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“I’ll have the same thing. Plus, burger and tots.”
“I know. Like you’d ever get anything different, Cade.” She stepped back with a smile. “Some things never change no matter how much time has gone by. It’s so great to see you both here, back in your booth, just like the old days.” After another knowing grin she left to put our order in without ever taking out her notebook.
“Are you okay, Cade? You look—”
I forced my expression back to neutral. “I’m fine.”
“Gah!Okay, I kicked you. I didn’t mean to do it. Cheese is my weakness, and you know that it doesn’t agree with me, Cade, jeez. I’ve felt awkward and strange since I came back to town. I’m freaking out, my deadline is approaching like a frickin’ tsunami from hell, and there isn’t enough caffeine or hours in the day left for me to finish on time. I have no excuse. I lost my cool. I’ll pay for our lunch to make it up to you and your shin.”
Without meaning to, I reached for her hands across the table, and with an equal lack of consideration, she took them, interlocking our fingers together exactly like we used to do. “Chill out. It wasn’t a kick. It was barely even a nudge.” My lips lifted in a half smile. “If I recall correctly, cheese agrees with you just fine.”
She turned bright red and stared at the table. A soft gasp left her lips as she noticed our hands locked together, then withdrew hers from my grasp. “Do not say a word.”
I chuckled. “You mean about the fart that will live forever in infamy? And the fact that cheese makes you flatulent?”
“Shh!” After a sweep around the restaurant to make sure no one heard, she turned to me. “Oh my god. Stop it!” she hissed. “I had to eat that mac and cheese, Caden, and I might regret it forever, but it was the first dinner you ever cooked for me in our own house, and I didn’t want to hurt your feelings—”
“Or have me to find out that you’re a human being who farts just like everybody else?”
She buried her face in her hands. “We were newlyweds. I wanted you to think I was dainty and cute.”
“You are dainty and cute. In fact, you’re fucking beautiful, and I can’t believe it took becoming man and wife before you would fart in front of me, Charlotte.”
Her head fell to her arms on the table as she groaned. “You cried, Cade.”
“I didn’t cry. I welled up, okay? It was a moment.” I folded my jacket and placed it in the corner as an excuse to look away from her adorably overdramatic reaction. Charlotte could be over the top sometimes and I had always loved it.
“Let’s talk about something else. Literally anything else. Please,” she mumbled into her arm.
“You got it. What brought you back to Sweetbriar?” I decided to dive right into my questions. Small talk was pointless when you knew someone as well as we had known each other.
“Straight into the deep end.” Her smiling eyes snapped to mine, and she laughed. “You haven’t changed a bit.”
I shrugged in answer, tapping my fingers on the table, stuck in the pale blue beauty of her gaze.
“I decided to finish writing my book here. And I missed my dad and brothers.”
“That’s it? You sure?”
Now she was the one to shrug in answer. It had never been this hard to get her to talk to me. It used to be the opposite; we’d lie in bed together, kissing, making love, talking for hours, sometimes until the sun came up. We’d always had something to say to each other.
I sighed as we drifted into another silence.
Savannah interrupted the quiet with our orders.
Charlotte snatched her milkshake from the table for a taste. “Oooooh, this is really good. Tell Oliver he’s amazing as usual. Um, I’m doing Vi’s next book club. You should come, Savannah.” She grabbed a cheesy tot and ate it, shooting me a mock glare as she chewed.
“You know I never miss Vi’s book club but talking about your books is going to be the best. Adaline is a total badass. Are you planning to hook her up with that new hot cop from the last book? What’s his name? Jaden Skerrit?”
Her eyes darted to mine before she answered. “I haven’t gotten far enough into my manuscript, so we’ll all have to wait and see.”
“I can’t believe you killed her husband off—RIP, poor Tim! That was the one time I wished I’d read spoilers. When I got to that chapter, I cried my eyes out. You owe me a dang beer, Charlotte.”
“Gah!I’m sorry. But I thought we were cool since you sent me that ‘Tears of my Readers’ coffee mug.”
“Ha! I bet you drink out of it every morning and cackle maniacally, don’t you?”
“I would never!” Charlotte gasped with mock offence as she steepled her fingers beneath her chin and let out a teasing evil laugh.
