“Ten-four,” Everett said. “See you in a few.”
I hung up and went inside, shaking my head. At least this meant I could grab lunch at Dina’s. I always enjoyed going there, especially when Lauren waited on me. She was a sweet girl and extremely cute. Heading to the bedroom, I put on some more presentable clothes and spruced up a bit.
By the time I got to the diner a half hour or so later, Everett and Deacon were waiting in the parking lot for me. I grinned as I saw my friends leaning against one of the two moving trucks hanging out and taking up a lot of the space in the lot. At least it didn’t seem too busy at the diner.
After greeting them, we went inside and grabbed a booth near the corner. It was where I generally sat when I came, and as I walked by, I glanced in the back through the open doorframe and saw Lauren milling around. Sure enough, when we were seated for a minute or so, she came out, adjusting her apron. She had been promoted to a manager position last year and didn’t wait tables as often anymore, so I was happy to catch her on a day where she was.
“Hello, Carter,” she said, smiling brightly.
“Hello, darlin’,” I said, eliciting a rush of color to her cheeks.
“Who have we got with us today?” She turned her attention to Deacon and Everett.
“These are friends of mine. Everett and Deacon.” As I said their names, they raised their hands for a little wave and smiled. Both of their eyes were wide when they got a good look at her, and I understood it. She was amazing, and far too good-looking to be working at a diner in the middle of nowhere Tennessee.
“Hello, boys,” she said. “I’ll grab your drinks now and give you a second to look over the menu.”
As she walked away, I saw both of their eyes follow her for a moment. Everett turned back first, made eye contact with me, and raised both eyebrows. Deacon took an extra second and then turned and made the exact same expression. It was like they were twins.
“I know,” I said. “She’s stupidly hot.”
“I’ll say,” Deacon said as he pulled the menu up. “It certainly helps to have somebody nice to look at for the scenery here.”
“Yeah,” Everett said. “I’m pretty sure this diner hasn’t had an update since the mid-seventies.”
“Even the glasses look like they’re ancient,” Deacon said.
“Well, then be careful and don’t break them,” I joked. “Or else you’ll see how that cute waitress can get sassy in a hurry.”
“Promise?” Everett asked, and we all laughed.
My eyes drifted back over to her as she worked while the other two perused the menu. I already knew what I wanted when I came to Dina’s. I always did.
I led the boys to their new cabin about a third of the way up the same mountain I lived on. Their driveway wasn’t nearly as long as mine, but the cabin itself was settled up against a running brook and looked huge. Deacon pulled his moving truck up to the front door, and Everett pulled his to the garage that was connected to the house. I parked a little way out of the way to give them space and hopped out.
“I thought you said ‘truck’ on the phone. Not plural,” I said as I approached them while Deacon slid out the ramp.
“I meant we had finished loading Everett’s truck. Mine was done the day before. It’s got all the furniture in it, and Everett’s got all the boxes and stuff,” he said. “We only need you carrying boxes. We can get the furniture, but we just might need a spotter for some of the tall stuff.”
“I can handle it,” I said. “I might limp, but I can help carry heavy things. I didn’t build up these biceps and chest muscles for nothing.”
“I thought it was to impress women,” Everett teased as he came up behind me.
“Do you see a wedding ring on his finger?” Deacon said. “If he did it for women, it clearly hasn’t worked.”
“Har, har,” I said. “Come on, let’s get this couch inside so I have somewhere to sit if my bum leg gives out.”
“Oh, so now you need a place to rest?” Deacon needled.
“More like drink a beer when you get to be too annoying,” Everett said.
As we moved things in, I noted how spacious the cabin was. Deacon said that since he and Everett were moving two places into one cabin, they wanted enough room that they could spread out and not drive each other nuts. The interior space was big enough that I could almost fit my cabin in it twice over, but I did have a lot more land. Having the brook right outside, while gorgeous to look at, meant they would also have their fair share of bears and other animals that I didn’t have to worry about as much.