Page 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Will

The four of them entered the Burger Boutique, and Will spoke to the host. “We have a reservation. It should be under Hargrove.”

They were seated in a booth in the center of the restaurant, giving them a good view of the space. It reminded Will of a steak house, with lots of dark-wood wainscoting, but the walls above the wood were painted in bright colors to match the variety of solid-hued tablecloths, giving the place a light, fun-filled vibe. As Will looked around, he saw that most tables were filled.

“Is it me, or do you find it strange that this place is so busy on a Wednesday night?” he said to no one in particular.

“I think it’s because the place is so new,” Char replied. “Everyone just wants to try it out.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Will agreed.

After their server took their drink orders—beer for both Will and Tom while Char and Cee Cee ordered wine—they perused the menu.

“How about we get the nacho fries to share?” Tom asked

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Char chimed in.

“Wow, look at these burger toppings,” Cee Cee said. “Onion jam, avocado, honey chipotle barbecue sauce, spicy slaw, kimchi, and the list goes on. I’ve never seen so many options.”

“I think I want a burger with that onion jam, bacon, and bleu cheese crumbles,” Will said definitively.

“I’m thinking turkey burger with cranberry chutney and Boston lettuce,” Cee Cee said.

“I’m looking at a teriyaki burger with kimchi and maybe bean sprouts,” Tom announced. “Or does that sound too weird?”

“Sounds good to me,” Will said. “You can have a bite of mine if I can have a bite of yours.” He grinned.

“Deal,” Tom said.

“Oh, I think the beef burger with Swiss cheese and spicy slaw is calling my name!” Char added enthusiastically. “And onion rings instead of fries for my side.”

Orders placed, they chatted about a variety of things until their food arrived.

“Oh my God, that was so good,” Will said as they all walked back to his car. He smiled, thinking of how much he enjoyed the feeling of Tom’s hand in his. “I don’t know whose idea it was to go there, but I approve.”

“It was mine,” Char said, smiling.

“Actually,” Tom cut in, “I suggested it, you merely agreed, saying you wanted to try it.”

“Okay, fine,” Char admitted. “But I agree with Will, it was so very good.”

“Definitely on our list of places to visit again,” Cee Cee agreed.

This day was dragging! Will had agreed to work the day after Thanksgiving, figuring it would be a good day to get caught up on studying, but he was having a really hard time focusing, so the day just slowly inched along. And because of the Thanksgiving holiday, no one was even checking in or out that day. Will tried reading, but the book wasn’t holding his interest. He started an outline for a paper he needed to get done for English, but halfway through, he realized he didn’t want to read that paper, let alone write it, so he ripped the page out of his class notebook and tossed it in the trash.

He heard movement on the stairs and hoped it was one of the guests who needed him to make a reservation or something. Anything!

Clay turned the corner and greeted him. “Hi, Will!” he said cheerfully. “How’s it going?”

“Ugh. Don’t ask,” Will replied. Realizing how he sounded, he quickly apologized. “Um, sorry, Clay, I didn’t mean to sound so contrary. It’s just this day is dragging. I can’t focus on anything at all.”

“No worries, but yeah, there are days like this,” Clay chuckled. “It sucks, but you just gotta roll with it. You’re only working until three, right?”

“Yeah, Jeff’s on tonight, thank God. I don’t know if I’d survive working late today.”

“Do you have any plans for tonight?”

“No. I was thinking of texting Tom to see if he wanted to do something. He’s done at the Whale around four today.”

“There’s an open mic night tonight at Cuppa Joe’s if you’re interested,” Clay told him.

“Oh yeah, I saw the flyer there the other day. Are you and Finn going?”

“We are. Ash mentioned it at dinner yesterday,” Clay said, referring to Finn’s brother Ashton. “It seems he and the guy he’s been seeing are going, so Finn and I decided to pop in and meet the guy. His name is Walker.”

“Oh, a new guy, huh?” Will was intrigued. After all, gossip kept the town going, so why not get a firsthand view, right? “I’ll definitely see if Tom’s interested.”

“Sounds good,” Clay said, shrugging on his coat. “Okay, I’m off to the bank to make a deposit, then I’m meeting Finn for lunch at the Whale. See you later.”

As soon as Clay was out the door, Will texted Tom about the open mic night. Moments later, Tom texted back, agreeing to Will’s suggestion and offering to pick him up around six that evening.

Cuppa Joe’s was slowly filling up when they walked in. They waved at a couple of people they knew. Will saw Ash and the guy he assumed was Walker at a table, but there wasn’t anything available close to them, so he and Tom grabbed a table off to the side. While Tom stood in line to get them both some grub, Will manned the table so they wouldn’t lose their seats. As Will waited, he saw Finn and Clay enter the café and waved.

Tom returned, settling into the chair across from Will. “I got a couple of sandwiches and some chips, plus a brownie to share. Someone will bring over the coffees as soon as they’re ready.” The baristas were doing their best to keep up with the crowd, but everyone remained in good spirits even if they had to wait a little while for their beverages.

A few minutes later, Joe, the owner of Cuppa Joe’s, walked up to the microphone and announced, “Welcome to another open mic night; thank you all for coming. We’re thrilled to have some wonderful local talent here tonight. Guitarist Paul Decker is here again along with a few newcomers, including poet Janice Winters. And from Cape Cod, I’m excited to welcome Kim Moberg again to sing and play for us. The entertainment will be starting shortly, so please get any food and drink you want now, so as not to disturb folks once the music starts.”

When it was time for intermission, Tom quickly bussed their table, commenting that it was ingrained in him at this point. He had to help out when he could. That made Will smile.

Will excused himself to use the restroom and stopped to say hi to Clay and Finn on his way back to the table. When he returned, he said, “Clay and Finn say hello.”

They settled in for the second half of the show. “What do you think so far?” Will asked.

“I’m really enjoying this,” Tom replied. “I have to confess, I’m not much into poetry, but Janice Winters was really good. I could feel the emotion in her voice as she read.”

“I am a fan of many poets, and I have to agree with you, her performance was very moving.”

When the second half was over, Joe once again took to the mic and thanked everyone for attending. As they put their coats on to leave, Will saw Ash and Walker talking with one of the performers. “You ready?” Will asked.

“Yeah, let’s go.” At Will’s suggestion, Tom had parked in the Bradley House lot. As they ambled back to the truck, Tom said, “Tonight was fun, thanks for asking me.”

“I had a good time too,” Will replied. “I’m glad Clay mentioned it.”

“That guy that Ash was with. You said his name is Walker? He looks familiar. I’m pretty sure he works at Standish Construction. I believe he’s some kind of supervisor.”

“Really. How do you know that?” Will asked.

“Oh, my mom works there,” Tom told him. “She’s the personal assistant to the owner, Paul Standish.”

“Enough about them. I need some alone time with you,” Will said, heat in his tone. “Wanna head up to the bluff for a little while?”

“Yeah,” Tom whispered. “That sounds like a great idea.”