Zoe felt she should call Jimmy and talk to him about Capone and Tommy but didn’t want to. In fact, she didn’t budge until hunger and the drone delivering Zoe’s groceries roused her from her stupor. She stood and started walking toward the door.

“Ugh!” Zoe exclaimed as she stepped on a small rock her shoes had tracked in. Looking down, Zoe noticed she had tracked in some dirt. The dirt trail went from the door to the stairs. “That’s just great.”

Zoe sighed and opened the door. She took her groceries from the container under the drone, confirmed delivery, and watched it fly away. Zoe took the bags in, placing them on the kitchen counter, and shut the door when she was done. She got out her broom and dustpan and cleaned up the dirt.

“Fluffy pancakes would make a nice first meal,” Zoe said to herself deciding on what to cook. “And I really need to quit talking to myself.”

Zoe took some flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda from the pantry. She took a bowl from a cabinet and whisk from a drawer. From the overhead cabinet beside the range, Zoe removed the salt. From her fridge, Zoe took out milk, butter, and an egg. Zoe turned on her new hotplate and set the temperature. Zoe activated the houseboat’s sound system, which had been a pleasant surprise, and played some classic rock. She spent five minutes mixing her pancake batter while waiting for the hotplate to warm up.

*

“That was good,” Zoe said as she put her fork down after eating the last of the pancakes. She drank the last of the glass of orange juice she had had with her pancakes and sat the glass down.

Zoe sat there thinking about what she needed. First and foremost, she needed 60 grand to pay the mob back and have some left over. Scratch that. She just needed to make enough credits to live on while saving enough to pay the mob whenever they came calling. Her job should allow that, especially since she was through with the probation period.

Zoe pulled up her software list and found the accounting/budgeting software that came with her Allegro. Zoe checked her accounts and saw that she had 15000 in them between her pay, the money Jimmy had given her, and what she had sliced from the purity church elders. She gave the accounting software access to her accounts so it could track her deposits and spending. The software quickly made a listing of her transactions. If it wasn’t for her illegal activities and Jimmy’s gift, she would be in a massive hole. Zoe was spending more than she was making and that would need to change.

Other than her new clothing order, the houseboat, and stuff she needed for it; Zoe’s biggest expense was eating out. That would be easy enough to change. Her and the other couriers already came over this way to Riverside Bakery and Café several times a week. She could come home, cook, and eat instead. That would add to her grocery bill but would still be cheaper than eating out so much. She would still stop by the bakery for lemonade and those cinnamon buns once in a while.

Zoe couldn’t set a full weekly budget since she wasn’t sure how much she would get paid each week. That depended on how many runs she made more than anything else. She would have to wing it for the most part and make sure she didn’t spend a lot of credits instead of having a dedicated budget.

Zoe had enjoyed the night out with the other girls, but the club hadn’t been cheap. Perhaps she would do as her friends had suggested and just invite people over when she wanted company. They could even grill burgers, chicken, or whatever up on the roof deck.

That reminded her, she needed to order a grill and picnic table before next weekend. Zoe decided to go ahead and do so. Today would be the last day she made any unnecessary expenditures. Zoe found a Wolfe Incorporated electric grill for 200 credits and a six-foot synthetic wood picnic table for another 150 credits.

The grill reminded Zoe of the charcoal grill her parents had when she was little. It was a two-foot square with rounded edges on four legs. Two of the legs had wheels for ease of movement. The grill had a warming rack, towel holder, and small tray halfway down the legs. It even had the same sort of attached lid she remembered.

The picnic table was built with benches on each side, which Zoe really liked. It reminded her of the picnic tables her family and the church had. The table was not painted or stained, though the synthetic wood would hold up to the elements. The table was cheap and that worried Zoe until she read most of the verified reviews. People seemed to like the table especially for the price, so she added it to her cart.

Wolfe offered assembly, delivery, and either stain or paint for the table. Zoe didn’t have any real mechanical skills or tools, so she opted for the assembly and delivery options. That added another 150 credits to her total. She declined the table’s paint and stain options. Those were another 100 credits each and just weren’t worth it in Zoe’s mind.

Delivery was scheduled for Monday evening. Zoe took her dishes to the kitchen sink and washed them. She wiped down the counter and range. She wanted to get back into the habit of cleaning up behind herself. That reminded her of the dirt she cleaned up earlier.

Zoe did a quick search of Wolfe’s site and found two rugs. One was a plain black non-slip rubber mat for outdoors. Zoe added two to her cart for 40 credits. The other rug was an Aztec accent rug with a diamond design on it. It was on sale for 20 credits, so Zoe added two to her cart. Another 20 credits for delivery, which would be within the hour. Zoe confirmed and authorized her order.

She would start insisting anyone coming into her houseboat leave their shoes at the door. If they refused, she would refuse them entry. Zoe briefly thought about buying some slippers or sandals but dismissed the idea as an unnecessary expense.

Zoe didn’t have anything else that really needed doing at the moment. There were things she wanted to do but she decided to stick to her eating at home idea and get a jump on it by making soup before doing anything else.

She checked her pantry and saw she really didn’t have what she needed for soup, which would last her a few days, other than tomato juice and crackers. Zoe checked the net and found there were several supermarkets, grocery stores, and fruit/vegetable stands within a 15-minute walk from the boat basin.

The 81st vegetable stand was closest, so Zoe decided to walk there. She went downstairs and put her hair up into a ponytail. That done, Zoe decided not to worry about makeup or changing clothes. The sweats she was wearing were comfortable. She gathered up her shoes and boots and took them to the back door. Zoe quickly arranged them beside the door, put on her running shoes and exited her houseboat. She locked the doors and started down the pier.