Page 46 of Finding Home
I tilt my head, attempting to hide how the nickname affects me. “Everett.”
He shakes his head and offers Lila his hand. As she slips her hand in his, I bite my lip, knowing I’ve at least won this for now. Once outside, Everett leads us down the street towards Incahoots. Incahoots serves food all day, so minors are permitted, until ten p.m. when they’re required to leave by liquor laws. As a kid, when we’d be down at the lake with friends, we’d often walk up to Incahoots and order food, taking it back with us to the lake more often than not.
Everett pulls open the door, allowing Lila and I to enter first. I lead us to my usual table in the corner, and they follow. Boyd’s behind the bar and waves as I pass him. As I’m taking off my coat to get settled, I notice Beau sitting at the bar and say to Everett, “I’ll be right back.”
He raises a brow, but I don’t answer his unspoken question before leaving and taking the stool beside Beau. Beau wraps an arm around me when he notices I’ve taken a seat.
“Hey,” I say, and he spins the bottle of beer in his hand.
“Hey.”
“What has you here at one in the afternoon enjoying a beer?”
He doesn’t respond to my question, which means it’s the one thing he won’t talk about.
“Aspen,” I whisper, and he shoots me a side-eye.
I sigh. This man is stubborn as fuck, and I know pushing him isn’t going to get him to do anything he doesn’t want to. It’s why no one was able to stop him from enlisting. I don’t push, instead, I move the conversation to the apartment. “Have you gotten settled in the apartment?”
He nods. “I’m sorry you had to move out. If I had known you were living in it, I would have found a different place somehow.”
I shake my head and place my hand on top of his and give it a squeeze. “It’s all good. I found a place.” I look at Everett and Lila past him and can’t help my small smile. “I’m happy where I’m at.”
“I’m glad. James said they should be done with the majority of the house so it’s at least liveable in a few months and then you can move back into the apartment.”
That has a rock dropping in my stomach. For some reason, the thought of moving out of Everett’s and into a place of my own doesn’t excite me, it disappoints me.
I force a smile on my face and say, “Sounds good.”
Boyd stops by and says, “Your table is waiting for you to order, Chlo.”
I nod and slide off my stool, but before leaving Beau, I say, “You’re not too late. Trust me when I say that if you seriously want a chance, you’ve got it. I want both of you to be happy.” I pat his arm. “I’m rooting for you.”
Beau stares at me, and I slide past him and rejoin Everett and Lila.
Everett seems grumpier than usual as I settle into my chair. Lila doesn’t seem to notice, too occupied by the colouring Boyd must have given her.
“I heard we’re still trying to decide on what to eat,” I say, and Lila nods.
“I want what you’re having.”
“Really?” I ask, and she nods again. “How about we each get our own thing and then we share?” I offer, and she gives it a thought, tilting her head and sticking her tongue between her lips before she finally looks up at me.
“Okay.”
I pull the menu over and ask, “What do you want?”
Lila doesn’t stop colouring, and I look up, feeling Everett’s eyes on me. He hasn’t said anything since I rejoined them, but the way he’s looking at me right now has my skin feeling like it’s on fire.
“Do they have chicken strips?” she asks.
“Yup. They’re really good. Would you share a burger with me?”
Lila nods, and I flag Boyd, who nods and finishes what he’s doing before taking our orders. We hand him the menus, and he leaves. Everett continues to brood while I talk to Lila about her colouring. After a few minutes, someone slides into the chair beside me, and I look over and grin as I notice it’s Brinley.
“I heard you were here,” she says, and I shake my head.
“Who?”
