Chapter 6
Jason
“So, we’ve got the usual, the usual, the usual, and – oh, would you look at that? – the usual,” our waitress says with an amused eye-roll, setting down the final plate on the diner table.
The usual for Knox, Beckett, and me is whatever meat-and-carb special the diner’s running for their Friday afternoon menu, and the usual for Madden is two triple burgers with a large side of fries. At twenty-two, Madden’s the youngest guy working on the payroll, and what with his girlfriend being vegetarian he only eats meat when he’s with the crew.
He shoves an entire half of his first burger straight into his mouth and practically stops breathing for a few seconds as he savours the flavour.
Knox snorts at Madden’s expression and then flashes a wink to the waitress.
“Thanks Peyton,” he says, giving her a once-over as she turns around.
I cut a slice of meat, spear some green beans, and start eating.
Then a Los Angeles voice sounds behind me, all husky and feminine, “Hey Jace.”
I swallow my mouthful and glance upwards, gently wrapping my palm around the hand on my shoulder. I give it a little squeeze as my brother’s fiancée stands beside me.
“Hey, Harper,” I say, before tipping my chin at Mitch.
His large forearm is wrapped casually over Harper’s shoulders, and he rests his other elbow on the diner’s counter.
He jerks his chin at me, then glances behind the till, waiting for the server.
I take another mouthful as I glance at Harper’s hand, resting gently over her stomach.
She isn’t showing yet, but we all know what’s going on in there.
I swallow down another bite of meat and ask, “What’re y’all doing in here?”
I’ve never seen Mitch bring his fiancée to this diner because he cooks for her every night, but if I was to hazard a guess, I’d say it has something to do with pregnancy cravings.
Mitch glances down at me and then vaguely rumbles, “Cobbler.”
The waitress appears in front of him and he repeats the same one-word response.
“Busy week?” Harper asks, as I shovel in the remaining greens.
I breathe out a low exhalation and say, “Like you wouldn’t believe.”
Between the team of guys who have been working on our hush-hush project in town, myself and Madden finishing up the annex at End of the Road Ranch, and the three search-and-rescue missions that I was called out on, the past five days have been packed from start to finish.
This meal at the diner is the first time that I’ve seen most of the guys since last week, and we’ve barely spoken since we sat down because we’re too hungry to speak.
I tip my chin at Harper as I spear the last forkful on my plate.
“You see what Mitch picked up for you last week at the hardware store?”
Mitch’s eyes flash to mine like a strike of lightning.
Then, when Harper smiles up at him over the curve of her shoulder, his expression instantly softens, a rogue dimple popping in his cheek.
Even Knox groans at that. “Jesus, man. Get a room.”
But Mitch just drops a hand to Harper’s belly and turns back around to wait for their cobbler.
“Uh-huh,” Harper says, trying to hide her playful smile. “But we aren’t painting the room yet, ’cause we don’t know if it’s a girl or a boy.”
And even though I know Mitch wants a mini-Harper, he’d be proud as hell if he got another son.
The thought of his son Tate, my nephew, has me glancing back across at Madden, one of his closest friends from high school, who started working for me part-time as soon as I set up Coleson Construction. He had a small break from the crew when he was on the road with his band, but now that things are official with his girlfriend he’s staying in town so that he can be close to her.
He’s the reason why we’re building the annex at End of the Road Ranch in the first place – seeing as Madden wanted to live with his girlfriend, and it’s ranch culture to keep the whole family on the land.
And, considering the fact that they’re both adults, they probably didn’t want to be in the same house as her parents twenty-four-seven.
Madden takes a big bite of his second burger and smiles down at something on his phone, immediately typing back with his thumb and then staring at the screen with a patient expression.
He’s totally whipped, and it’s sweet to see.
I’m just about to grab a drink when Beckett’s next words capture my attention.
“Guess who I saw riding Casey’s truck last weekend?” he drawls, shooting Knox a smirk when he glances up to question him.
“Who?”
Beckett leans back in his chair. “Not his wife.”
I still for a moment before sliding my eyes over to Beckett, only half-hearing his description because I already know for a fact who he’s talking about.
I know exactly who was using Casey’s truck last weekend.
“About ye-heigh,” he says, giving no indication for how tall Sunday is, “and her hair was soft and curly but, honestly, I don’t remember the colour.”
“How can you not remember the colour?” Knox asks drily.
“I was too busy looking at her face.”
And that comment is enough for my quads to start bouncing under the table.
Madden flicks me a look and I subtly shake my head, my jaw tensing.
“Where’d you see her?” I ask gruffly, meeting Beckett’s eyes with mine.
He flashes me a smile, and I find that deeply fucking unnerving.
Because a smile like that has I’m into her written all over it.
“Outside the bar,” he says, and I let my leg pause for a second.
Because Casey was transparent about the fact that he didn’t want Sunday finding out about the bar yet.
If she found out what Casey was doing…
“You say anything?” I ask, spreading my quads out as I watch him.
“No way,” he rumbles. “Why? You know her?”
I swipe my tongue over my bottom lip, feeling Harper’s eyes on me. “Maybe.”
Madden’s brow lifts to his hairline and he glances between us, gnawing on his lip-ring.
I shift back and give Peyton a quiet thanks as she takes my empty plate away from the table.
Beckett’s eyes stay trained on mine the entire time.
“She said she’s back in town for a while,” he tells me, and I rub my palms over my thighs. My whole chest starts heaving at the thought of Sunday staying in Phoenix Falls.
“Yeah?” I ask roughly. “What else did she tell you?”
He watches me carefully, before dropping his forearms onto the table. “Can’t remember too much, in all honesty–”
“Because you were too busy looking at her face,” Knox drawls.
“But she was in Nashville and now she’s not. Maybe she’s looking for a change of scenery.” He rumbles out a self-deprecating chuckle. “Don’t know if she’s single but, with that attitude, I wish she was.”
“You get shot down?” Knox asks.
Beckett flicks a look in his direction.
I watch the exchange in silence, weighing his words with what I already know .
And without another word I get to my feet and head to the counter. Then I prop an elbow against the top, looking at Harper’s stomach and then at my brother.
“Sunday’s back in town?” Mitch asks, his tone deep and gruff.
Harper glances between us, and then asks, “Sunday? Who’s Sunday?”
I rub my palm down my stubble, avoiding Harper’s eyes as I wait to pay the crew’s bill.
“His high school sweetheart,” Mitch rumbles, and I glance over at him, my biceps flexing.
“It was PG,” I reply, glancing down at Harper as her eyes widen with surprise.
“I didn’t know you had a high school sweetheart,” she says, a small smile on her lips.
“Didn’t really get going,” I tell her gruffly, shoving my card into the reader when the numbers pop up on the screen.
“Why’s that?” she asks. “You seem like you’re still invested.”
Damn straight I’m still invested. But I’m not sure that Sunday still feels the same.
I gave her my number the second I saw her and I haven’t heard from her all week.
I couldn’t even get down to the cabin because I’ve been so swamped with work.
But maybe I could head over to Casey’s this weekend and ask her for myself.
Peyton hands me the receipt and I pocket it, saying, “Thanks.”
Then I glance back down at Harper, exhaling quietly as I rub my stubble.
I don’t want to get into the minutiae, but Harper’s my brother’s fiancée, so I explain a little.
“We were in high school together, Sunday and me. I was a year older and friends with her brother. Case and I had this plan to join the Army, and work our way up the ranks until we hit the top.
“Their step-dad, Cash… he was also military. So Sunday knew about the service academy, and what it’s like to be with someone who deploys. And it was all really good. She was only seventeen so we didn’t… do anything… but we were heading in the direction of making things official before I left.
“Then the night of our prom, her mom gets a call. And I knew the second I saw her that it was over. She got some real bad news that evening, and after that she wanted to get out. Away from Phoenix Falls. Away from… military men.”
I remember it like yesterday, the feeling of wanting nothing more than to protect her.
But knowing that the only way to protect her would be to go our separate ways.
“Her step-dad?” I murmur. “He was KIA, Harper.”
“KIA?” Harper whispers. “What does that mean?”
But then she stops herself midsentence as she works out the acronym.
“Oh, Jason,” she starts, but I lean down and squeeze her shoulder.
And when I make my way out of the diner, I’m thinking nothing but the words killed in action .