Chapter 7
Brooks
Blue’s Diner is busier than usual for a Thursday evening.
Likely because school is out and summer is in full swing.
With the longer days and the warmer weather, the people of Blue Haven are out doing things.
No one wants to be stuck at home cooking on such a nice day.
Which is exactly how Harper and I ended up here after work.
The season is in full swing at the ranch.
The days are busy. We’ve been booked solid for the last month.
It’s exhausting, but it’s a good problem to have.
The ranch has been in my family for generations, and there have been plenty of seasons where we could barely afford to keep it running.
I never want to see it get that bad again.
Not while I’m in charge. I want to make sure that the ranch is set up well enough so that when I pass it on, it’ll be a smooth transition, just like it was when I received it.
Now, if only I knew who I would be handing the ranch off to. I trained for almost thirty years to take over for my dad. When Zach was born, I felt sure that he’d follow in my footsteps, but I can’t even get Zach to text me back these days.
Harper and I manage to find a booth toward the back of the restaurant.
My stomach growls from the scent of the fresh french fries being delivered to the table next to us.
I skipped lunch today, busy fixing a fence on the backside of the property, so I’m more than ready to dig into one of Blue’s burgers.
Harper grabs one of the menus from behind the napkin holder and looks at it like she doesn’t know everything that’s on that thing word for word.
“Why’re you looking at that? You know you’re getting the chicken tenders,” I tease.
She glares up at me. “I thought about trying something new.”
I lean back in my seat and cross my arms over my chest. “Oh yeah? What’re you thinkin’?”
“Well, I was looking at a… salad,” she says slowly.
“Girl, quit playin’. You’ve never ordered a salad a day in your life.”
She sighs and rolls her eyes before she closes the menu and puts it back behind the napkins. “You ruin everything.”
I laugh. “No, please. Order your salad. I can’t wait to watch you eat that while I dive into my nice juicy burger.”
“You’re an asshole, Brooks Calloway.”
“Yeah, you’ve told me that before.”
This is how we are. She’s one of my very best friends and one of the best business partners I could ask for.
One of the best people I know, too. We tease each other because it’s easy between us.
It’d be even easier between us if there were some sort of romantic spark.
Unfortunately, there’s not. We’ve discussed it before because being close friends in a small town always opens you up to unnecessary rumors.
But neither one of us was interested in more than a friendship.
“Oh, look. It’s the girls,” Harper says suddenly, her face lighting up as she waves at someone.
I have no idea who the girls are, so I turn in my seat to find Aspen and Jasmine standing at the front of the diner.
Harper waves them over. Jasmine takes Aspen’s hand and pulls her in our direction.
“Hey!” Harper greets them. “What are you two up to?”
“We just went shopping,” Jasmine answers. “Have y’all ordered yet?”
“Nope.”
“Good. We’re joining you,” Jasmine declares and motions for Harper to scoot over. “There aren’t any seats left, and I’m freaking starving.”
“Jazz,” Aspen whispers with wide eyes. “We can’t just invite ourselves.”
“Come on, they don’t care.” She looks at us. “Do y’all care?”
Harper and I both say “no” in unison, and I scoot over to make room for Aspen. She hesitates for a moment before she sets her bag down on the floor and scoots in.
She’s in the same white T-shirt and black jeans she wore at work, but she’s taken her hair down, letting her curls go wild. I like them like this. And being this close, I can smell the vanilla scent of her shampoo.
Whoa. Why the fuck am I noticing what her hair smells like?
My back goes rigid, and I quickly try to find something—anything—to focus on besides that little blip in my brain.
“So, what were you shopping for?” I ask quickly and hope I don’t sound as uncomfortable as I feel.
“Well, Jazz insisted that I needed boots in order to ride a horse.”
“It’s a fact,” Jasmine adds. “Also got her a matching belt. You’ll feel more confident if you look the part.
” She winks at Aspen, and I can’t help but chuckle.
Jasmine is something else. She has no filter and says and does whatever she wants.
But she’s a good person with a big heart, which I assume is why she appears to have taken Aspen under her wing.
“Are y’all ready to order?” A server finally stops at our table.
Aspen looks around, a little panicked. “Oh, I haven’t looked at a menu yet.”
“Do you like burgers or chicken?” I ask.
“Burgers.”
“You’ll like the burger then. Fries or onion rings?”
“Fries.”
“Alright, we’ll have two Blue’s burgers, both with fries.” Aspen smiles at me, and for some reason, it makes me feel all warm inside, like I’ve done something right. I barely manage to smile back at her before I have to look away.
Harper orders her chicken tenders, and Jasmine gets a chicken sandwich.
“Are you girls excited about the Fourth of July celebration?” Harper asks, making conversation with the table. She’s good at that. That’s why she’s the one who deals with most of the guests at the ranch. She’s a people person.
“Should I be excited?” Aspen asks tentatively.
“Oh yes. Blue Haven goes all out for the holidays. Didn’t Zach tell you?” Harper asks. I’m glad she’s the one who asked and not me.
Aspen shakes her head. “No, Zach didn’t tell me much of anything about Blue Haven, actually.”
That’s disappointing. Zach was always eager to get out of this small town.
I thought going to college in a big city would help him scratch that itch.
I thought it worked. But then he came back here right after graduation.
Figured he missed it. Maybe I was wrong.
Wouldn’t be the first time when it comes to him.
“So you moved here without knowing much about it?” Jasmine asks. Her question could be construed as rude, but I think everyone at the table can tell she’s just curious.
Aspen shrugs. “Yeah, I mean, he asked me to move here with him. I didn’t really have anything tying me to Atlanta.
I thought it would be a fun change. In hindsight, I probably should’ve done a bit more research.
I don’t know if I would’ve been able to find a job if there hadn’t been this opening at the ranch. ”
“Well, maybe that means you were meant to be at the ranch,” Harper suggests with a soft smile.
“Yeah, maybe it does,” Aspen agrees.
I agree with them. It does feel like Aspen is supposed to be here with us at the ranch. She fits in wonderfully with the team, and I’m glad Zach suggested her for the job. I’d tell him that if he would ever text me back.
“So, what happens at the Fourth of July celebration?” Aspen asks.
Jasmine and Harper go off, telling her all of the things. I was worried Aspen would think it was kind of cheesy, but she smiles through all of it, from the pie-eating competition to the sack races and the parade. I think she’s going to fit in just perfectly here.
“Where’s Zach tonight?” I ask carefully once our food is delivered.
“He’s at his mom’s house for dinner.”
“You didn’t want to go?”
“I wasn’t really invited,” she says quietly. “I think she wanted to spend time with just Zach. I’m not sure she likes me very much.”
Harper scoffs. “I’m not sure that woman likes anyone.”
I’m glad that comment came from Harper and not me.
I try really hard not to talk shit about Lacey, but she’s gotten worse to deal with over the years.
I’m sure she’d blame me for her attitude.
I was sixteen when Zach was born. I was in no state to take care of a baby or make long-term decisions.
Lacey wanted to get married. I didn’t. I realized we weren’t compatible after Zach was born.
I tried to make it work, but it wouldn’t have been good for any of us if we had forced the relationship.
I might have been young and stupid, but I knew enough to understand that.
That didn’t mean I didn’t do my share. I paid her child support. I spent as much time with him as I could. I was at every doctor’s appointment, every school event. I did everything I thought a father should do and enjoyed doing it. But I was still made into the bad guy.
I actually enjoyed having Zach with me at the ranch. Yeah, my mom helped me a lot when he was younger, but it was kind of like having a little best friend with you all the time. I thought he enjoyed it too, but I guess I was wrong.
After we eat, we all order milkshakes to go, and when the check comes, I don’t even let the ladies think about paying.
“Aw, Daddy Brooks is taking care of his girls,” Harper teases.
“Shut the fuck up,” I say as I put my card down on the table.
Everyone laughs, but her comment makes me wonder if other people might consider it strange that I’m having dinner with Harper and two of my younger employees. It’s not like this was planned, but I can see how it might look from an outsider.
After a quick glance around the diner, it doesn’t seem like anyone is paying us any mind, so I squash those thoughts. What I do is no one’s business anyway. Unfortunately, in a small town, everyone thinks they’re entitled to everyone else’s business.
We all walk out of the diner, milkshakes in hand.
“Thank you for dinner, Brooks,” Aspen says.
“Yeah, thanks, Bossman,” Jasmine adds.
“No problem. Y’all get home safe.”
Harper and I stand on the sidewalk and watch the two girls to make sure they get in their car before we get back in my truck.
“Have you had any luck with Zach?” Harper asks once we’re on the road back to the ranch.
I sigh. “No. Not sure why I’m paying for the kid’s cell phone bill if he doesn’t even text me back on it.”
“You know Lacey is poisoning his mind.”
“Yeah, I know.” I’ve known for awhile but I was hoping I was wrong. “At this point, she’s got him so far on her side, I’m not sure there’s anything I can do to win him back over.”
“Have you asked Aspen to talk to him?”
I shrug. “Kind of. She said she would ask him to come by the ranch.” But I could tell by the way she avoided eye contact with me that she knew he wouldn’t.
“I’m sorry, Brooks. I wish there was something I could do to help.”
“It’s all good. I’m still hoping he’ll come around.”
She gives me a sad smile because we both know it’s unlikely at this point.