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“I’m not a long hair kind of guy.”
“Dom doesn’t have long hair. It’s just longer than yours, which isn’t a tough feat.”
Chet took another bite of croissant and settled back in his chair. The air was crisp and cool, but the sun was out and he tilted his face toward it. Dottie did the same. He had moved to Silver Bay to have a fresh start, get out from under some of the pressures that came with being Winchester Augustine Endicott. Yeah. It wasn’t a name he dared share with anyone. And not because he’d been teased about it his whole life.
After he’d moved though, he did truly miss his family, especially his siblings. He’d been happy when Eva announced she wanted to move to Silver Bay, too. Their weekly coffee dates were when he could sit and hear about her life, or they couldbanter about something as pointless as the color or texture of hair.
He smiled, the warmth of the food and coffee settling in his stomach as the warmth of the sunshine hit his face.
“What are you grinning about?”
Chet’s eyes were closed. “Nothing.”
“Did you get a voice mail from Mom yet?”
That got his attention. He opened his eyes and looked at his sister. “No. Why?” Since it was his day off, he had left his phone at home. He hated the damn thing and loved not carrying it.
“I swear that if it weren’t for me and Angelica, you boys would have no clue what’s happening in the family. Or the world at large, for that matter.”
Chet didn’t argue. He and Dominic were the oldest, then Eva and then Angelica. Now that Eva lived near Chet, and Angelica lived closer to Dominic and saw him more, the two sisters kept the brothers in the know. Which was probably why Chet knew he could leave his phone at home more often than not.
“Well, what did Mom say?”
“She wants to do a family phone call soon.”
“Is everything okay?” Chet took another sip of coffee. The croissant was gone and he considered getting another. Not wanting to run more to work it off won out though, and he settled into his chair with his coffee mug.
“I think so.”
Family calls weren’t uncommon, so Chet wasn’t sure why his mind had jumped to wondering if something was wrong. It was probably guilt eating at him for not staying in touch with his mom as much as he’d promised.
He and his siblings got along and spoke regularly. But his parents were another story. They’d put expectations on each of their children, some that they lived up to and others they didn’t. Much like any family, it was complicated.
“I’ll text her when I get home.”
Eva nodded. “As usual, she gave us three time options for a call.”
He smiled at that. His mother, the consummate planner.
“Any other plans for your day off?” Eva asked casually.
Chet looked at his sister, not taken in by her innocent tone.
“Maybe you’ll,” she continued, “I don’t know, grab a burger later at the diner?”
It wasn’t a secret between them that he was intrigued with Meg, but he still found it annoying how well Eva knew him.
“I’m your sister. I can read you like a book.”
And there it was. Her mind-reading skills.
His thoughts returned to that morning, how Meg ran at a relaxed pace, so different from how she moved through life. Most other times, it was as if she wore armor. She moved with a mission in mind. Defensive. Ready.
When she ran, she chilled out. Her shoulders relaxed. No armor, just her. If only he could get her to talk to him while she was in that state of mind.
He sat up, an idea forming.
“I should say, I canusuallyread you like a book, but right now I’m at a loss. What’s on your mind, brother? I’m curious. Especially since it’s right after I mentioned the diner.”
