Page 3 of Eddie

“Matthias,” the man said. His voice was deep and a little rough, like he hadn’t used it in a while. “Everyone calls me Matt.”

“Nice to meet you, Matt.” Eddie shifted his weight from foot to foot, suddenly aware of how awkward he had to look just standing there. “Are you new to Green Hill? I haven’t seen you around.”

“Just passing through,” Matt said. “Needed to stop for coffee before I keep driving.”

Passing through. Of course he was.

Just Eddie’s luck.

MATTHIAS HAD BEEN STARING at his phone, pretending to read a text he’d already memorized, when he’d felt someone watching him.

He’d been right.

The man from the counter—Eddie, Matthias now knew—had been watching him. Matthias’s first instinct when Eddie said hi was to check behind himself to make sure Eddie wasn’t talking to someone else, but no. His dark eyes were locked on Matthias. What did he want? Matthias didn’t know, and he wasn’t sure he cared.

“Well, you picked the best coffee shop in town.” Eddie’s smile had faltered at Matt’s words, which didn’t make sense, but it returned. “Only coffee shop in town, actually, but still the best.”

Matthias huffed out a laugh. “Good to know.”

There was a pause, and Matthias tried to think of something to say. He wasn’t good at small talk with strangers, flirting, or whatever this was. He spent most of his time either working or dealing with his family’s endless crises. He didn’t have time for casual conversations with attractive men in coffee shops.

But he wanted to, especially this time. He wanted to keep talking to Eddie.

“Where are you headed?” Eddie asked, and Matthias was grateful for the lifeline.

“Picking up my sister,” he said. The thought of Jenna made his jaw clench, but he tried to keep his expression neutral. “She’s a few hours east of here. Got herself into a situation, so I’m playing rescue mission.”

“That’s nice of you,” Eddie said. “The rescue mission part, I mean. Not the situation.”

Matthias felt his lips curl into a smile despite himself. “Yeah, well. She’s my sister. What else am I gonna do?”

It was the truth, even if it sometimes felt like a burden. Jenna called, and Matthias dropped everything. That’s how it had always been. That’s how it would always be, and that went for everyone in Matt’s family.

“I get that,” Eddie said. “Family’s important.”

“Yeah.” Matthias let his gaze linger on Eddie’s face, taking in the lines around his eyes, the shadow of stubble on his jaw, and the way his hair was slightly messy like he’d rushed out the door this morning. He wanted to remember Eddie, standing here in this coffee shop, looking at Matthias like he mattered. It didn’t make sense, but Matt had learned to enjoy these little moments of happiness when he could. They didn’t happen often. “You from here?”

“Yep,” Eddie said. “Lived here my whole life. It’s a good town. Quiet, but good.”

“Seems nice,” Matthias said, even though he hadn’t seen much beyond the road he’d gotten in from and this coffee shop. He hadn’t stopped thinking about Jenna and how he was going to handle whatever mess she’d gotten herself into this time.

Eddie shifted his weight again, and Matthias realized he was running out of time. Eddie’s friends were still watching from the counter, and Matthias needed to order his coffee and get back on the road.

He didn’t want to. He wanted to stay here, talking to a stranger who made him feel like maybe the world wasn’t just an endless string of obligations. He wanted to ignore Jenna and the rest of his family and their demands.

“I should let you get back to your friends,” Matthias said, nodding toward the two men by the counter. “They’re staring.”

Eddie glanced over his shoulder, and Matthias watched his expression change. One of the men gave a thumbs-up, and Eddie’s cheeks flushed darker. It made Matthias smile. It was obvious that Eddie was close to his people in a way Matthias wasn’t close to anyone, not even his family.

Especially not them.

“Yeah, sorry about them,” Eddie said, turning back. “We’re just here picking up coffee for work. Construction crew. Big order.”

“Construction?” Matthias didn’t want the conversation to end yet. “What kind?”

“Residential, mostly. Houses, additions, renovations, that kind of thing.”

Matthias nodded. “Sounds nice.”