Chapter Eighteen
Clove
The Dairy Bar smelled like sugar, grease, and summer.
It always had.
Even before I saw it, before the red barn roof came into view at the end of the road, I knew exactly where we were by the way my mouth watered. The Dairy Bar had that effect.
Ender pulled into the gravel lot and parked near the side, away from the drive-thru line that wrapped halfway around the building. It was early afternoon, with the sun high and warm.
I climbed off slowly, still sore but less stiff than yesterday.
Ender stayed close.
Not hovering. Not smothering. Just… there.
His hand brushed my lower back as I stepped toward the Dairy Bar, steadying me more than I needed, but I didn’t move away. I liked knowing he was close enough to catch me if I tipped.
Jude parked beside us, with Penny on the back already laughing about something he’d said. Mason and Adley followed.
“See?” Jude said, glancing around. “Told you. Everyone loves the Dairy Bar.”
“I don’t trust people who don’t,” Penny added.
“Facts,” I agreed. “If you don’t like ice cream, I don’t like you.”
Adley laughed, one hand resting briefly on her stomach before she caught herself and dropped it. It was subtle. So subtle I almost missed it.
Almost.
The half barn doors were open, letting in a breeze that carried the sound of laughter and the whir of the old ceiling fans inside.
The Dairy Bar had been an actual barn once, painted red with white trim, high beams overhead, and converted years ago into something halfway between nostalgic and chaotic.
There was a drive-thru window on one side, but we always ordered inside.
It felt wrong not to.
We stepped in as a group, Ender slightly behind me, his presence like a shadow that didn’t scare me, just grounded me. The bell above the door jingled.
The counter stretched along one wall, chalkboard menus above it listing flavors and specials in messy handwriting. Booths lined the opposite side, with scratched wood tables and benches that had seen decades of elbows and spilled milkshakes.
And behind the counter was a familiar face.
“Ever!” Penny called.
I smiled before I even saw her properly.
Ever had been around forever. Three years older than me, which felt like a lifetime when we were kids.
Her parents owned the Dairy Bar, and she’d worked there since high school.
I always thought it was cool that my dad was a biker, but it would have been even cooler if he were a biker who owned the Dairy Bar. Free ice cream for life!
She was leaning over the register, hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, and her cheeks flushed from running around making ice cream cones and milkshakes. She looked up when the bell rang.
Her eyes went straight to Jude.
I watched it happen.
The way her gaze lingered just a second longer than it needed to. The way her lips curved like she’d thought of something funny but decided not to say it out loud.
Jude, of course, was completely oblivious.
“Hey!” Penny grinned, stepping forward. “Please tell me you still make the boozy shakes.”
Ever laughed. “Depends. You planning on behaving?”
“No,” Penny and I said at the same time.
Ender leaned down slightly. “Boozy milkshake?”
I nudged him with my elbow. “I deserve it.”
He smirked. “Yeah, I guess you do, baby.”
Ever’s eyes flicked to him and then to me.
“Alright,” she said, clapping her hands together. “What’ll it be?”
We lined up instinctively, like we’d done this a hundred times.
“I’ll take a boozy Oreo shake,” Penny said immediately.
“Same,” I added. “But with Bailey’s instead of vodka.”
Ever nodded. “Good choice.”
Adley cleared her throat. “I’ll just do a chunky monkey sundae.”
Jude raised a brow. “No shake?”
She waved him off. “It’s two in the afternoon. I don’t need to be drinking right now.”
Ender grinned. “Since when are you responsible?”
She shot him a look. “Since today.” She glanced at Mason and scooted closer to him. Something passed between them. Quick and quiet.
I clocked it.
“Chocolate milkshake,” Jude said. “Extra thick.” He didn’t even look at Ever.
“Fruity Pebbles shake,” Mason added.
Ever laughed. “You never change.”
Ender stepped up last. “Vanilla cone.”
Penny gasped dramatically. “Boring.”
He shrugged. “Classic.”
Ever rang it all in, scribbling on a ticket. Her eyes flicked to Jude again, softer this time. He was busy digging cash out of his pocket, still clueless.
I wondered how long that would last.
We grabbed a booth near the back while Ever worked on our order. Ender slid in beside me, his thigh brushing mine. Not accidental. Not entirely deliberate either.
It felt… right.
The air was filled with the sound of blenders, laughter, and the bell at the drive-thru window dinging every few seconds.
“So,” Penny said, leaning back. “Boozy shakes in the middle of the day. We’re thriving.”
“Speak for yourself,” Jude said. “Some of us are driving.”
“And some of us were born to have fun,” she shot back.
Ever brought the drinks over and set them down with practiced ease.
The boozy shakes were tall, thick glasses with whipped cream piled high and chocolate drizzle running down the sides.
Mason’s Fruity Pebbles shake was a crime against nature, with neon colors swirling together and flecks of actual fruity pebbles.
Jude’s chocolate shake was a dark chocolaty brown and topped with three cherries.
“I’ll be right back with the cone and sundae,” Ever said.
Ender’s cone was a perfect swirl sitting on top of a golden cake cone. Now Adley’s sundae was a work of art.
Vanilla ice cream, banana slices tucked into the sides, chopped peanuts scattered over the top, peanut butter sauce and hot fudge drizzled generously, a single cherry perched on top like punctuation.
“Damn,” Penny said. “That looks obscene.”
Adley laughed. “I regret nothing.”
Ever lingered a moment, wiping her hands on her apron. “Y’all holler if you need anything,” she said.
Her eyes flicked to Jude again.
He smiled politely. “Thanks.”
She walked away, shoulders slightly slumped.
I watched her go, then glanced at Penny, who raised an eyebrow knowingly.
“Poor girl,” Penny murmured.
“Shh,” I whispered. “He’ll catch on eventually.”
“Will he, though?” Penny asked.
Probably not.
We dug in, conversation drifting easily. Mason and Jude argued about who’d win in a stupid hypothetical fight. Penny tried to convince Jude to take a sip of her shake. He declined, amused but firm.
I took a slow sip of mine and smiled.
Ender leaned in slightly. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
He stayed close anyway.
I laughed more than I expected to. Ate more than I planned to. Let myself relax in a way I hadn’t since before the kidnapping.
When we finally stood to leave, Ender’s hand found mine without thinking.
I didn’t let go.
And for the first time since everything happened, I believed, really believed, that someday soon, life might feel normal again.
With an Ender twist.