Page 47 of Evergreen Desires
JAKE
Ding. Ding.
I wiped the sleep from my eyes, squinting at the light seeping in around the edge of the curtains. With a groan, I reached for my phone on the bedside table. "Why is Will texting me so early?"
Group Message: Beau, Jake. From Will: We HAVE to have breakfast at the diner this morning. Will be there in 10 minutes to pick you up.
The diner wasn’t my fondest memory in this town, but they did serve really good French toast. I rolled out of bed and pulled on some jeans and a shirt before heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth and tame my hair.
As I stepped out of the room, I noticed that the table lamp was still on from the night before. Normally, Beau would have turned it off when he got home. Walking down the hall, I saw Beau sitting in the recliner, fast asleep, the remote control in his hand, which was resting on his thigh. Glancing at the television and seeing it was off, I smiled. Hedidn't even manage to turn it on. He looked peaceful, no tension lines on his face.
I double-checked my phone to make sure I’d read Will's text correctly. Yep, it was sent to both of us. I looked back at Beau, debating whether to let him sleep or wake him up, especially given that it was apparent he had been avoiding me since our argument.
After another moment, I gently tapped his leg, waking him up as easily as I could. It took a few gentle nudges since he was clearly tired.Ultimately, better for me to wake him than to have Will barging in here in the next five minutes.
When he opened his eyes and saw me, he smiled, a big, instinctual grin with teeth showing.
"Hey,” I said.
"Hey," he replied, but the smile faded quickly, replaced by a fearful look. "What's wrong?" He quickly brought the recliner to its upright position and started looking around the room.
"Nothing." I put my hand on his shoulder, which he just stared at. "Will sent us a message about needing to go to the diner this morning. He should be here in just a minute."
"No, he told mespecificallyto sleep in this morning." Beau looked at the end table and reached for his phone. "What time is it?"
"About 7:30. I don't know; he just sent the text message." Beau was reading his phone, looking a little uncomfortable. I wanted to relieve the pressure he was feeling, so I turned to make my exit. "Let me go brush myteeth.” Again. “You might need to change since you fell asleep in your clothes."
Just about the time I finished in the bathroom, I heard Will burst through the front door.
"C'mon, guys!"
"I am ready," I said as I walked into the living room. I could hear the shower running upstairs. "Beau fell asleep in the chair last night and didn't read your text. I just woke him up a few minutes ago."
Will's mischievous smile cracked on his face. "Yeah, he was out late. Gave him a little bit of a reading. Then sent him to bed."
"First thing he said was that you told him to sleep in."
"Well, actually I did tell him that. BUT something has changed… Come on, Beau!" he yelled up the stairs.
"What is going on? Why are we going to the diner this morning?"
"I'm not totally sure. Mat said that we should be there this morning, early."
"Why?" Beau asked, walking down the stairs.
Gosh, he looked rough. Tired and just not his normal well-put-together self.
"I'm not sure," Will answered. "Mat said so. He called, and it was a rushed 20-second conversation. He said it would be a good day to go to the diner for breakfast. He said it would be good for the two of you as well. He specifically said 'don't dawdle.' So, let's go!"
Beau just grunted and stepped into his boots by the door, holding onto the wall to keep from falling over.Meanwhile, Will was pushing me out the front door toward the car.
***
"This is exciting," Beau grumbled, dripping with sarcasm, poking at his food with his fork.
"At least the food is good." I tried to shed a little positivity, but it clearly fell flat.
I couldn't blame Beau. Despite the pleasantries when we walked into the diner, they’d quickly faded. As we entered, Will shared a quick hug with Gwendine, the same server from my first visit. It was clear they were old friends. Even Beau managed a warm greeting. Soon, we turned into the dining room from the small lobby and caught sight of Rich sitting at the same table as before. Beau grunted, and Rich gave him a sneering look before turning his attention back to the man sitting at the table with him.
