Page 20 of You Found Me
Totally not creepy, but we’re pushing it at this point. In the shower, I actively try to think of anything besides her.
Anything.
A few hours later, we have the pizza, a few more beers, and watch some cooking show Beckett seems to enjoy. I’ll hand it to him, it was pretty funny. Shows that some people shouldn’t beallowed in a kitchen. By 10:30 p.m. I’m exhausted. I don’t know when I turned into such an old man, but I clean up before I go to bed, leaving Beckett on his own. We’re meeting Theo at 8 a.m. and after being off for the past five days, I know I won’t want to get up.
My last thoughts before drifting off to sleep are: why was Emmaline back in town so soon after leaving, and why was shehere,at the Inn?
***
I was right about this morning being a bitch to wake up—but of course Beckett was awake and ready to go.
We drive separately to the diner, so he can leave directly from breakfast. We’ve been here give or take twenty minutes, and the amount of women who’ve come over to our table is ridiculous. And not just girls our age.
There are currently two teenage girls gushing about how much they love Beckett’s tattoos. The one with braces is bold enough to actually run her fingers over his left forearm. “I’d be willing to bet that being wrapped up in your arms would make me feel awfully safe.”
B’s eyes bug out of his skull as he snatches his arm away, but before he can say anything, she asks, “Will you hold me?”
She starts to move closer to him and as he’s telling her no, Edie comes up swatting her with a newspaper.
“Scarlett Patterson, don’t make me call your grandmama and tell her how you’re acting a fool this morning. It’s time for you to leave.”
Scarlett and her friend scurry away and out the door allowing Beckett to relax a bit. “Thank you for rescuing me. I promise I didn’t invite them over or encourage them.”
Edie comes closer, patting his shoulder. “Oh hush now. That didn’t even cross my mind. Unfortunately, those girls are too much like their mothers.” She sticks out her hand, introducing herself, “I’m Edie, the owner of this establishment. Who might you be?”
He shakes her hand and smiles. “It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Edie. I’m Beckett, Spencer’s older brother.”
“Edie will do just fine.” She looks my way. “Where have you been hiding this hunky brother of yours?”
At that, Theo and I lose it. “I haven’t been hiding him. But I’m thinking I might have to keep him away from this town.”
“Probably not a bad idea,” Theo adds. “Edie, I don’t think he could handle you, or the other women in town trying to jump his bones.”
Beckett looks like he’s trying to put a puzzle together in his mind. “Are you two related?”
Edie laughs, shaking her head. “Nope. Why do you ask?”
“I met his sister,” pointing at Theo, “and something about the two of you seem similar.”
“Well, I’ve known that little spitfire most of her life. She worked here when she was in high school. That whole group did.”
“When did you meet Mia?” Theo asks.
“Yesterday when we got back to the Inn,” I answer Theo, for B. “She called him by a different name, then proceeded to say he was hotter than the actor she was comparing him to.”
Edie throws her head back laughing. “That’s my girl.”
Theo shakes his head. “I’m sorry, dude. You’ll have to forgive my sister. She’s always said whatever she thinks and causes mayhem wherever she goes.”
“No worries. I have a girlfriend anyway.”
“But not a wife,” Edie responds to B rather quickly. “Which means the single women in this town will flock to you just as much as they flock to these two cuties.”
Before she can add anything else, she’s interrupted by someone in the kitchen calling out for her. “Sorry, duty calls. Always a pleasure, boys. It was nice to meet you, stud,” Edie says to Beckett with a wink.
After she walks away, Beckett sighs. “I’m not sure I’ll be coming back to town anytime soon. The people here are something else.”
Theo and I laugh because this isn’t even as bad as it could be. Since I moved to town last month, I’ve been set up on tendates where the age of the women range from newly eighteen tofifty-four.
