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The urge to protect sweet Sophie from people like that was strong, and I didn’t know where it came from. I was absolutely taking this mentor situation way too seriously. Sophie was a grown adult. She didn’t need me to babysit her. Sophie was smart. She could get herself out of a situation if she needed to.

That night when I arrived home there was something hanging from my doorknob. Wary, I pulled the bag off and looked inside, hoping it wasn’t something awful.

It was a single cupcake with a sticky note on it.

So you can have something sweet at the end of your shift.

-Sophie

She must have hung it out here a long time ago.

I couldn’t help but smile, even though my face ached from keeping one on during my shift.

I wanted to send her a message and thank her, but she was asleep like a normal person and I didn’t want to wake her up. Besides, I was going to see her tomorrow. I could thank her then.

After my shower, I got in bed with a new chapter of my current favorite fanfic and the cupcake. Not a bad way to end my shift at all.

Usually when I asked my friends to go on a walk or a hike with me, they always agreed, but reluctantly. When Sophie opened up her door, she flashed me a bright smile as I took in her leggings, tank and spring jacket along with her crossbody bag. She had a cap on her head with her ponytail pulled through the back of it.

In short, she was ready.

“Do I look like a hiker?” she asked, posing.

“You do,” I said. “I’m impressed.”

She was so adorable.

I’d worn my favorite hiking boots and had a small backpack with supplies just in case. Even on an easy walk, you never knew what could happen. I always wanted to be prepared for emergencies when I went out in nature.

“Do you have water and snacks and your phone and your keys?” I asked as she started to pull her door shut.

She paused and thought for a second. “Yup. I have everything.”

Sophie jingled her keys and shut the door before zipping them into her bag.

“Shall we?”

She skipped down the stairs next to me, all bouncy energy. It was so strange that she didn’t annoy the shit out of me. People like her usually did.

“My car is this way,” I told her when we left the building. She swung her arms and looked up at the cloudless sky.

“This is the perfect day for it. I’ve been telling myself to get outside more often, so thank you for inviting me. How was the rest of your shift?”

We reached my car and I unlocked it and, at the last moment, opened the door for her. She grinned and slid into the passenger seat, settling in.

My car wasn’t anything to write home about and I kind of wished I’d cleaned it a little more before letting Sophie inside. Oh well. Couldn’t do anything about it now.

“It was fine, thankfully. I did witness a drunken breakup though. It was a disaster.” That had happened just after she’d left, and I’d almost wanted to send her a message to tell her to come back so she could watch.

“Ohhh, tell me,” she said, buckling her seatbelt.

I checked my mirrors and pulled out of my space while I told her about the couple I’d seen. One had taken a phone call and must have stepped outside and the girlfriend had stayed on the dance floor. Something had happened that I’d missed, but the other woman stormed back in and things got heated. There was screaming and everyone was watching, including us at the bar.

It was a whole scene.

“I wish I had popcorn,” Maddie had said in my ear.

“Ditto,” I’d agreed.