Page 10

I try not to think about that or how I was instantly obsessed with how good her red hair looks in that little pixie cut. No, that and the image of her legs in those spandex bike shorts had nothing to do with me not sleeping right last night.

I block those images from my head and focus on each square of the sidewalk in front of me. The last thing I need when I get my morning coffee from the diner is for my cock to get hard again. Instead, I think about my coffee order, which will absolutely need an extra shot of espresso, if not two.

I used to make my own coffee and only occasionally went to the diner in the morning to meet Sisi or Dad. After the accident at the garage, the walks to and from the diner, in the morning, or at lunch, became a part of my rehab and physical therapy routine. Then this year, the diner’s new owner installed a fancy espresso machine. Riley seriously knows her stuff, which has really upgraded the coffee situation there. Ever since then, I started making the short walk down Silver Street most mornings before work. Good coffee and fresh air always seem to make the start of my day better.

I walk into the diner and hear the bell on the door when it shuts behind me. I’m hit with all the familiar smells and sounds of a place that’s basically my family’s second dining room. That’s exactly what I need to reset my nerves and get my day started with some sense of normalcy.

Still in my groggy morning fog, I walk straight up to the register where Riley is leaning against the counter.

“Morning, Sly,” she says with a wry grin and tone that’s far too cheery for my state of mind. “You look rough. Don’t tell me, you were out late at The Hatch?”

“Come on.” I quirk a brow at her. “I know you haven’t even lived here for a year yet, but you know me better than that.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She huffs a laugh as she keys something on the tablet. “You going to need two coffees this morning?”

I sigh and nod. “Yeah, the usual. Put an extra shot in one of them.”

“I’ll have them ready in a bit.”

I rap my knuckles on the counter. “Thanks, Riley.”

I lean against it, propping myself up on my elbows. I think about the plan for the day, which starts with troubleshooting Josie’s van to figure out what’s wrong with it.

“Well, there he is.” A deep, all too familiar voice from behind me derails my train of thought. “I figured I’d run into you here.”

I look over my shoulder, and sure enough, Dad is sitting next to my sister in our usual booth. My eyes must be playing tricks on me, because sitting across from them is Josie.

Fuck me. Our eyes meet, but not before I catch the way her throat bobs when she realizes I’m looking back at her. She quickly shifts her gaze away from me and back to her coffee cup.

I drop my head in defeat, knowing there’s no way I’m getting out of the diner without some level of interaction with the trio in the booth. My sister contorts herself in the booth next to our dad and drapes her arms over the back, grinning so eagerly. I already know she’s enjoying my misfortune.

“Hey, big brother. Aren’t you going to say hi?”

I shoot Sisi a glare and reply. “Hi.”

She giggles and elbows our dad. “Looks like someone hasn’t had his coffee yet.”

Dad nods in agreement. “Yeah, I’d say so. He’s his charming morning self, that’s for sure.”

I scrub my hand over my chin and through my beard. “Yeah, that’s why I’m here. Or were you not just eavesdropping?”

“Maybe. Why don’t you wait for your coffee with us?” Dad gestures for me to sit across from him and my traitorous little sister.

“Fine,” I grumble before reluctantly walking over, secretly holding out hope that maybe if I do, they’ll be merciful and end my agony sooner.

Standing at the end of the table, my eyes briefly drift to Josie, and I feel at least slightly better because she’s enjoying this as much as I am. Her nervous ticks—like the way she gnaws at the inside of her cheek or the flush creeping up her neck—haven’t changed. She doesn’t want to be a part of whatever antics Dad and Sisi are up to. That makes two of us.

“Josie.” I mouth her name so quietly, I’m not even sure it’s audible.

Her lips pull into a line when she looks back up, and I feel the icy chill of her glare. “Sylvester.”

“Well, would you look at that? You two remember each other’s name,” Dad says, chuckling.

Josie’s eyes narrow, and we both shoot my dad an unamused glare. I’m about to say something, but she cuts me off. “Good one, Mr. Sterling. I always knew Sly got his shit-starting ways from you, but I’m glad to see you haven’t changed.”

I watch my dad’s reaction, and to his credit, he chuckles again. With her living next door and being friends with Sisi, she was always around our house. Once we started dating, we were even more inseparable. As far as my parents were concerned, she was practically another one of their kids. That’s why, even back then, she and my dad loved trading little barbs.

“Josie, I think the last time I heard you call me Mr. Sterling, you were four years old and had finally learned to say Mister. So please, Mr. Sterling is for strangers, and while it’s been what, ten years? You can call me Eddie.”