There’d be no way their father could push him around now.
“Maybe you are right,” Kellan eyed the diner.
“We’re going in,” Eli said tiredly. “I need coffee. And not that decaf shit that Duncan served up.”
Laken was pregnant and the rule in their house was that if she was drinking decaf then so was everyone else.
No doubt Duncan got some decent coffee at work.
“This place has never seemed sanitary to me,” Kellan said.
Dear God. He was never going to get them in the door. He just wanted some coffee and to get Shaw to eat something. Duncan and Laken had left early this morning for a scan at the hospital.
So they’d decided to have breakfast at the diner.
All right . . . he’d decided to have breakfast at the diner. He’d pressured the other two into coming with him. Shaw needed to get out of the house.
He’d had a really bad couple of days. They were taking shifts so that Shaw was never left alone.
But it had been a tough forty-eight hours and he was glad they were out the other side.
For the moment.
Shaw’s gaze was clearer and he was no longer trying to hurt himself.
That didn’t mean they could take their eyes off him. Duncan had to work yesterday, but after this scan he had a few days off. Which would free the two of them up.
“Come on,” Eli said. “The two of you need to socialize more. There is nothing wrong with the diner.”
After breakfast, Eli wanted to stop by the sheriff’s office to talk to Jake. He felt terrible that he hadn’t called or left a message for Arabella about breakfast, but they’d lost track of time. Since then, his calls to Arabella had gone to voicemail and the only answer he’d gotten to his messages was very brief and to the point.
Jake said he’d talked to her and that she was all right, but the bastard wouldn’t tell him anything else.
It worried Eli that he hadn’t heard from her. What if she was ill? Hurt?
That was it. As soon as they had breakfast he was going to put some pressure on Jake and if he wouldn’t help, Eli would have to get Kellan to track her down.
Walking into the diner, Eli glanced around for a free table. There were several since it was still so early.
As they walked over to a booth, he stilled.
There she was.
Sitting in a booth, calmly sipping on a coffee.
Thank God. Relief hit him hard. Then it quickly morphed into anger. Why hadn’t she replied to his messages?
“Eli,” Kellan warned as he stormed toward her.
“What’s going on?” Shaw asked.
“Eli is about to lose his mind,” Kellan said with a sigh.
“He is? Why?” Shaw asked.
Eli ignored them both and placed his hands gently down on the table, leaning over. Arabella glanced up, looking startled.
The fatigue on her face was quickly replaced by a haughty mask. Her eyebrows rose slowly as though she was asking him what his problem was.
