Page 49 of Scars Like Wings

“Sweetness? Did you hear me?”

“I’m so sorry. What was that?” I realized I had actually been staring at her lips this whole time, remembering their coolness, feeling, andtastefrom earlier. I moved my eyes back to hers andfound no reprieve as her stunning caramel brown watched me with a glint of something I couldn’t identify.

“Are you cozy enough?”

“Definitely,” I said without hesitation.

Quinn smiled warmly. “Good, I’m glad.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am. What can I get you to drink?”

I turned and saw a young black girl with a patient smile. I had to blink a few times to remember that, yes, we’re indeed at a restaurant where people order drinks to sip and food to eat.

“O-oh, I-I will just have an o-orange juice, please.”

“Coming right up!” She left to get our drink orders, and I picked up the menu to actually figure out what I was going to order and ignore the warm, sexy body I was leaning against. The spiral-bound menu was as big as the table and eight pages long, front and back. There werethreepages dedicated to breakfast alone. My Libraness was coming in strong, with my indecision at the wealth of options.

“What are you thinking?” Quinn whispered in my ear, her breath a light breeze against my locs.

I have no idea how I managed to summon any level of coherence. “I have no idea, honestly. I’m a little overwhelmed.”

“Are you a huge breakfast person?”

“It’s both the most important meal of the day and—more importantly—myliteralfavorite meal of the day.”

Quinn chuckled. “Well, I would suggest Marie’s Special. It gives you a little bit of everything to try. Her French Toast is stellar, and she makes the breakfast sausage in-house and gets the bacon fresh from the butcher every day. I can’t recommend it enough. Plus, you ordered the orange juice which is freshly squeezed, so with all of that, you will be golden.”

“That sounds perfect! I trust you!” I closed my menu. “You really seem to know this place. How long have y’all been coming here after your parties?”

“Probably since Cody started having these. We have been coming to Marie’s since we were little kids and moved here from Texas. So, maybe since I was like four or five? We come here so much, we got to meet Marie and her kids who run the place now. Marie still comes in sometimes, but her kids come to our parties from time to time, so I know all their secrets.”

“Wow, I love all of that.”

The waitress soon arrived with our drinks all hoisted on a tray. She gave everyone a cup of water. Then she placed a cup of orange juice in front of me and a Bloody Mary in front of Nat, dressed with a celery stalk and a skewer of olives and jalapeños on top. The waitress sat down a mug in front of Cooper, Cody, Maisie, Cole, and Quinn along with two carafes of hot coffee. She gave everyone a straw while giving me and Nat a second straw for our other drinks.

“All right! Does everyone know what they want to eat?”

After we all nodded, the waitress went around the booth and took our orders. When it got to me and Quinn, Quinn ordered hers and mine at once: two Marie’s Specials with French Toast and scrambled eggs with their three-cheese blend of monterey cheddar, gouda, and onion jack. She squeezed my shoulder using the hand draped there. Once we passed our menus to the waitress and she went to put our orders in, everyone opened their straws or started to fix their coffees. Quinn glanced over at me while she opened some creamer packets.

“I hope that was okay? That I ordered for you?” she asked, suddenly sheepish, with all her sexy dominance replaced by something sweeter and more gentle. It was a shift that made my heart squeeze.

“O-of course. You know this place, so I don’t mind at all. Besides, I kind of—” I shrugged with one shoulder, “—like it.”

Quinn’s smile was slow, but it was worth the wait.

“Q, look over at Cody, dude,” Cole whispered and tapped Quinn on her other shoulder to get her attention. Quinn and I both looked over at Cody as he poured whiskey from his flask into his coffee.

“Our family really needs therapy,” Cole said out loud for everyone to hear with a shake of his head before sipping his coffee. Cody raised his glass like he was about to give a toast before he took a sip of his own.

“Speaking of family, how are you all related? I know you are cousins, but how so?” Simone asked.

“Our moms are sisters. They have always been close, so they raised all of us like a commune, honestly,” Cole answered.

“Wait,” I questioned. “I thought the real estate business was a family business?”

“It is,” Quinn replied, sipping her coffee, but tensing beside me for some reason.

“But it’s run by your dad right now, right? Is it passed down through your mom’s side or your dad’s?”

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