Braxton
How about we just go for a burger? The diner shouldn’t be too busy.
Nick
Meet you there in five.
I won’t be surprised if his five actually means three, so I throw the phone down and hustle into the bedroom, finding a clean shirt and spraying some deodorant on. This way, I can at least pretend I showered.
I walk into Hal’s Eatery just in time to catch Nick claiming a booth, but I cast a cursory glance around anyway, freezing when a familiar laugh rises above the rest of the chatter. I don’t want to look, knowing it’ll only hurt…but I’m too hungry for the sight of her not to.
It takes less than a second to clock Gracie, sitting in a booth at the other end of the diner from Nick. She’s facing toward me, but going off the head of dirty blond hair across from her, I know she’s with Nolan. And her eyes are gleaming with humor—a sight I haven’t seen in too long.
Before she catches sight of me, I turn away, practically jogging across the restaurant, diving into Nick’s booth and ducking down.
Luckily, Nick’s facing Gracie’s table, his eyes flicking between her and where I’m huddling down against the vinyl seat. “The fuck are you doing?” he demands.
I smile, but it feels more like a grimace. “She’s happy,” I explain shortly. “She sees me, and that will disappear like that—” I snap my fingers. “So just pretend I’m not here and let her be happy.”
Nick gives me a long look, like he thinks I’m a fewcrayons short of a box. “Braxton, we can go somewhere else.”
“No,” I say urgently, the skin over my face feeling too tight. “It’s fine. Let’s just order, okay?”
Almost like I summoned him, one of the servers, Chet, appears at the end of our table, only giving my hunched-over position a disinterested look before pulling out his pad. “Hey, guys, you know what you want?”
Nick gives me one last look before shaking his head, focusing on Chet. “Yeah, can I have the blue cheese and beef burger? And an iced tea, please.”
He writes it down, before looking at me, questioning. I give him a tight smile. “I’ll have the daily special burger.”
Chet lifts an eyebrow. “You wanna know what it is?”
I shake my head. “Nope. As long as it’s not vegetarian, it’s all good. Just need my carbs and protein.” I laugh a little too loudly, my cheeks flushing when Chet just gives me a blank look. “And a soda. I’ll have a cola, please.”
“No sweat.” He gives me one last look before moving away. “I’ll be back.”
“Jesus,” Nick mutters with a chuckle. “You can bet your ass Chet is hoping the place never burns down. With a first responder like you…he’s fucked.”
“Shut up,” I grumble. “I can handle a fire.”
That just makes Nick laugh harder. “Right. It’s just women you don’t know what to do with. You’re acting worse than you did in high school.”
I ignore him, shifting into a more comfortable position that still keeps my head below the top of the booth. The diner is known for its quick service, and Chet proves why, sliding our plates and drinks in front of us less than ten minutes later.
“You’ve got the mushroom Swiss burger, Braxton,” Chet informs me, setting two wrapped sets of cutlery down. “Enjoy.”
I don’t hesitate to pick my burger up, the toasted bun warm on my fingertips. My mouth waters as the smell of seared beef and earthy mushrooms reaches me before I take a massive bite.
“Fuck, that’s good,” I say after I swallow. Nick’s on his second bite, his focus completely on his food. I watch him for a beat before asking, “You alright, Nick? I’ve barely seen you the last couple of weeks.”
His brown eyes flick up to me as he takes another bite, chewing and swallowing before answering, “Life is a bit of a mess right now,” he admits. “Mom and Dad have been arguing a lot over everything that’s happened with Paisley, and it feels like I’m walking a tightrope over World War III.”
I sit back, setting my burger on my plate. “Is this my fault?” I wonder, and Nick shakes his head vehemently.
“Paisley is in Mom’s ear, and I think she has been for a while.” Nick frowns, looking away. “I’m trying to stay out of it, but Mom’s trying to convince Paisley to come home.”
My next bite is a little harder to swallow, everything in me revolting against the idea of her coming back. I hate it, but at the same time, I feel like I’m partially responsible for tearing Nick’s family apart.
“Do you think she will?” I finally choke out.
