What’s over three but less than five is a number in time.
A whisper in the wind is where the fun begins.
When something is right, it’s like a golden light.
With all my love,
Beth
I sit staring in disbelief at the letter. This is all so ridiculous. Yet, there’s a weird knot in my stomach and an itchiness in my brain telling me to actually do this. I’m not one to back down from a challenge typically, but this can’t really be more than a simple distraction that she cooked up to keep me from spiraling out about work.
I grab my coffee cup, pulling the top off to make sure it’s cooled enough to drink. As I raise it toward my lips, my eyes catch on words floating right on top. It’s elaborate, like the fancy latte art that you’d get in a boutique coffee shop, except I never put cream in my coffee. I blink my eyes three times, convinced that I’m seeing things. But when I open them once more, the words are still there:Trust Me. — B.
four
Max
Hot For Teacher
Pushing open the door to 1793 for the second time, I move to grab a broom from one of the servers and promptly clean up the mess Sadie and I just made. It only takes a minute with Mr. Wallingham assisting. Handing it back to the woman, I spot Sam and Xavier in a booth toward the back corner—laughing at me. Or maybe with me?
We are meeting up for breakfast before my brother forces me to get poked and prodded for two hours by a tailor who thinks my hockey thighs stand a chance of fitting nicely into dress pants. I’m annoyed about the fitting, less so about the pancakes I’m planning to consume, and still a little in shock from seeing Sadie.
I knew she was in town since Howie told me as much. It’s just been a long time since I’ve seen her. Yesterday I barelyremembered who she even was. But now, I’m not sure how I ever forgot. She’s pretty and certainly knows how to make an entrance?—exit?—but that’s not the thing that’s so memorable. It’s the way she carries herself—confident, a little quirky, and in a very specific way that screams she always has her shit together. Sadie Wells is the kind of girl that’s so far out of everyone’s league she has her own category—or at least she used to be. I don’t really know her now.
Sliding up to the table, I scooch in next to my brother while ignoring the amused look on his face.
"Morning. Remind me again why we needed to do this so early?"
"Ten is basically brunch, Max. And you know Olive has that book thing later. I promised we’d be done in time." Sam shakes his head before sipping his coffee. "Who was the girl?" he asks as he picks a clump of scrambled eggs from my hair.
"I know… but Benny doesn’t really let me sleep all night." I pull the coffee from his hands and take a drink. "Ah, shit. That’s hot. Howie’s cousin, Sadie."
Xavier’s eyes get as wide as saucers. "You think Benny’s bad, try a baby," he mumbles.
I scoff. "Benny is a baby. He’s only three months old."
"Benny is a dog, Max." My brother’s best friend deadpans.
So he might not be walking around on two legs, but he still needs me. He’s my baby, and I treat him as such. But Xavier and Cami have been through it, from what Sam has told me. Their daughter—the one they named after my brother, in a weird show of respect—Sammy, still doesn’t sleep more than two hours at a time. "Fine, whatever. What’s the plan for today again?"
Sam grabs a menu and places it in front of me. "Did you hit your head when you ran into Sadie? I just told you we are eating, then the tux fitting, followed by Black Kettle’s adult book fair." He sips his drink again.
I take a minute to look, although I’m not sure why. My order hasn’t changed in roughly five years—pancakes, two eggs sunny-side up, a side of bacon and sausage, hash browns, and a coffee, black. When I shut the menu and place it back on the stack in front of my brother, a server approaches.
"Do you gentlemen know what you’d like to eat?" She sets a coffee mug in front of me and fills it up. I’ve seen this one here before, but she’s normally behind the counter or in the kitchen. Beth, the owner, is usually the one handling the tables. We order quickly, and she’s off once more.