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“For the love of God, can you appreciate a man who’s this crazy about you?” Summer exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “I swear, I’ve never seen anyone take this many pictures of his girlfriend. Even I don’t take this many pictures of you, and I think you’re the most gorgeous woman on the planet!”
She pointed at the screen again. “Look at how pretty you look in these pictures. And look at him! He's practically telling the entire world that you're his favorite person.”
Allison laughed and nudged Summer's shoulder. “Let me drink my coffee in peace.”
She took a sip before glancing around the café. It was quieter than usual, with only a handful of customers scattered across the tables.
“There aren't many people here today,” she remarked.
“It's only the afternoon,” Summer explained, returning her attention to her coffee. “The crowd will come later. It's usually pretty quiet around this time, but it gets much busier in the evening, especially during dinner.”
Just then, Allison's phone began ringing on the table. She glanced at the screen and immediately answered when she saw Shane's name.
“I need to meet you right now,” Shane said without preamble. “It's something important.”
Allison straightened in her seat, the smile disappearing from her face. “What's going on? Is everything all right? Are you okay?”
Her voice tightened with concern. Shane had been attacked not long ago, and the memory of what had happened still made her uneasy whenever he called unexpectedly.
“I'm fine,” he assured her. “It's not about me. It's about the business.”
Her shoulders relaxed slightly. As long as Shane was safe, they could deal with whatever problem had arisen with the business.
“Don't worry about it,” she told him. “Where are you right now? Should I come and get you?”
“I'm at work. Where are you?”
“I'm at Summer's diner. Can you come here?”
“Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes. Just wait for me, okay? Don't leave.”
“I'll be here.”
After Shane ended the call, Allison set her phone down and immediately sent Silas a message, telling him that Shane needed to meet her urgently about something concerning the business. She asked whether Silas could help if they needed someone to look into the matter.
To her surprise, his reply came almost immediately.
‘Yeah. I'm leaving the office now. I'll come to you.’
Allison released a quiet breath of relief.
Silas was always busy, yet he never seemed too busy to answer her messages or make time for her when she needed him. Somehow, simply knowing that he was coming made the worry weighing on her chest feel a little lighter.
Shane arrived a short while later, and it wasn't long before Silas joined them. The three settled around the table, with Summer quietly returning to her work in the diner while Allison turned her attention to her brother.
“So, what's going on?” she asked, studying Shane's face.
Shane shifted in his seat, avoiding her gaze. “It's nothing major. Just a small matter. I probably overreacted by calling you.”
Allison narrowed her eyes. She knew him well enough to recognize when he was trying to hide something from her, and his reluctance only made her more suspicious.
“Shane, tell me what's going on.”
“Really, Allison, it's fine. You just got married. There's no need for you to worry about this. I'll handle it myself. I shouldn't have called you.”
“Shane!” She finally lost her patience and leaned across the table, glaring at him. “Are you even listening to me? Stop acting like a sensitive little boy and tell me what’s going on before I start throwing hands!”
Shane flinched at her outburst.
