Page 17 of Wild Mistake
She pauses for a moment, then begins laughing. “Good one. I guess I don’t need to ask. We’ve got ourselves a bit of a routine.”
Her good-natured response only makes me feel bad. It’s not her fault she’s beautiful and kind. She’s exactly the kind of person Aiden should be interested in.
“I’ll be right back with your soda,” I say, slipping into the back.
Benny lifts his gaze from the grill.
“Half a turkey delight on rye with a side salad,” I say, then take a deep breath before stepping back out and filling a glass with ice and diet soda. I drop it by her table, not saying anything as she already has her face buried in a book. I remember Aiden’s check, and move to the register to cash it out.
The irritation from earlier amplifies as I lay out two twenty-dollar bills on the counter. One would have been more than sufficient. Too much, really. Instead, he left me a twenty-seven dollar tip. I stare, completely flabbergasted.
Does he think twenty-seven dollars makes up for the past?
For all the hurt he caused?
Or am I some kind of charity case to him?
That I’m too weak and pathetic to provide for my own family?
Fuck that, and fuck him.
8
AIDEN
After leaving the diner,I take a drive through town, noting the differences as well as the similarities since the last time I visited home. Not much has changed. There are a few new shops, and signs pointing to lots for sale. I consider pulling into the parking lot to a real estate office, but something holds me back. I’m not ready to buy a place. Not yet. Not with Pops’ current health.
I want this time with him, and I have zero regrets about retiring and my current schedule allowing me to do just that. But I also can’t spend every waking hour cooped up in the cabin. Pops has always been a man of few words. He valued hard work, and if he caught me and my brothers talking on the job, he was quick to separate us.
Which makes spending time with him now somewhat boring. I feel horrible thinking it, but it’s the truth. It’s not that I need much to be entertained but I’m used to moving around more. Keeping busy with my hands, and hard work. I’m used to shooting the shit with my fellow soldiers. I miss the camaraderie.
It’s why I pull into the hardware store on my way back through town. My cousin took over running the store several years ago, and he wasn’t at my brother’s party the other night. It’ll be nice to catch up.
He’s helping a customer when I walk inside, so I take my time browsing an aisle out of his line of sight before making my way to the counter. Will is ten years my senior. He and my older brother, Tim, were close growing up, and would leave Ryan and me out of the fun because we were too little. Funny how none of that matters once you reach a certain age.
I stroll up to the counter and chuckle under my breath at the display of CDs near the register. Wild Knights, Tim’s old band. His five seconds of fame. I can’t believe he still stocks them. I wonder if Tim knows. It’s kind of sweet actually.
I wait until the customer Will is helping moves out of earshot before clearing my throat. “CDs? Does anyone still listen to these?”
Will whips around. A grin spreads across his face when our eyes meet.
“Aiden!” He moves around the counter, his arms open. “I heard you were back!” He pulls me into an embrace and slaps my back. “How the hell are you?”
“Good, man. Great.” I pat his back and then step back, my own smile mirroring his. “Better now that I’m back in town. How are you? How’s Samuel?”
“Oh, you know how married life goes.” He waves me off, then laughs. “Actually, you don’t.”
I’ve never regretted my choice to join the Army. Sure, I wanted to marry Sarah with all my heart. But when it didn’t happen, I never felt the desire to go down that path with anyone else. In many ways it made my career easier not having a wife and kids. I saw how much my friends struggled when on deployment, missing important life moments, staying connected thousands of miles away, and putting themselves in harm's way when they had so much to lose.
But joking now with Will, I feel the bitter sting of what could have been. “Yeah, well, we all can’t be so lucky.”
“Lucky?” He chuckles. “He’s the lucky one. We both know I’m the catch in the relationship.”
“Yeah.” I can’t help but smile. “We missed you at Ryan’s Christmas Eve party.”
“Yeah, sorry we missed it. We drove down to spend a few days with Samuel’s family. He’ll stay there for the week. His sister and her family are visiting his mom, but I couldn’t take that many days off. Not at this time.”
“People need their lumber.”
