Page 29 of Searching for Bristol
There was silence for a beat, before Art’s lips curled into a sly grin. “He’s like that, huh?” he asked.
Bristol shrugged. “I don’t know, and I definitely don’t care. We were friends—justfriends—but now I’m thinking we aren’t even that anymore.”
“Probably smart,” Otto agreed.
“It’s a good thing they’re already out of town. If they were still here, they’d be getting a pretty cold shoulder from everyone by now,” Silas muttered.
“Move over!” Sandra called from behind them, and the three men parted, giving her access to the table. “Isn’t it about time for you to get back to your stations?” she asked. “You wouldn’t want to miss the afternoon post office rush, would you?”
The three men grumbled a bit, but it was obvious they were indeed ready to get back to their routine. They said their goodbyes, and then the only people left around the booth were Rocky’s teammates and Lilly, Elsie, and Tony.
Talon pulled a couple of nearby tables closer to the booth, and everyone grabbed chairs. Rocky wasn’t upset they were all planning on joining him and Bristol. He was excited for her to get to know his friends.
Lilly took the seat closest to Bristol, Elsie beside her. Raiden took the seat next to Rocky in the booth, Duke settling in under the table at his master’s feet. The rest of the guys were scattered around the tables.
“Chicken-fried steak,” Sandra said as she pushed the plate she’d put on the table closer to Bristol. “With asparagus and mashed potatoes. Save room for my lemon meringue pie for dessert. Karen’ll be here in a moment with the rest of your meals.” Then Sandra smiled at Bristol before heading back to the kitchen.
“How does she even know what we want?” Elsie asked.
“She doesn’t,” Zeke said, smiling at his wife. “But it doesn’t matter what she brings, it’s gonna be delicious.”
“True,” Elsie agreed, then turned to Bristol. “Hi. I’m Elsie. And this is my husband, Zeke. I feel really awful that we were all on a hike when you were lost.”
“You couldn’t have known,” Bristol said easily. “And it’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you. And about your son. Hi,” she said, grinning at Tony. “Rocky told me all about how awesomeyouare.”
“He did?” the little boy asked.
“Yup.”
“He tell you that I’m gonna be a race car driver when I grow up? And a professional fisherman and firefighter?”
“Wow. No, he didn’t. But I’m thinking I should get your autograph, so when you’re famous I can say I knew you when you were a kid.”
Tony sat up straighter in his chair and beamed. “Cool!” Bristol pushed a clean napkin toward him, and Elsie chuckled as she reached into her purse and pulled out a pen. The boy carefully wrote his name on the napkin, his tongue sticking out as he concentrated. When he was done, he held it up and smiled. “It’s a little lopsided, but that’s because the napkin kept moving. But here you go!”
“Thank you,” Bristol said. “I’ll keep it forever.”
Rocky watched the exchange, not surprised that Bristol had Tony wrapped around her little finger already. He also didn’t miss the approving looks from his friends. Whether she knew it or not, she’d scored huge points with all of them.
Bristol then focused on Lilly and Elsie. “Thanks for the clothes. They were a lifesaver. Hospital gowns are the worst.”
“You’re welcome,” Lilly said with a smile. “Let us know what else you need, and we’ll be happy to get it for you.”
“Oh, no, I’m good. I mean, I don’t have a lot here, but what I do have—thanks to your generosity, and what I had with me when I came to town—should be enough to tide me over. I’ve got way too many clothes at home as it is.”
“Kingsport, right?” Drew asked. “By the way, I’m Drew.”
“Hi,” Bristol said, giving him a warm smile. “And yes, Kingsport.”
“I’m Talon. Rocky told us you’re an artist. I looked up your website and store, you’re very talented.”
“Wow, um…thanks. And yeah, my specialty is stained glass, but I also dabble in jewelry and small sculptures. I probably need to go online and update my customers about what’s going on. I put a note up that I’d be taking a short break, but didn’t say why or for how long,” Bristol mused.
“I’m sure they’ll understand,” Lilly said.
“And if they get pissy about you not being around, fuck ’em,” Brock said. “If they can’t understand your life was in danger and you were laid up because of surgery, they’re idiots.”
“That’s Brock,” Zeke said dryly. “Tell us what you really think,” he said with a shake of his head at his friend. “And…watch your language.” He gestured toward Tony. Luckily, the boy seemed to be engrossed in a book he’d laid out on the tabletop. Elsie always carried one in her purse for her son, to keep him occupied in situations like this.
