Chapter Twenty
CHAPTER TWENTY
NOW
brEAKFAST AT TEDDY’S ON the first morning in town has become a tradition since the girls discovered the diner during their second year here. The restaurant sits on the end of the main drag in Palm Valley, a block away from the water. The inside looks like a vintage diner, with red faux leather booths and yellow lights included. The exterior is reminiscent of a train car—long, rectangular—with blue paint and stainless steel siding. Large picture windows give you a glimpse of the inside. A large sign above the door reads Teddy’s Diner . Typically, we’d walk along the beach until we reach the access point running along the side of the restaurant, but the new house is too far, and it’s too cold to even consider it.
“Is he always so friendly?” Elijah motions toward Noah, who lags a few steps behind on his phone. Selena and Lola have gone ahead inside to look for Elizabeth and Georgie.
“He’s usually more talkative, but it’s kind of nice without his constant yammering about stocks and bonds,” I say, earning a chuckle from Elijah and Jeremy.
Noah is a decent guy, but when I say he loves to talk about his job, he loves to talk about his job. He followed in his dad’s footsteps, getting involved in the finance world, and last I heard, he was promoted to director of private equity at his firm. I still don’t know what that means; I just know he’s good with money and makes a lot of it.
Walking into the restaurant, I hold the door, but Noah motions for me to go ahead and answers a phone call. Selena waves us over to the middle of the restaurant, where they’ve secured a long table. The spot left open for me is at the end of the table, next to Elizabeth. The only other empty spot sits across from me, next to Georgie, like an elephant in the room. The waitress— BETTY, her name tag reads—appears with a tray full of drinks, including a black coffee with two sugars for me. A smile tugs on the corner of my lips when she sets it in front of me. I turn to offer my wife a smile of thanks, but she’s too engrossed in the conversation with Selena. Instead, I rest my arm on the back of her chair and squeeze her shoulder gently. And it seems as if, on instinct, she reaches over and rests her hand on my thigh under the table.
Georgie’s nose has been in her phone since we sat down. Odd. Usually, she’s yelling at everyone else to stay off their phone. She types furiously before letting out a huff and tossing her phone back into her purse. Her fingers, painted Christmas red, play with the tag of her tea bag—that’s also odd. She never drinks tea; she’s a huge coffee snob. First, water with dinner, now tea at breakfast…What’s going on?
“Hey, Lola,” I ask, catching her attention on the other side of Jeremy. “Do you want to trade places? I’m sure you guys want to have some girl talk.” She doesn’t think twice, jumping up from her seat to take mine, putting me now between Elizabeth and Jeremy, across from Elijah.
“Is it always this…tense?” Jeremy asks when the girls return to their hushed conversation, even Georgie seems to have joined in again.
“Not usually.” I sip my coffee, glancing out the window where Noah is still talking on the phone.
“I feel like there’s something we’re missing.” Elijah chuckles.
“Probably.” I shrug. Isn’t that always the case? “Welcome to the club, boys. Where we’re always two steps behind.”
The rest of breakfast is uneventful unless you count the awkwardness between Noah and Georgie. Something is seriously wrong there. Not that it’s any of my business, but they could at least try to hide it a little better if they’re going to fake it. Every once in a while, she’ll reach over and try to touch him—his hand, the back of his neck, his arm—and he pulls away. Albeit, only a little, and to someone not paying attention, they probably wouldn’t notice, but I am paying attention.
“What’s the plan for today?” Elijah asks as he stuffs a piece of pancake in his mouth.
“Well, after breakfast, we go to the Christmas market,” Selena says and pushes her empty plate away from her. She stirs creamer into her fresh cup of coffee.
“It’s super tiny and cute,” Lola adds. “A lot of local vendors and artists.”
“And donuts! Don’t forget the donuts.”
“Yes, the donuts are to die for.”
“Noah, will your parents be joining us?” Selena asks, sipping her coffee. Typically, the Thompsons join us for a stroll through the market before they run off to one of the many holiday soirees they get invited to.
“N-no,” he stammers. Clearing his throat, he answers more soundly. “No, they’re actually in the Caymans right now.”
The Caymans? I shoot Elizabeth a confused look, but she keeps her gaze fixed on Georgie. If his parents are in the Caymans, why couldn’t they accommodate the group at their beach house? That doesn’t make sense. Looking around the table, no one else seems to pay any mind to the fact that he just admitted we were uninvited from the place we usually call home in Palm Valley.
Am I the only one who finds all of this strange?