Chapter 1 #2
I’m certain she’s going to be at the bar tonight.
She usually drops by to see Lizzie, even if she’s not going to drink.
Charli is all about gossiping and catching up with her brother Collin’s girlfriend, Lizzie Meyer.
Ever since Lizzie purchased the old bar in town, where Collin works part time a night or two a week, the entire Miller family has brought her into their close circle.
Same with Oaklee, Cade’s girlfriend. She’s a nurse at the local medical clinic and started dating Cade sometime last fall. She’s pretty great too and fits in seamlessly with the entire Miller clan.
I’ll forever owe a huge debt to this family.
When I was young, I was brought into the fold, and I will always believe that simple act changed my life and possibly even saved it.
It gave me stability, something I never had in my actual home, and love.
Not that I believe my own parents didn’t love me, but I was definitely not one of their top priorities.
Still not.
But that’s nothing I want to think about right now.
A car horn honks outside, so I quickly make sure I have my wallet, keys, and cell phone before heading to meet my best friend. “Hey,” I state the moment I climb inside the truck cab.
“What the hell are you wearing?” Camden asks under a critical eye.
“Clothes,” I retort, buckling my seat belt.
He sighs. “You look like you have a date with your couch tonight.”
“That’s exactly what I’d be doing if you hadn’t called.”
“You could have at least tried,” he mutters, pulling from my driveway and heading toward downtown.
In a small place like Cooper Town, the downtown area consists of three city blocks of businesses with everything: a hair salon, grocery store, bank, diner, pizzeria, coffee shop, bookstore, clothes boutique, and financial services.
There are also two bars. One that seems to cater to the younger crowd, called The Tall One, and then the bar Lizzie purchased last year, The Tipsy Lizard.
There are a few other businesses sprinkled throughout town, including a fast-food joint, a restaurant that features a variety of choices, and a furniture store. We have just about everything you’d need in Cooper Town, and for everything else, we’re just a short twenty-minute drive to North Ridge.
I ignore his statement and watch the landscape as we drive toward the restaurant near the edge of town. They have the best pub burgers around, and on Fridays a fish selection that’s out of this world.
By the time we get to the restaurant, the lot is nearly full.
Six o’clock on a Friday is prime time for eating out, but I don’t mind the potential wait.
Their burgers are worth it. We head inside and find a small pub table along the back wall that seats three and claim it before anyone else has a chance.
I toss one of the laminated menus across the table, even though neither of us needs one.
He snorts and shakes his head. “I’m having the pub burger,” he states, placing the menu back in the napkin holder.
“Me too,” I reply, taking a glance around the room.
It takes extra time for the server to drop by our table with two glasses of water, and while we both order a soda to drink, we add a cheese curds appetizer because it’s going to take time to get our dinner.
“Tell me all the things,” he says, sipping his water after the server walks away.
“Not much to tell. Work is picking up.”
He nods. “I hear ya. Glad the snowy season is done,” he states, referring to the above average snowfall we had this past winter.
Camden works as a mechanic at the local auto shop and stays plenty busy.
Not only does the business do your standard oil changes, tire sales and rotations, tune-ups, and more, but they also have a car wash, offer snowplow services, and towing.
It’s a one-stop shop for most of your car care needs, and my buddy is right there in the middle of it all.
He also attended the career center, focusing on auto mechanics for two years. He’s ASE certified and, despite his young age, knows his shit when it comes to vehicle maintenance. He’s learned from the best, and they’re the only place I’ll take my truck when I need something done to it.
“How’s the neighbors?” I ask, referring to a new couple who moved into the house beside his last fall.
Camden rolls his eyes. “Loud.”
“Still fighting?”
“Yep,” he mutters, glancing around the room and waving to a table of four over by the window. I recognize them immediately as friends of his parents. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I think they’re moving already.”
All I can do is stare at him. “Seriously?”
“Yep,” he replies, popping the P. “Saw Alivia loading up some stuff tonight into her little SUV. Boxes and stuff. I don’t know what’s up with that house. The occupants are like a revolving door.”
Camden rents a house not too far from the one I own.
His landlord owns both the one Camden lives in, as well as the one directly beside it, and they’re almost identical.
Before I purchased my own home, I lived with Cam in a two-bedroom apartment.
When I found my home and moved out, he opted to find a house of his own instead of moving with me.
Not that I blame him. We were both looking for our own space by that point in our lives.
“I don’t understand it,” I reply. “The property seems fine, shape-wise, and the rent affordable.”
“Yeah, I don’t know what the issue is either. Even before I moved in, there always seemed to be a revolving door with that other place.”
Our appetizer arrives, and we both dive in, while continuing to chat about life.
He mentions his sister’s upcoming birthday, in which she’ll turn thirty.
“I talked to Mom earlier, and gonna do a meal at Mom and Dad’s house and then head to The Lizard.
Lizzie has a band scheduled that night. Should be a great time. ”
I nod, knowing he’s basically telling me I’m invited without saying those words. I’ve spent the majority of my life with the Millers and am invited to every gathering they have. I’m even included in the family group text messages. “Sounds good.”
Our burgers and fries arrive a short time later. Our attention bounces between the food in front of us, the hockey game on the TVs around the room, and the customers around us who come and go, most of whom we know.
By the time our bellies are full, the plates cleared, and the bill is paid—it was my turn to buy—we’re getting up so our table can be used by the next guests. I feel relaxed and content, always appreciative of time I get to spend with my oldest friend.
We head out the front entrance, toward his truck. The moment we climb inside the cab, he offers a wide grin and says, “Let’s go to The Lizard.”
Something tells me this is gonna be a longer night than I originally thought.