Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 85270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
Brooks
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Palmer asks from the passenger seat of my truck.
“We’re going to start with breakfast.”
“Yum. Where?”
“There’s a small diner over in Garrison. They only serve breakfast foods.” I’m being evasive on purpose, knowing it will drive her crazy with curiosity. I also just want to surprise her. I want to see the smile on her face.
“Seriously? How do I not know about this place? And Garrison, that’s an hour away.”
I reach over and place my hand on her thigh. “I know.” I can’t look at her pretty green eyes to make sure she understands, but she places her hand over mine, entwining our fingers, so my guess is she gets it. I want to spend time with her. Harris is only twenty minutes from Willow River. Sure, we could run into someone we know in Garrison, but it’s less likely than Harris. Short of whisking her away for the weekend, which we can’t do this weekend, this is the best that I could come up with.
“What are we doing after that?” she asks.
“It’s a surprise.”
“I could persuade you.” She lowers her voice to a sexy purr, and it’s tempting me to turn this damn truck around and head to my place, but I don’t. I hold strong. I want to spend the day with her. Sure, spending the day with her naked in my arms sounds fun, but just spending time with her does too. That’s the plan, and I’m sticking to it.
I chuckle. “Probably, but it’s not safe for you to try any of your persuasion skills on me while I’m driving. Let me have this?”
“Fine,” she says dramatically, but I can hear the smile in her tone.
She fiddles with the radio and settles on a country station. Before long, we’re both singing along with the radio, being silly. We talk about our work weeks and my mom’s completed pizza oven. She even retells me about Blakely and her antics when they all took her for ice cream. The conversation never lulls, and there are no awkward moments. It’s just Palmer and me being who we are, and I love every second.
“We’re here already?” she asks as I park the truck outside the Breakfast Company.
“We are.” The time flew for me too, but it always does when I’m spending time with Palmer.
“Cute name. They really only serve breakfast?” she asks.
“Yep. And it’s so damn good. Come on.” I grab my keys and phone and hop out of the truck. I hold my hand out for her when she meets me at the front, and there is no hesitation when she links her fingers with mine.
Together we make our way inside, and the sign telling us to seat ourselves is on display, so I pull her to a booth in the very back corner.
“Brooks, this place smells like breakfast heaven,” she moans.
“Thanks,” Roberta, the owner, says, appearing next to our table. “Brooks, I see you chose prettier company today.” Roberta laughs.
“That I did. Roberta, this is Palmer. Palmer, this is Roberta. She owns this heavenly place.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Roberta. I haven’t even eaten anything, and I know it’s going to be amazing.”
Roberta smiles and points at me. “I like this one.”
Me too.
She turns back to Palmer. “You as well, young lady. What can I get y’all to drink?” Roberta asks.
I nod at Palmer, letting her know she can order first. “I’ll take an orange juice and a glass of water, please.”
“Brooks, the same?” Roberta asks.
“Yes, please. And a coffee black.” She nods and walks away.
“Come here often, do you?” Palmer teases.
“I used to. I went to the Garrison School of Nursing. This place is cheap and has home-cooked breakfast like Mom makes. It was like a taste of home. My brothers would come up and visit and stay with me a lot, and this was a favorite hangout of ours.”
“I love how close all of you are.”
I nod. “It’s a blessing and a curse,” I admit. “They’re my best friends, but they can also annoy the hell out of me.”
“That’s what siblings do. At least younger siblings.” She grins.
“You’re close with Deacon and Piper, right?” I ask her.
“We are close. Of course, Deac is ten years older than me, and Piper is five, so I was the annoying little sister. But you already know that.”
“I never considered you annoying.”
“Come on now,” she prods me. “You can be honest.”
“I’d tell you. I never saw you that way. Maybe it’s because I lived in a house with eight other kids?” I shrug.
“Maybe, but I’m six years younger than you. Wait, you are twenty-nine, right? I just turned twenty-three earlier this year.”
“Yeah, I’m twenty-nine. Six years isn’t so bad.”
“You think ten is?” she asks.
“I think a lot depends on the couple. When it comes to Deacon and Ramsey, no, I don’t think ten years is an issue. They love one another, and their connection is something incredible to see. Almost like watching my parents. So, no, ten years for them isn’t too many.”