Page 41 of Havenfall Harbor
“It’s fine, whatever he wants.” I smile at Jacob.
“Anyone else?” the waitress inquires.
“I’ll have dry toast, sourdough if you have it, if not white is fine,” I tell her, and fold the menu back up.
Evan lifts his eyes from his menu and stares at me. “Double bacon cheeseburger and fries with a side of potato skins and ranch. That’s it.” He dismisses the waitress before she can ask Griffin if he wants anything. “Dry toast?” he questions as soon as she leaves the table.
“I’m not that hungry anymore.” I look away from him. It’s the truth, but I don’t want to talk about it. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Evan slowly turn his head and glare at Griffin.
Choosing to ignore them, I pull my phone out of my bag and check my emails. It’s all garbage, but I spend a few minutes reading and deleting them just to pass the time.
“Lumberjack, burger, and toast. I’ll be right back with your skins, anything else?” The waitress sets her hands on her hips and looks around the table.
“Just the ranch.” Evan flips the top bun off his burger and onto the fries before reaching for the ketchup and mustard.
“Ranch,” the girl repeats, and heads back to the kitchen area.
I reach for the little tray holding the tiny packets of jelly and pull it over. It’s mostly strawberry, but I find two orange marmalades near the bottom. When the waitress returns with the potato skins, Griffin snaps, “We’ll take the check.”
I manage to eat a full piece of bread while Jacob pretty much cleans his plate. The kid was shoveling it in so fast I almost felt like reminding him to breathe.
I drop a twenty on the table and push my untouched bread over to Jacob before rising from my chair. “I’ll be right back.” Jacob comes to his feet next to me. His eyes wide.
I pat his shoulder. “It’s fine. I’ll be right back,” I promise again.
Jacob lowers himself back down, and when I turn, Evan is now standing. I hitch my bag higher up on my shoulder. “Does anyone want anything from next door?” I pick up the discarded tea Griffin gave me and push in my chair. I’m an adult. I don’t need anyone to escort me.
“I’ll get whatever you need,” Evan offers.
“No, sit, eat. I’ll be right back.” I don’t wait for his response before walking away. I dump the full tea into a trash bin on my way over to the store. Petty, yes. Worth it? Definitely.
The coolers are lined with drinks. I pick up a ginger ale to help settle my stomach and grab a Coke for Jacob before heading to the register. When I get back to the diner, the guys are all standing near the door, waiting for me.
“Ready?” Evan asks as he props the door open.
I exit with a nod and a quick, “Thank you.” The rear passenger door opens freely as I climb into the seat I vacated. Griffin takes the seat in front of me, leaving the back for Jacob. He tosses his bag on the floorboard and drops into the seat with his hand covering his belly.
“Eat too much?” I grin while twisting off the cap to my ginger ale.
“Maybe, but it was so worth it.” He lets out a small belch.
“Here, I got you this.” I hand over the cold soda. Jacob takes it from me, his eyes trained on the bottle. “I thought you might want something to drink later.”
Griffin looks over his shoulder, spying the bottle, then faces the front without saying anything.
“Thanks, Quinn.” Jacob’s voice is small, but his tone is sincere.
“You’re welcome.” I let my eyes roam over his face, he and Riley look so much alike. “Your sister is going to be so happy.”
A smile blooms on Jacob’s face at my words, but it falls away quickly. He reaches up and runs his finger along the bruise on his cheek. “She’s gonna be pretty mad at me too,” he admits.
“Why would she be mad?” I tilt to the side as Evan makes a right turn, taking us back to the airport.
“I promised I’d stay away from Thomas, but he found me at the barn one day.” Jacob looks out the window. His shoulders are slumped forward.
“She’ll be too happy to be mad, you’ll see.” I give his hand a little squeeze of reassurance, positive I’m right. The next several minutes pass in relative silence.
As the car slows to make the turn into the airport, my stomach cramps up. I know it’s nerves, so I do what I can to ignore it and focus on how happy Jacob will be to be back with Riley.
