She smiled. “How about you, sir?” she asked River.
He shook his head, a smile curling up his lips. “Hell, why not? I’ll have the same.”
“Six months working here and it’s still my favorite,” she said. “Would you like coffee?”
“Yes, please,” we said at the same time.
When she left, River leaned forward on the table.
“So, are you going to let me in on this crazy plan you have?”
I snorted. “I didn’t say it was crazy.”
“You woke me up by jumping on me.”
“That’s fair. I don’t want to reveal too much. Just go with the flow.”
He raised a brow.
“You’re becoming pretty good at that,” he said.
“At what?”
“Going with the flow. Being knocked down and then standing and dusting yourself off like nothing happened.”
I looked at the world outside the window. A few people ran on the pavement by the river. There were a few mothers with strollers and old ladies walking arm in arm as they talked.
“What’s the point in staying down? Taking you and my brothers on my pseudo-honeymoon was the best decision I could have made at the time. If I stay home feeling sorry for myself, what am I telling the universe? That I’m just the stuff in those boxes? Nah. It’s time to find out who Adam Spencer is.”
As I said that, the server came with our order. Pancakes piled high, strips of crispy bacon peeking out from under a generous scoop of ice cream, and plenty of coffee to wash it all down.
“And right now, I’m going to be the Adam who can eat a breakfast bigger than my head, just like we used to do when we were cramming for finals and having one good meal a day.”
River held up his fist, so I bumped it. We didn’t need any more words.
We fell into a rhythm of conversation as we polished off our breakfast fueled by the best coffee. We talked about everything and nothing, just like the old times.
“Feels like it’s been ages since we’ve done this,” River said.
“Too long,” I agreed. “And it’s mostly my fault. I know I wasn’t as available when I was with Victoria. To be honest, it all seems like a different lifetime, like I was a different person.”
“You don’t have to apologize. When you’re in a relationship, the other person takes priority. It’s normal to want to stay in or go out with them.”
I cut a chunk of syrupy pancake with my fork and brought it to my mouth, moaning over the perfect flavor and texture.
When I looked up, River’s gaze was on my mouth. When his eyes met mine, I looked away quickly.
“It’s not that I didn’t want to go out with you or my brothers,” I continued. “It sounds like such a ridiculous excuse now, but Victoria wanted us to hang out together at home, and shetraveled so much as it was that I also craved those moments with her.”
“Like I said?—”
“I also craved moments with you, but I didn’t know how to make it happen without Victoria going off the rails,” I interrupted because I needed him to know it. “I still don’t understand why she disliked you. Did something happen between you two?”
“Sort of. After you guys became serious, there was one time we went out to Tanner’s and got drunk. You crashed at my place afterward. The next time I met her, she made it clear she thought I was a bad influence.”
“I didn’t know that. I’m so sorry, River.”
He shrugged. “In a perfect world, our best friends will find a partner we can be friends with too. The world isn’t perfect.”
