Page 25 of Whiskey Chase
“Clarabell, can I have the meat lover’s omelet with white toast, extra grape jelly?” Scarlett asked, snapping the menu shut and passing it back to me. She began shoveling creamer and sugar in alarming quantities into her coffee.
“Why sure thing, sweetheart.”
“Coffee when you get the chance,” Bowie ordered. “And the eggs benedict.”
“Same,” Jonah said, handing over his menu.
“I’ll do three egg whites, the turkey bacon, and wheat toast,” I said closing the menu.
“Aren’t you gonna get a pepperoni roll?” Scarlett asked, batting her lashes at me.
“And two pepperoni rolls to go,” I added. If I still had a houseguest, I needed to feed him something for lunch.
“We’ll just hang on to this one in case anyone else in the brood shows up,” Scarlett said.
“Be right back with your coffee, Bowie,” Clarabell said. She practically sprinted back to the counter, and I could almost feel the word spreading like wildfire. Heads swiveled in our direction. Jonah focused his attention on the top of the table, fiddling with the sugar packets.
“So,” Bowie began.
“So,” Scarlett said.
“Y’all order yet?” Jameson muscled his way over and snagged an empty chair from a neighboring table putting it at the foot of our table.
Scarlett lit up. “‘Bout time,” she said. But when she thought no one else was looking, I caught her mouth the words, “Thank you.”
“So,” Jameson began.
I was starting to feel like the odd man out. This was a family matter. Blood and DNA were ranged around the table, anxious to talk history. And the McCallister in me wanted to get up and leave. My family would never discuss private matters with outsiders.
“You know, I might just see if I can get my breakfast to go—” I started.
“Hush up, Dev. We’ve got no secrets,” Scarlett insisted.
Jameson shrugged his broad shoulders. “No problems here.”
Bowie nodded his assent in the stay or go vote. “Fine by me.”
All eyes turned to Jonah. This was his first time to weigh-in on a Bodine family situation.
“It’s cool with me,” he said. The look of relief on his face told me he wasn’t keen to be left alone with his new family just yet. “Besides, you drove us.”
“Isn’t this cozy?” Gibson appeared next to Scarlett, and everyone tensed around the table. The entire diner went silent as everyone strained to hear.
Scarlett nudged the empty chair at the foot of the table at him. “Pull up a chair, Gibs.”
Gibson glanced in Jonah’s direction and looked away again.
11
Scarlett
Iheld my breath and waited for my brother to make his move. I really hoped it wouldn’t be a fist to Jonah’s face. Thankfully, my desperate prayers were answered, and Gibson grudgingly took the seat I kicked at him.
Clarabell, clairvoyant waitress that she was, arrived with a coffee for Gibson. “You boys want breakfast?” she asked Jameson and Gibson.
She took their orders—waffles for Jameson, who was as much a sugar whore as I was, and just the coffee for Gibs.
“I’m guessin’ we all have some questions for one another,” I began.
