“May I have a cookie, please?”
“Absolutely!” Kat looks up at us. “Do y’all want anything?”
“I’m good,” Raven responds, and Knox and I shake our heads.
The three of us sit at a table by the front window. Knox and Raven sit next to each other on one side, while I take the seat across from Raven. Knox places his arm on the back of Raven’s chair. She glances back and forth between Knox and me and gets a mischievous grin on her face.
I’m not sure if that smile means we’re going to have a fun time when we get back home or I should sleep with one eye open. I like that I can’t predict what she’ll do.
Jolting in my chair, I clear my throat. Raven chuckles as her foot continues its path up my inner thigh.
“Hey, Griffin! Hey, Knox! How’s it going?”
This time, it’s Raven who’s caught by surprise. The tip of her shoe grazes along the seam of my jeans, narrowly missing the family jewels.
Knox and I wear puzzled faces as we all turn toward the friendly voice.
Standing next to our table is Old Man Hicks with a cup of coffee in his hand.
“Hi?” My reply comes out as a question.
He takes a step closer. “How’s the bar doin’?”
“Good. How’s the hardware store?” Knox rubs the back of his neck.
Hicks’s smile is genuine. “Great! Thanks for askin’!”
“Sure thing.” I tip my head.
“Well, see y’all later!” Hicks waves and exits the coffee shop, heading in the direction of his store.
Knox bends toward me. “What the hell was that?”
I shrug because that’s all I can do. I have no clue what possessed Hicks to talk to us. We’ve known him our whole lives, and he’s never been friendly like that.
Raven is still turned toward the path Hicks took. “I wonder…” she trails off.
Pam walks by our table. “Hey, Montgomerys! Good to see y’all!”
I give my head a slight shake, Raven’s mouth hangs open, and Knox rubs his forehead.
Raven frowns. “Are we in the Twilight Zone?”
“We must be.” Knox’s expression goes slack.
“Maybe we should grab Noah and go home,” Raven suggests.
Feeling my pulse in my throat, Knox and I smile at Raven.
Her brows wrinkle. “What?”
“You said ‘home.’” I emphasize my statement with a wink.
Raven draws her head back. “So?”
“You called our house ‘home,’” Knox explains further.
Raven’s mouth forms a perfect circle in her shock.
