think about either, but still... she was a lovely young thing. "How old is she?"

[Kali Caraway]

His momentary hesitation of shaking her hand went unnoticed by Kali because of the short trill Brandy decided to let out. She was three months old, and she was getting vocal--whenever she wasn't playing with her tongue with her fingers that is. Kali grinned faintly when the little dark headed baby put her fingers in her mouth again. Like clockwork.

Kali was only poking her nose into his business for one main reason; she didn't want the alcohol at her bar fueling the rage of an ex-boyfriend, recently 'let-go' employee, or any other scenario where revenge would look satisfying. If he was going to go postal today, it certainly wasn't going to be because of her bar. Not that she was assuming that he was or anything. She would also be lying to herself is she said that was the only reason--she missed the interaction of meeting a hundred or so random people a day.

Was he English? Was that a suppressed accent she was picking up?

If he was, then his day-drinking was that big of a deal. Kali scrutinized this new development but still decided, 'a lot on my mind,' could still translate into, 'maybe I should go see her.' His subject change back to her baby wasn't that much of a red flag, but if she got much more Droopy personality from him she might have to start telling some jokes. That would be bad.

For everyone.

She glanced down at Brandy when he asked how old she was and instead of being that customary mother that said the baby's age in weeks until they were three years old...she actually said how old she was. "Three months. And let me tell you, it has gone by slowly." Not only was she having to wait long enough for her newborn to not be so much of a newborn anymore, she was also anxiously awaiting her return to her bar. "She gets super fussy at night. She is a night owl, like her momma." As far as she could tell with Brandy's display of attitude, she took a lot from Kali. She has yet to see any of Daddy, besides the blue eyes.

[John Thornton]

Thornton was feeling highly uncomfortable as Kali glanced over him, a little self conscience of the drink, and of the time. If he had known she was thinking he might be some laid off worker (he had actually liked Thatcher) or revenge seeking boyfriend his humiliation would have known no bounds. As it was, his mouth twitched into a tiny smile as the child sucked on her fingers.

"I've heard that from a few recent mothers," he said with sympathetic wince. "Though I suppose if you're staying up already it might be a little easier to readjust." He had tried to get used to going to bed a little earlier himself, a few months before the papers with Addie were supposed to be finalised.

It had been tricky, and he had slipped out of them in only a week.

Ah. He was being morose. "I hope you're getting some support there." he tried instead. She hadn't mentioned the father yet.

[Kali Caraway]

Kali's night owl schedule was mainly because of her bar--but then again, she had usually been working more than thirteen hours a day, so her sleeping schedule didn't even exist. During her pre-Kafe days, yes, Kali was a true night owl, but now, she just simply hardly had the time to sleep. She had a bar to run.

Throwing Brandy into that mix meant the hours Kali was now used to sleeping (i.e whenever she could at night) meant that she was getting less consistent hours, because Brandy would wake up crying every so often. Kali wouldn't give Brandy up or away for anything, and she wasn't about to insist that Mason take her....Kali would just like it if Brandy started sleeping all through the night. Kali bounced her little baby for a moment and grinned down at her. "Hopefully, she will start sleeping through the night." Kali glanced back at him while Brandy continued to play with her fingers.

At his mention of support she smiled a little. She had a plethora of support. Her parents, her brothers, Sam especially, and Mason. Poor Mason hadn't been ready to be a parent just like Kali wasn't at the time, but he was absolutely willing to do whatever he could. Insofar, however, he had his job at Hammel, and Kali had her bar, so their work hours conflicted. There hasn't been any concrete custody hours set down, by the law or by the two of them, and that was mainly because Brandy was just too young to be away from her momma. Mason recognized that.

Now, whenever Brandy turns one or two, is when they will really start to discuss it, but for now it stood that whenever Mason wanted to see her, he was welcome to come over. "I definitely am getting the support I need....almost too much to know what to do with." She grinned faintly. She didn't really feel inclined to let the information that Brandy was an out-of-wedlock baby, simply because she didn't know if this guy was okay with that or not. She has heard enough about it from her parents to last a life time.

"Is there someone special in your life?" Maybe if she got the subject back on him, she could avoid mentioning the baby-daddy situation.

[John Thornton]

John nodded, with perhaps greater vehemency then was necessary to show a woman he had never met. But, his mother had never had support. She had had him, when Mary had been born. Not enough. Not nearly enough.

He had been near to actually holding out a finger to the baby, who had fixed wide unblinking eyes on him with that expression of complete amazement that infants seemed to have about everything around them, when the conversation took a turn towards him. Thornton coughed slightly, and after a moment, nodded a little bashfully. "Ah, yes, I suppose you could say that," he muttered, unable to stop the smile on his usually stern face. But then it was gone as he looked back to Brandy. "No children, though."

But how he wanted... No. God had His reasons, John knew that. But he had wanted...

His eyes flickered for a moment, back to his drink. "It's... difficult."