I crack a grin at him and shrug. “It’s my best bet.”
“Well, a late dinner is usually fun enough around here. You can hang out with us for the rest of the night while you wait for the car to leave your place if you want,” Bensen says as he drops his arm from the booth and lets it land on my shoulders. His hand is as warm as his grin. He has the softest brown eyes and short brown hair.
I clutch my mug and take a long sip before looking back up at them. “I might actually take you up on that.”
The waitress comes back out of the swinging doors that lead to the kitchen and approaches us with four more mugs. She gives me another once-over and scrunches her brows. “You guys know her?” Her voice is cold and distant, like she wants me out of her diner right this second.
Taylor smiles and shrugs. “She’s our newfriendvisiting from the city.” He caresses his finger against my knee. My thighs rub together before I can consciously stop it. He notices and lets a small chuckle slip.
Come on, Briar, you don’t need strangers stirring things up for you in town already.
The waitress—Lana, her name tag indicates—narrows her eyes at him as she hands out their mugs, slowly filling them with coffee before dropping a menu. Her eyes linger the longest on John. “Just don’t cause any problems for me tonight, okay?” she mutters stiffly before heading back to the kitchen. Well, that validates my suspicion of them being menaces.
“She’s friendly,” I whisper, letting my gaze shift toward the menu across the table. My stomach growls, and everyone looks at me before they share a laugh.
“Yeah, she’s usually not this grumpy,” Gale says as he slides the menu toward me. I take it and flip through. It’s all breakfast, so I settle on pancakes. The nostalgia of them makes me feel a bit more at home. “She’s usually not on the night shift—her coworker normally is.”
“Yeah, she’s not keen on tourists either,” Bensen adds.
My attention flicks to John, who’s looking toward the counter where Lana is cleaning with a washcloth.They must be seeing one another.I internally pout. One thing I definitely don’t need right out of the gates is drama. John is off the table if I want to be able to eat here often. It’s close to the farm, so it might be a regular spot if the food is decent.
Benson takes the menu from me and hands it to John. “So do you have family out here or something?” Bensen asks as he sips on his coffee. The bitter scent is comforting. I let my guard down a little; these men don’t seem like they’re crooked. At least not in my definition of the word.
Crooked is Callum.
“Yeah. Well, at least I did. He passed away recently, so I’m just here to take care of his estate.” I stare down at the mug between my hands and take in the silence that’s shared around me.
Everyone is always so quiet when death is mentioned. I get it, but at the same time, I don’t. I’ve been around it my entire life and at some point, you become desensitized to it all. I feel like I’m always watching how others react and trying to blend in by matching my expressions to theirs. “We didn’t really know one another, so…” I add gracelessly.
I’m no stranger to being labeled bad or weird for feeling nothing about having no family. It’s all I’ve ever known.
“I’m sorry, Briar. That sucks.” Taylor’s voice is low. Another beat of silence.
John clears his throat. “What are you ordering? Want to chill with us after this, until morning? We have a pretty sweet hangout on the outskirts of town.”
I force a smile at him. “I’d rather not get murdered on my first night here.”
Gale laughs and presses his hand to his chest. “Ouch. You think we’re like that, huh?” He shoots me a grin that sends butterflies through my stomach. Winning over the cold one is always a good start.
“You can never be too careful,” I say with flushed cheeks. They know how attractive they are. If I had cell service and could send a picture of their IDs to a friend, then I’d be more comfortable, but it’s best to play it safe for tonight.
“Smart girl,” Taylor coos and signals to Lana that we’re ready to order. “But we have Wi-Fi at our place, you know, if you need to check in with someone.”
My eyes light up. “Yeah, I really need to check my emails, actually.” Mr. Holland probably already sent me over some disclosures to sign, and I promised him that I’d check in once I arrived in town. Given that I don’t have cell service and that I doubt my uncle has Wi-Fi, this might be my only chance this week to check in.
John scowls. “Emails?Oh God, you care more about your work than checking in with family?”
My expression falters.Great, here comes the awkward conversation already.Might as well just rip off the Band-Aid. “I don’t have any family left… They’re all dead.”
They stiffen and share a collective grim look.
“Fuck, sorry.” John rubs the back of his neck and gives me an apologetic frown.
I shake my head. “You couldn’t have known. I’ve always been sort of on my own anyway.” My attempt at a cheerful smile must be shit because they only look more down about it.
The waitress comes back at the perfect time, disrupting the negative vibe that curtained around us, and we all order. I decide to forgo the pancakes, like I used to order with my dad, and order waffles instead.
Sitting with the group of guys makes me forget for a short time that my life sucks.
