AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHASE
“Oh my god,” Addison groans, lips wrapped around the bun of her giant burger. Her tight grip causes ketchup and mayo to plop out onto the steak fries that cover the bottom of her Styrofoam container. “I had no idea adrenaline could work up such an appetite.”
I grin over at her. She’s sitting across from me at an old picnic table. The red paint is chipped, the wood so worn that it’s splintered and falling apart. When I first sat down opposite of her, her side of the table raised in the air like a seesaw.
Her gorgeous looks make her seem completely out of place, and yet the smile on her face and her confident demeanor tell me she’s perfectly at ease.
I wasn’t sure how she’d react to The Burger Shack when I first considered bringing her here. Appropriately named, it’s a literal shack in the middle of nowhere that serves nothing but big, juicy burgers and steak fries.
Bob, the owner, is scary looking in a Deliverance sort of way. He may be loud and gruff, but we’ve managed to grow a friendship over the years. Still, his jagged teeth and scraggly beard aren’t nearly as off-putting as the environment.
The shack itself is barely standing, all patched up and covered in cliché Colorado signs. Thick, overgrown bushes surround the rusted carport that hovers over the picnic tables, and a few sun-faded kids’ toys are scattered about.
“It might not be much to look at,” I admit, gesturing around the rundown burger shack, “but the burgers are incredible.”
“How did you even find this place?” She takes a long sip of her soda, her bright red lips leaving a ring around the straw.
“Just dumb luck really. We visited so much over the years that we ran out of things to do, so we’d go out driving to pass the time, especially since it took Drake four tries to pass his driver’s test, and he needed all the help he could get.”
“Seriously?” She laughs and I join in, nodding.
“Anyway, one afternoon, we just wandered upon the place. Not gonna lie—we were a bit apprehensive at first. We were probably sixteen, seventeen—I’m not sure—but Drake just about pissed himself when he saw Bob over there.”
I pause, biting off an end of a fry and taking a long swig of my drink. “We almost didn’t even eat our burgers, but they smelled too damn good to resist. Some summers, it seemed like we single-handedly kept this place running with how often we were here.”
“Well, the fact that Bob could guess my favorite kind of burger just by looking at me was pretty impressive. I mean, down to the cheese, Chase. The cheese!”
“I’ve never seen him do that before, so I don’t know what the hell that was all about.”
She slurps the last of her drink and then plops it onto the picnic table. “You guys spent a lot of time up here? At the cabins, I mean.”
“Yeah, we did. We were good kids. I was a loner. Drake was popular, especially with girls, but we weren’t really into the party scene. We got good grades and followed the rules, so we were given a lot of freedom. Way more freedom than I’ll be giving my teenage kids someday.”
She smiles and nods in understanding. “Did the Rachel thing get sorted out last night?”
“No clue.” I shrug. “I try to stay out of it, ya know?”
“Yep, definitely. He’s sweet, though. I can’t believe he agreed to spend his day taking care of Olivia. I felt bad about leaving her when she wasn’t feeling well, but I know she was being genuine when she told me to go.”
“Well, I can tell you that he was also being genuine when he said he wanted to stay with her today. He takes care of people. That’s just who he is,” I say with a shrug.
“I’m sure Olivia appreciates it.” She begins packing up her container. I stack mine on top of hers and grab them both to drop into the trash.
“You ready?” I ask. When I stand, her side of the table lands on the ground gently and she giggles.
“Yeah, ready for a nap.”
“I’m noticing a trend with you. Food and sleep are all you’re after,” I say, eyebrows raising.
“Well, it is vacation.” She hooks her arm into mine as we head back toward the truck. “Besides, I’ve spent a lot of time enjoying you, too.”
Her large smile and twinkling eyes have me leaning in for a kiss. I mean for it to be light and quick, but the moment our lips touch, I don’t want to pull away. She pushes up on her toes and wraps her arms around my shoulders, the swipe of her tongue drawing me in.
“You kids get outta here! We don’t want none a dat baby-makin bidness ’round here,” Bob yells out.
I pull away with a groan, sending my middle finger in his general direction and grabbing Addison by the hand to steer her away from the old shack. Once she’s settled into the cab of my truck, I sneak in a couple more kisses, then hop in and head toward the cabins.
We drive with the windows down, the sun and Addison competing for which can shine the brightest. Her legs are up on the dash, and she belts out some song on the radio I don’t know as her hair whips and tangles in the wind. She looks beautiful and wild, so I decide to take the long way back to the cabins to enjoy the view a little longer.
