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“We should go out,” Sawyer said, maybe a little too loud, a tad too desperate, but it stopped Luke in his tracks.
“Out?”
“Like to dinner. You know, and actually catch up, or something…”
Sawyer’s resolve was fading with every word because, good God, could Luke not look enthusiastic aboutanything?
“There aren’t any five-star restaurants around here, sorry,” Luke said.
For the first time since he’d walked into the kitchen, Sawyer felt the potential brewings for a proper fight. He took a deep breath through his nose and let it out, refusing to be angry and refusing to get shoved back all the way to square one.
“I figured. Willow Ridge hasn’t changed that much. Wherever you guys go is good, we could go there? We can actually sit down and… you know, talk.”
Luke didn’t seem all that thrilled with the idea, and Sawyer was kind of already regretting suggesting it, but they were both too stubborn for their own good andfinallyLuke visibly caved.
“Back Creek Diner. Sandy’s parents own the place, but they’re retiring soon and Sandy’s basically already running it herself. She’s working there tonight actually.”
“Great!” Sawyer said before either of them could back out. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Yeah, well, both of us better wash up before we go or Sandy will kick us out.”
Sawyer looked down at himself, covered in dirt, dust and grass stains and had to agree with Luke. He looked like a mess. He was going to say just that, but when he looked back up Luke had disappeared.
Sawyer was trying his best, coming back here to help repair the place for sale, but he was starting to wonder if Luke would have preferred it if he hadn’t even bothered.
Back Creek Diner was simply named that because it was located on the corner of Back Creek Road, even though said creek was long gone and potentially never existed, no one was quite sure.
The brothers had driven separately, which, in retrospect, was kind of stupid; Sawyer knew that. But going out to dinner together was already a huge step. They didn’t need to spend the entire drive into town in even more awkward silence. And the only escape route from a truck going full speed along a dirt road was out the door, which wouldn’t do either of them any good. At least at the diner they could make excuses and go to the bathroom or something.
Sawyer had obviously gotten used to the city nightlife, because driving through Willow Ridge past seven p.m. was a mildly creepy experience. Everything was shut tight and no lights were on except a few scattered street lights with aging bulbs that flickered half the time. Mostly it was how quiet it was here. In his apartment in Houston, silence just didn’t exist. If you cracked open a window you could hear the street life below, partygoers and music, shouting, sirens, traffic, bouts of laughter… Stepping out into the parking lot of Back Creek Diner, the only noisecame from inside the building. Everything else around them was quiet: the hum of crickets, the rustle of leaves, and that was it.
“What are you looking at?” Luke asked, jumping out of his truck and watching Sawyer peer out into the dark.
“Just listening. It’s so quiet out here.”
Luke nodded, for once not giving Sawyer that look like he was an escaped science experiment.
“I don’t know how you do it,” Luke said. “Live around all that noise. It would drive me crazy.”
“Drove me crazy at first. But it’s like anything. I guess. I just had to get used to it. Had to be in Houston for work, so not much of a choice, really.”
Luke nodded again, looking out into the peaceful darkness alongside Sawyer, and his hopes for the success of this dinner together rose significantly. This could actually be considered a proper conversation. That was something definitely worth celebrating.
Boot heels on the tarmac made them both turn to find Josie, the girl he’d worked with at the ranch, walking out of the diner, keys in hand, and Sawyer realized one of the trucks parked towards the corner was hers.
“Hey!” he said, pleased to see her, raising a hand in greeting. She gave him a tightlipped smile before opening her truck and rummaging around for something.
Sawyer let his hand drop and noticed as Luke, who’d always been terrible at hiding his thoughts, shuffled his feet and avoided eye contact with him. So much for being a successful get-together. Had Luke said something to Josie behind his back?It was a bit rich, considering Luke himself had said he only knew what the tabloids told him. Sawyer decided to play dumb and act like he’d done nothing wrong, which hehadn’t.
“Lost something?” he said, wandering over to Josie’s truck as she shut the door with an annoyed huff. He could see now that she was wearing a diner uniform shirt with a denim skirt and her boots.
“I left my name tag at home, but everyone knows me anyways, so it’s not a big deal. It’s just weird working without it.” She shrugged as she stuffed her keys back into her pocket, not bothering to lock her truck. Crime rates really must still be nonexistent here, then…
“I thought you worked at the ranch?” Sawyer asked.
“I work two jobs. I’m here most evenings and at the ranch during the day.”
The bubbly, upbeat person he’d met earlier seemed to have vanished as she looked at him with a new air of cool detachment. But… she was also giving Luke the same look, maybe even colder. Actually, she and Luke seemed to be having a silent conversation right in front of him. Sawyer smothered a sigh. Small-town politics was something hedefinitelyhadn’t missed.
