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“I think we’re good for now. Thank you,” Lucien says politely.
“I’ll be back with that syrup in a jiffy,” she tells me with a wink. It makes me want to scoot closer to Raven so she doesn’t get any bad ideas. “I’m Cindy if you need me.”
When she is out of earshot, Eli hits me under the table, “I think she likes you.”
“Dude, she’s old enough to be my grandma. Besides, Raven is the only one I need,” I say as I take a sip of my water.
“Some guys dig older women,” he jokes.
“And some women like older men,” Lucien says, winking at Raven.
The diner door opens and in walk two older men arguing. From the camo outfits to the mud-crusted boots, I think we found the jackpot.
“I knew I’d see you two back here. Slow day?” Cindy calls out as she pours two fresh mugs of coffee and puts them on the counter for them. Thankfully, they’re only a few feet away.
She sweeps back by with the syrup but I guess I’m old news now that she’s got two new guests to flirt with.
“Aw, too bad, she is into older men,” Raven fake pouts for me. From the slight annoyance in her tone, I don’t think she likes anyone flirting with us.
Lucien’s phone beeps and he pulls it out, frowning down at it. “Duty calls. I’ll have to head back when we’re done here. The professor that was covering my shift had a family emergency so they need me back.”
“But you took vacation days,” Raven protests. The panic there is understandable. We’ve been through hell and back multiple times. We’ve barely figured out these shared dreams, where Pandora is, or who this killer ghost is that now has us on his radar.
“I’m sorry,” he sighs. “They have no more coverage. It’s a small college.”
“Dad’s been bugging me to check some reports, I’ll need to head back to town at some point tonight. We don’t exactly have wifi on the farm,” Eli says with a sigh. “Poor Jayce has been confined to hotspots.”
Raven isn’t happy but she takes her anger out on her sausage, stabbing it aggressively and taking a bite that looks far more nefarious than she likely intended. This clearly isn’t how she saw the day panning out.
“Watch and learn, babe, I’ll get what we need then you and Jayce can come up with some ideas for the farm or do some research or something,” Eli says with a grin. He stands up and walks over to the counter, leaning on it next to the hunters.
“Successful day?” Eli asks as he glances out the window as if checking for evidence of their kills.
“Not for both of us,” one teases the other. “There’s no beating a solid rifle.”
“Oh, my pops passed his down to me. We spent every hunting season out in the woods. I miss it. We just moved here, so I might get back into it now. Not much hunting in the city,” Eli says in fake exasperation. But the talkative old man buys it.
“I wish my good for nothin’ grandson would join me. He’s too busy shooting video games instead of deer,” he scoffs. “Larry, here, has the better hunting kids.”
“I did,” Larry agrees. “Until college. They’ll be back eventually, though.”
“True, true,” the other man says.
“You know, I had an uncle who would hunt with us, but he only used bows. I couldn’t get into them,” Eli adds with a shake of his head.
“I’m a gunman myself,” one of the men says with a dismissive wave of his hand. “We’ve never gone as crazy as Daniel used to. That old man is the only reason the hunting shop even sells arrows. I bet he’s one of the last few. Especially without it being a fancy crossbow or something.”
“I can’t believe anyone sells them either,” Eli laughs at that. It sounds believable, I’m a bit impressed with his acting skills at this point. I know for a fact he’s never gone hunting a day in his life. “Where is that shop? I may have them look at my pop’s gun, see if we can fix it up.”
“Oh, it’s out of town about three miles, follow Johnson Creek Lane then hang left at the river,” he says before Cindy comes back with their food.
“Thanks. Have a good breakfast, you guys earned it,” Eli calls out as he pats the man on his shoulder and walks away. The cocky grin on his face is well deserved this time at least. We not only have a potential name, but a shop to investigate if all else fails.
“Good job,” Raven says semi-reluctantly. “I’m still sad we all have to split up. Is it so much to ask in our adult lives to be us just existing together like this all the time?”
“You’d go crazy if you were stuck with us all of the time. Plus, you have your jewelry, you guys have a business,” Lucien points out. “What we really just need is a clue so we can move on. We need something of Pandora’s to pop up. Honestly, that’s the missing piece. Even with her journal.”
“I think I am getting frustr—” Raven’s words cut off as a thud echoes through the diner, quieting everyone at once. Lucien moves fast, snatching the item off of the table and slyly elbowing over his drink.
