Page 18 of Talk About… History

Avery

There was something healing about taking yourself out for lunch. It was something I could have never imagined doing before now, but I was starting to embrace my independence.

It was nice.

After I left the guys at the bar to finish up their afternoon, I went home and grabbed my own laptop, phone, and a pair of headphones before heading back to town.

Mama was already in her garden with music blaring. That was her happy place, so I left her a note and told her to text me her order before heading for the diner.

Starlight Diner had always seemed so cheesy when I was a kid. It was retro and a bit over-the-top. Now all I felt was nostalgia as I walked through the door.

They still had the same fake leather booths and barstools. The tables were made of wood with a clear covering over them, under which they had stuck various memorabilia.

Some of it had faded with time, while others looked like they’d been added recently. It was a mix of random event tickets, pamphlets, postcards, newspaper clippings—whatever they could find.

The walls were covered in random things from license plates to sports team memorabilia to vintage farm tools.

There was really no rhyme or reason to any of it. The entire mix was chaotic at best. I loved it.

“Welcome in… wait a minute,” the waitress greeted me. I recognized her immediately as another omega I went to school with. “Is that you, Avery Whitaker? Here I thought you flew the coop for good.”

“Hey, Kelly,” I greeted, giving her a bright smile, though it didn’t feel genuine. Kelly had always been part of the popular crowd. She didn’t exactly bully me, but there had been enough judgmental looks and commentary leading up to high school that I didn’t want to be friends with her.

Then, of course, everyone wanted to be my friend as my brothers got older and presented as alphas.

“Is it just you today, hun?” she asked, glancing behind me, her expression almost hopeful. I bit back a laugh but nodded.

“Yeah, I just need to get some work done,” I said, gesturing to the bag in my hand.

“All right, I’ll set you up in one of the corners so nobody bothers you,” she promised, turning on her heels and heading for a table tucked away in the corner just like she promised.

At least I had a window, and I wasn’t by the bathrooms. I’d count that as a win.

“Can I get anything started for you or do you need a minute?” she asked, waving a menu in the air to see if I needed it or not.

“I’ll need a minute,” I confirmed, plucking the menu out of her hands and dropping my bag on the table.

She flounced away to help somebody else while I got settled. I sat so I was facing the room, unwilling to put headphones in and leave myself vulnerable for long. It was something I started while in the city, but after everything, I still needed to be in control.

The menu looked about the same as it did years ago. It didn’t take me long to make a quick selection. I just went for a classic grilled cheese and French fries, and of course, some caffeine.

I had a feeling I was going to be here a while. At least I’d come late enough that it was between the lunch and dinner crowds, so I hopefully wouldn’t be chased away.

Kelly was less exuberant this time as she approached, taking my order quickly and then handing it over to the kitchen staff.

After that, she left me alone, simply sliding my drink over and giving me a quick smile before moving on. I was kind of glad the act was dropping. She was less insufferable when she was being normal.

I put in my headphones and started up one of my favorite work playlists, a mix of indie folk bands. It had never been my first choice before, but after being in the city for so long, it was like my own guilty pleasure. A taste of home.

The next two hours were a mix of me swapping between my playlists and PackVlog videos. I loved that it was a mix of short videos and profiles where you could post pictures. The mix would make it a whole lot easier to draw in followers.

My notebook was quickly filling with video ideas, all of it tailored to Rockwood Valley and the artisans here. I wanted to showcase the good we had, and I fully intended to propose this to the mayor once I had a plan in place.

The second list was tailored to the bar and my brothers. Objectively, they were handsome, and I knew handsome single alphas would sell. Silly dances wouldn’t happen with Maverick, but Nash wouldn’t hesitate to make a fool of himself. Maverick could be broody and mysterious, and Cameron would be the blunt one.

Even setting up a live to chat between customers would go a long way. They could talk up Rockwood Valley and entice in even more of the college crowds.

Thanks to the templates available, I had one picked out and started the Whitaker Brews account.

---