Page 58 of Cadence
I shake my head, not bothering to fire back, and Beau huffs a laugh.
“I could destroy a triple stack right now,” Beau mutters, pulling open the door to the roadside restaurant.
“So could I,” Eli says, eyes lighting up as he follows him inside.
Grabbing the door, I step aside to let Paige through, her shoulder lightly grazing my arm in a way I think is on purpose. I join the group waiting by the hostess stand, Eli rocking on the balls of his feet, rubbing his stomach as he says wistfully, “Extra pickles, loaded fries, mozzarella sticks, and one of those milkshakes that’s basically a sugar coma in a cup.” He lets out a salacious groan, his head bobbing as he thinks. “Definitely chocolate. Wait, peanut butter. No, screw it. Both. Swirl that shit together, baby.”
“You’re disgusting,” Paige says with a scrunched nose.
“Have you evertriedit?” he calls out after her, winking as the hostess waves us forward.
We’re led to a booth in the back, one with worn-in leather seats that’ve seen years of late-night crowds. My fingers twitch with the urge to guide Paige forward, to press my hand to thesmall of her back as Beau and Eli slide in, but I curl them into a fist instead, letting her move without me.
“Your waitress will be right over,” the hostess says, setting the last menu on the table before disappearing.
Paige reaches for it at the same time I do, and our fingers brush by accident. She pulls back quickly, cheeks tinting pink as I slide the menu to her. My skin tingles, that brief contact lingering for longer than it should.
We’ve managed to go weeks without touching,but suddenly today it’s like I can’t move without grazing her.
Halfway through skimming over the types of comfort food you can practically taste just by reading, a flicker of awareness tugs at the edge of my focus. Glancing up, I kick Beau under the table.
“Look,” I murmur, nodding toward a kid staring at us from across the restaurant.
He’s small, maybe nine or ten, unruly, curly hair sticking out under aReign Cooperbeanie, his shirt hanging long, the sleeves bunched around his wrists.
He glances down, tugging at the front, stretching the fabric taut enough that I can see the logo.Ourlogo. He looks back up and stares straight into the booth, not subtle, eyes latched on Eli.
“Think we have a fan.” Beau smirks without lifting his eyes from the menu.
“Where?” Eli asks, twisting around and spotting the kid.
His features turn a deep shade of pink, straightening in his seat like he’s trying to play it cool while failing spectacularly. Especially when Eli grins and gives a big and exaggerated wave. The kid’s jaw drops, snapping shut immediately, his face lighting up. He bounces in his seat, head whipping between us and his mom, practically vibrating with excitement.
She leans in, whispers something to him, and they stand, the woman brushing her hand gently over his back, guiding him ourway. Although from the way he’s racing over, I think he’s leading her.
“Sorry to bother you,” she says. “We saw you play with Reign Cooper last night. You guys were amazing.”
“This is my favorite shirt,” he explains, tugging it down to show us. “You guys weresooogood. Especially when you played that really fast bit inFinders Keepers.”
“Oh yeah?” I ask, holding out my fist. Bumping it, he breaks away with his fingers wide like an explosion. “You like guitars, huh?”
He nods, glancing at Eli. “Yeah, but I want to play bass like you.”
“Hell yeah, little man.” Eli shuffles out of the booth and drops into a crouch. “Bring it in.”
The kid knocks his fist too like a pro.
“So, what’s your name?” Eli asks, perching on the edge of his seat.
“Cole,” he says, eyes shining. “I play drums too… Well, kinda… I’m learning.”
“I think after last night, he’s already coming up with ways to start his own band in our garage,” his mom explains as she watches the interaction with a fond smile.
“I mean, that’s how we started,” Beau says with an approving nod.
“See, Mom? I told you.”
“Hey, anyone got a Sharpie?” Eli asks, thumbing toward Cole’s too-big shirt.
