Page 62 of Make it a Double

Sawyer mumbled her agreement, slipping in on the other side of Olivia. I followed after, picking up one of the menus and passing it over. “Oh, I don’t need it,” she said sheepishly. “I get the same thing every time.”

“Ah.” I took it back. “Well, maybe you could help me?”

Sawyer rolled her eyes. “It’s a menu. Do you not know how to read?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know what’s good.”

Just then, an older woman came strolling up with three milkshakes and a basket of something that looked like fried batter-covered coins, but I couldn’t be sure. Her gray hair was spun into a neat, tight bun at the top of her head. “Most of these recipes are older than I am. Trust me. Everything’s good.” She looked at Sawyer and smiled. “Hiya, honey. What can I get you to drink?”

“A Diet Coke, please,” Sawyer said, tucking her hands into her sleeves.

“And I’m assuming you want the regular?”

Sawyer nodded, beaming. “Yes, ma’am.”

The woman groaned. “How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? Ma’am is for old bitties, and do I look like one?” She turned to me. “What about you, hotshot? Do you know what you want?”

Hotshot? I wasn’t sure where the name came from, but I was terrified to ask. “I’ll take a Diet Coke as well.” I turned to her, giving her my best smile. “What do you recommend to newcomers?”

The woman lit up at my question. “Mama’s Burger. It’s a classic, and you can’t go wrong with a classic.”

I wouldn’t have argued with her even if she said liver and onions—though I would have a tough time convincing everyone I wasn’t hungry by the time it came. “Let’s go with that then.”

The woman nodded and grabbed the menus before dashing off to place our order. The girls dug into their milkshakes as Olivia slid the third between her and Duke, sticking in two straws for them to share. I should’ve looked away as their eyes met, heads lowering to take their first sip. He whispered something in her ear that made her laugh.

Suddenly, that familiar ache was back. I found myself rubbing my chest, attempting to clear it up. This discomfort wasn’t caused by a physical blow, but rather by seeing two people who were disgustingly, blissfully, in love. They deserved happiness, but didn’t I? Or had I not earned that yet? Did I need to atone for more of my father’s sins in order to see a speck of good fortune sprinkled my way?

“So, Beckett,” Olivia said, placing her hands on the table. “I know it’s bad manners to talk business at the dinner table, but I’m curious… What have you found out about our little predicament?”

I blew out a breath. Admittedly, I hadn’t been as focused on the situation at the bar as much as I should’ve been. In my defense, finding out your former one night stand was five months pregnant really throws a wrench in your plans. However, I wasn’t completely useless.

“Well, I can certainly see how easily my father was able to get Richard Cochran under his thumb. The man is in debt up to his eyeballs. Or at least he was until Montgomery Holdings stepped in to help encourage him to make better choices,” I said. “I’ll be honest… It will be hard to dissuade him with the amount of money I assume he’s receiving under the table.”

“But not impossible,” Olivia said. It wasn’t a question. No, she didn’t strike me as the type of woman to give up when the going got tough. She was, however, realistic. I appreciated that about her.

“Correct. We’ll have to approach from a different angle. I have a meeting scheduled with him next week. He thinks I’m coming on behalf of my father, which means he’ll be more willing to talk.”

Sawyer’s gaze burned a hole through me as she tried to decipher my meaning. We hadn’t technically talked about what I was doing in Pinecrest, having gotten caught up working through the pregnancy details.

Duke pursed his lips. “I don’t like lying.”

“It isn’t, and I’m not. Technically, as far as he and my father are concerned, I’m an agent of Montgomery Holdings. But neither of them needs to know what I’m doing on the side until we’re prepared to fight back. We can’t risk them countering our plans just yet,” I said, leaning back as our waitress dropped off our drinks. Duke stared at the table, caught in some faraway thought I was sure included kicking my ass out of his bar and his life for good. “I know you don’t trust me. I can see it in your eyes. But if this is going to work, I need you to have a little faith.”

“You’re right,” he grunted. “I don’t trust you. It makes me worry that you’re going to fuck us over somehow.” Duke and Olivia shared a look, something passing between them. Even knowing the truth, it still stung. It wasn’t until his next words that I realized how badly I wanted his approval. “But I also know we can’t do this on our own. And if we’re going to fight fire with fire, we need as much gasoline as we can muster.”

I nodded. It wasn’t his approval, per se, but it was better than him telling me to go kick rocks. Sawyer glanced between the three of us, brows drawn in tight. The crease between them deepened the longer her wheels turned. I wasn’t sure how much she knew or if it was even my place to say something, but if she asked… I’d tell her everything. I had nothing to hide from her.

“I’ll earn your trust,” I said, glancing between the couple across from me. “Both of yours. I promise I won’t let you down.”

Duke settled back into the booth and slung an arm around his wife. The corner of his lips twitched ever so slightly. “I’ll hold you to that.”

By the time we finished lunch, we’d spent over an hour settling into pleasant conversation. I learned all about the history of Frank’s and how it had belonged to an eccentric old man, its namesake, before his death. It was funny, in a weird roundabout way, it had connected Duke and Olivia without them even realizing it.

But my favorite part was learning countless little things about Sawyer that I never knew. Some were silly, stupid quirks, like how she liked to alternate dipping her fries in ranch and then ketchup. Or how she never finished a drink before ordering a new one—apparently, it tasted flat to her. I filed each new fact in my mind, tucking them away for safekeeping.

Now that she was fed and sated, there was a warm blush on Sawyer’s cheeks. She was completely in her element here, laughing with her friends who might as well have been family. I hadn't seen her this comfortable since the night we met, and I soared with pride knowing she was finally able to relax around me. My arm was slung over the back of the booth, and she was tucked against me. It wasn’t a cuddle, but it was the closest thing we’d gotten to it. If my hand slipped down two inches, I could pull her closer, but I refrained from touching. Instead, we both watched as Harper and Charlie ran up to the counter to pay for the meal with my card. Duke had fought me on it, but I’d insisted. It seemed like the least I could do.

When they clambered back, we all scooted out of the booth and headed for the door. Sawyer hung behind with Olivia as I walked in step with Duke. There was something I wanted to ask him, though I wasn’t sure how he would take it.