Page 97 of The Long Way Home
Rhett takes a sip of his drink. “Glad she’s still in. Wouldn’t feel right without her.”
Connor looks at me next. “Rach, are you bringing Ben?”
“Oh, uh, no. Ben isn’t coming,” I answer, suddenly desperate for that beer.
Thankfully, Wes changes the topic before anyone can ask me why. “So, what’s the plan for Friday? Y’all leaving early?”
Anderson nods. “Trying to. We want to beat the traffic. If we leave around eight, we should get there by noon, depending on stops.”
The waitress drops off the fresh round of beers, and I snag one quickly.
“I’ll probably leave closer to lunch,” I say, taking a long sip. “Still figuring out if I’m going straight from work or taking the day off.”
“You should take it off,” Margo says, sliding into the seat next to Anderson. “It’s not like you won’t work enough next week to make up for it.”
I shrug. “Yeah, we’ll see.”
“I call dibs on a bed that isn’t a twin.” Connor grins.
“You’re not getting the master,” Rhett cuts in. “I know what you’re trying to pull.”
“I just don’t want to wake up with back pain,” Connor says. “Some of us have real jobs, man.”
Rhett looks at him. “We have the same job.”
“It’s not that fancy. But it’s got a dock and enough space for all of us.” Margo just offers a small smile.
Rhett leans back in the booth and shoots me a look. “I’ve always had a good time at that house.”
“Then we need to make this weekend a good one,” Anderson says. “Everyone just relax. No bullshit. No drama.”
“Don’t jinx it,” Margo mutters.
“I’m serious,” he says. “We all need a break.”
The server brings a round of appetizers. Plates get passed, hands reach across the table. The noise rises again, easy and familiar. It’s what I wanted tonight. Something simple and normal.
Margo leans back with her glass of wine, glancing around the table. “Okay, before we get too tipsy, let’s discuss sleeping arrangements.”
Connor wipes buffalo sauce off his fingers with a napkin. “We’re doing that now?”
“Yes, because I don’t want someone to end up pissed about sleeping on the pull-out couch,” she says.
We all nod in agreement.
“I think you could assign me to the floor and I’d be happy to just be getting out of town,” I say flatly.
Margo cuts in, lifting her phone and pulling up a note. “Okay, here’s what we’ve got. There are four real bedrooms. The master is Anderson and me. Duh.”
“Obviously,” Rhett mutters in agreement.
She keeps going. “Slone and Lexi are sharing the upstairs room with the two twins. They’re driving up with us on Friday morning. Connor and Wes get the one downstairs with the full bed.”
Connor raises an eyebrow. “We’re bunking together?”
“Unless you want the pullout couch in the den,” Margo replies, not missing a beat.
Wes snorts. “Nah, I’ll take the full bed. I’ve shared smaller beds with worse company.”
