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“Follow me,” she said, still eyeing us like we were a TV show. “I’ll get you the booth by the window.”
“Thanks,” I said when she put the menus down for us. I widened my eyes at Cain, trying to telepathically tell him to be polite.
“Yes,thanks,”he repeated. When Tammy looked between us one more time and finally walked away, he spoke again. “Do you really think I don’t say thank you to people?”
“You never leave the house. How am I supposed to know how you act in public?”
Cain moved to sit next to Eric, but the kid held out his hand. “I wanna sit next to Mollie!”
“What?”Cain asked.
“She’s my friend. I get to sit next to you every day.”
Cain gave me a death glare as he went to the other side. “Look at it this way. You get to look at him and make sure he eats everything on his plate.”
Eric looked up. “Even the bacon?”
“Every. Bite.”
Eric sighed. “I like you a little less now, Mollie. But I still like you.”
“What are you all drinking?” Tammy reappeared. “And no, I can’t add anything to your coffee to take the edge off. No matter how annoyed you are, Cain.”
I stifled a laugh, but he looked genuinely insulted. I kicked his boot and shook my head.
“Just water for me,” is all he said.
“I’ll do coffee.”
“Juice!” Eric yelled.
Tammy laughed in response. “You’ll have to be a bit more specific, kid.”
“Orange!” Cain and I looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Please,” he eventually added.
“Be right up.” Tammy’s smile was bigger than usual, and I knew this was prime small-town talk.
And judging by the look on Cain’s face, he knew it too.
“I don’t drink, by the way. In case you had questions.”
“I didn’t. You can do what you want.”
“It’s not gonna be the first time you hear something like that about me, trust me.”
“A lot of the parents think Cain is really quiet,” Eric added. “I just say they don’t know him. He talks a lot with me.”
“You’re the exception.” Cain’s voice was filled with a sadness that I couldn’t explain. What exactly had happened in his past that was so bad? No one had said anything to me, and I wasn’t sure I wanted them to.
He immediately returned to his quiet mode. I had been sure he hated me, but he still spoke to me more than he did when he was out in public. I eyed his tense jaw and rigid posture.
He hated being in town.
I opened my mouth to offer him an out, or to go take a break in the car, but then someone materialized at the table.
Next to me, Eric perked up. “Tommy!”
“Hey!” The other kid seemed just as excited.