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Morning
     
     
    THE NEXT MORNING, Reddick woke up extra early. He knew after the night of dreams he just exper ienced, he would have to hit the gym hard before work. Normally he would take a shower after his workout, but on this instance, he decided a cold shower before and after his workout was in order.
    He decided to grab his favorite suit and a lavender pinstriped shirt. He remembered getting a co mplement about the color from Regina last month. He chose a grey tie to match his suit. Although it was a solid color, the inside lining of the tie was covered in hearts. He almost didn’t purchase it because he thought it was a bit feminine for his tastes, but he couldn’t deny the perfect match.
    His gym bag was already in his car with all of his necessary toiletries. He grabbed his wallet and his nicely stuffed money clip and threw them in the pocket of his suit. A bottle of water and a protein bar would have to do until he had breakfast after his workout. He was cracking the door to leave when he r emembered the stone.
    He ran back into his bedroom and lifted his pillow. Before he picked up the stone, he noticed that the light seemed to dance across the surface. He remembered yesterday how the light shone through the stone, almost illum inating the blue flecks inside. He blew off the thought and snatched it up. He placed it in his suit pocket with his wallet and cash.
    After a hard workout, Reddick’s appetite was in full effect. He also had an extra bounce to his step and was feeling generous. On his way into the office, he stopped at Swanson's Bakeria. He ordered two bagel platters, one for each sales team, and an egg white omelet with green pe ppers for himself. While he waited for his to-go order, he browsed the confection counter and remembered his conversation with Regina about the chocolate-covered bacon.
    He was amazed at the assortment of choices Swanson's had. He couldn’t wait to let Regina see he was more than right. He asked the girl behind the counter if she could put together a two-pound box of the chocolate-covered bacon, making sure to tell her each and every one he wanted included. “I will take at least two of each: white chocolate with a dark drizzle, a dark chocolate with a to ffee dusting, plain dark chocolate, plain milk chocolate, a mix of milk and dark chocolate with crushed candied pecans, and that one spiced with cinnamon and red pepper flakes. And you can fill it up with whatever else you think.”
    There was a small sign that said they cured and baked the bacon on premises. He knew there was a reason their bacon was unlike any he had anywhere else.
    The girl handed him the box of chocolates, all weighed out. “Your eggs and bagel platters will be ready in a minute. If you want, I can ring you up now.”
    “Okay, great.” He walked over to the register and put the box of chocolates down on the counter.
    The girl moved her out-of-place hair away from her eyes as she pushed some buttons on the cash register. “Just to let you know, we do custom orders on our chocolate if you ever need them for a function.”
    “Oh yeah, like what?” Reddick handed her a credit card.
    “All kinds of things.” Her eyes lit up at the opportunity to tell him about what they could make. “We have a catalog of shapes, for starters, so if you want something themed, we can try to accommodate most shapes. Of course we can make any combo of chocolate candy you want. Our website has a list of what we offer on a regular basis.”
    The young lady handed him a card and showed him the web address for the store. “We’re always open to new suggestions. Maybe I should say I am open—to the suggestions, that is.” Her cheeks suddenly flared a dark shade of pink. “I help make up new chocolates all the time.”
    “Well, the chocolate-covered bacon is out of this world. I promised some to a coworker yesterday. I had to bring enough to share with everyone. Let me ask you a question…” He paused as he looked over