Page 53 of Needing You

“Does he ever?” April quipped.

“I swear, sometimes I wonder if girls only apply here so they have a chance at getting with one of the brothers,” April said with a laugh. “But two of them are off the menu now, and they’re out of luck with Eric.”

“Out of luck?” I asked, confused as to why April thought none of the gorgeous women employed by the family would be appealing to the eldest Walker.

April guffawed, drawing the attention of a table full of tourists near our booth. “Seriously? Eric—bar manager extraordinaire—stop working long enough to get with a woman? Please. Then again, I guess if he were going to, it’d be with a coworker since he probably sleeps in a coffin in his office. Can’t get more convenient than that.”

Ellie and I barely had time to laugh at her comments before Rachel was back with our drinks. “Your app will be right out. Have you had a chance to decide what you want for lunch?”

“No, sorry,” I told her with a wrinkle of my nose. “We got a little distracted.”

April snickered into her menu and Ellie kicked her under the table, but like any good server would, Rachel pretended not to notice and told us to take our time, and she’d be back in a few.

“Okay, focus. I’m hungry,” Ellie said, eyes on the menu. “I’m trying to decide if I should try one of Will’s new additions or go with my old standby.”

“What’s your old standby?” I asked. “A salad?”

“You know me well.”

“Oh, get something new,” April chirped. “In fact, let’s all try one of the meals that Will’s tweaked so we can give a full report on the changes.”

I already knew what I wanted—another thing Will had told me about with so much enthusiasm I could practically taste it. So while my friends browsed the menu and tried to spot the differences between the items they’d seen on the old menu for the last decade and the new additions, I let my eyes wander back to the silent situation happening between the youngest Walker bro and our server.

She’d just finished taking an order at a nearby booth and was back at the POS screen, clicking away without seeming to notice the way Sammy couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Interesting.

Were they already in a relationship or was that the look of a man who wanted to start one? Not that Sammy didrelationships,but he wanted her, that was for sure. The question was, did she want him?

“Did I give you enough time?” Rachel asked a few minutes later as she reappeared at our booth.

“Yes,” I said, telling her what I wanted and then gesturing to April, who ordered her food with gusto and then made Rachel promise to send the chef out after we ate so we could pay our compliments. I chuckled as Rachel turned to Ellie to get her order and leaned closer to April. “You should probably wait until you try everything before you tell her to send him out, you know. If you hate the changes, are you going to lie to him?”

“Of course not. But hey, if you don’t want the opportunity to feast your eyes on that man candy you’ve been sneaking around with, we can definitely cancel that part of our order.”

I blushed hard and bumped her shoulder with mine. “Hush, April. We haven’t been sneaking around. Well, we’ve been stealing time together whenever Jackson’s busy just so it isn’t awkward, but it’s not like we’re kids again.”

April held in her reply until after we’d handed our menus to Rachel and thanked her, then she shrugged and got right back to it as if there hadn’t been a pause. “Maybe you’re not sneaking around like kids, but have you thought about where you guys are gonna go from here? He’s living with his mom, right? Maybe you guys should move in together and be a happy little family now that you’ve said your I love yous and are officially back together. What’s the holdup?”

I shared a look with Ellie. Of the three of us, April was the most impulsive. She constantly leaped before she looked, figuring it out on her way down, whereas Ellie and I were all about managing expectations and considering consequences before we acted. Of course April wouldn’t understand the need to be patient and make sure all the ducks were in a row before making a choice like that.

But I wasn’t April, so the idea of moving that fast after such a short time caused a thin sheen of sweat to appear under my arms.

“We’re taking it slow because it’s the right thing to do,” I said simply, relaxing a little at Ellie’s reassuring smile. At least they weren’t going to gang up on me. “Jackson’s been through so much lately, and even though he’s acting like this whole thing is a dream come true—”

“Because it is,” April interjected.

“Yes, maybe it is,” I allowed. “But even still, we can love each other and enjoy this time together without putting ourselves in a position where someone could get hurt.”

I could tell right away that my last remark caused me to lose Ellie’s support, because her smile dimmed, and she tilted her head like she was trying to choose her words carefully. Finally, she let out a small sigh. “I love that you’re taking things slow…”

“Because you both love to overthink the shit out of everything,” April teased in a stage whisper.

Ellie’s lips twitched, then she continued as if she hadn’t heard April. “ButI also want to point out that there’s always a risk that someone could get hurt. It doesn’t help to keep people at arm’s length because you’re afraid of the worst happening. Trust me, I know. So if you love him and want to move in with him and do the whole family thing, you should listen to your gut and do it whenever it feels right. Even if you’re scared.”

I started to reply, but then Rachel came back with our appetizer, and we were all distracted by the delicious sight and smell of it. Oblong slices of crusty, seasoned bread circled a small crock of cheesy artichoke dip. Will’s strategy for menu changes had been jazzing up the existing things or adding familiar dishes with a touch of flair. This was one of the latter—simple, but if I knew Will, it would be packed with flavor that went beyond what you’d find at a chain restaurant.

When Rachel was satisfied that we were happy with the appetizer and didn’t need anything, she told us she’d be back with our main course in a few. She’d made it no more than three paces away when April lifted a hand and called after her. “Rachel, wait. Come back.”

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