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And in their earlier texts this morning, they'd planned a night out, Drew read between the lines.
No worries. Go have a good time with Tess.
You're sure?
Positive.
Hopefully, I'll be back in time for us to do something.
Drew grinned.
I'll be looking forward to it.
He added a googly-eyed emoji.
Me too.
Glad she felt the same way, Drew inserted a smiley face with heart eyes, but not wanting to read too much into her response, he deleted it. Still, he needed to close with something. He typed several things, erased them, and then just went with:
Be safe and have fun
He added red and green hearts.
God, he felt like a freaking teenager again.
Shaking his head in derision, Drew tossed his phone on the console and peeled off the coveralls he wore to protect his clothes. Since Hope was off with Tess for what could be a few hours or an all-day excursion, he slid behind the wheel and headed in the direction of the main house.
He was getting out of the truck when his father intercepted him. "What's up?" Eli asked.
"Hope is shopping with Tess, so I thought maybe I could persuade my lovely mother to invite me to lunch."
"I have a better idea. Why not let your old man take you into town for a bite to eat?" Eli countered.
"Shouldn't I offer to take you to lunch?"
"Whatever works." Eli rounded the hood of Drew's truck. "You drive."
"Aren't you gonna tell Mama you're leaving?"
"It was her idea. In fact, I was just about to text you when you pulled up to the house."
Not sure what was going on with his father, Drew simply nodded. "Oh-kay."
"What'd'ya say we go to The Finish Line?" Eli suggested, referring to Beaumont's hometown version of a sports bar and grill.
"Sounds good to me."
Once inside, the hostess guided them to a booth to the left of the horseshoe-shaped bar. At least a dozen TVs were anchored to the walls, each playing a different athletic event or sports commentary channel. For a Monday, Drew was surprised to find almost every table and booth, as well as most seats at the bar, fully occupied.
After a quick perusal of the menu, they gave their order to the perky brunette who introduced herself as Adrienne. Both Drew and his father opted for quarter-pound cheeseburgers, fries, and an appetizer of fried pickles. Since he might be summoned for more calls later, Drew settled for an iced tea. His dad ordered a beer.
"Looks like they're doing a roaring business," Drew commented as the waitress set their drinks in front of them.
"Yeah, it's like this almost any time Earl and I come for lunch," Eli concurred, speaking of his law partner and brother-in-law, Earl Palmer. "Or when your Mama will let me bring her so she doesn't have to cook."
"Still hard to get her to go out, huh?"
"She can be stubborn as a mule sometimes." Eli tipped the bottle to his lips and drank. "But I will say she's more agreeable to the idea lately. Usually after a full day with the boys."
