put Barnaby in the yard. A little fresh air before bedtime helps him sleep.” Emma scooped up her dog and carried him to the back door. “Guard the house while I’m gone,” she whispered as she always did, dodging one of his sloppy kisses across her cheek before putting him down. Then she walked back to the front of the house and followed Jack and Sam to the truck, slightly surprised when Jack jumped ahead and opened the passenger door for her.
“You’re in the back,” he told Sam.
“Oh, no, that’s okay. I can take the back,” Emma protested, stopping short when Jack gave her a look.
“The lady rides in the front. The teenager gets the back. Universal rules.”
“It’s okay. I’m used to it,” Sam said as he climbed in. “I’m always in the back with Mom and Reginald.”
“Reginald?” Emma asked. “Do you call him Regi?”
“No, he hates that,” Sam said. “He’s Reginald.”
Jack chuckled to himself as he shut the door and got in on the driver’s side. “I’m assuming you two want to go to Bear’s for burgers,” he said as he backed out of the driveway.
“Mmm, Bear’s has the best fries. I haven’t been there in ages. I assumed we’d go to the Sweetwater Diner.”
Jack glanced across the seat. “The diner has burgers, but Bear’s makes birthday burgers.”
Emma scrunched her face and glanced at Sam in the back seat. “What in the world is a birthday burger?”
“You’ve never seen one?” Jack asked. “Well, tonight we’ll fix that.” He pulled up to a stop sign and looked over at her. “We’ll forget our worries, relax, and celebrate. Sound good?”
She took a shuddery breath and nodded.
“Sounds perfect.” Then tomorrow she could return to planning an event, running the café, and juggling a million other things, including what she was going to do about this slow-burning flame she’d been carrying for Jack for too long.
* * *
Bear’s Burgers was a quaint little restaurant in town, specializing in every burger imaginable, including bison and vegetarian options. There was also every french fry variety imaginable, although Emma always went with the sweet potato fries topped with brown sugar and salt. She could be happy eating a plate of those and nothing else.
She followed Jack and Sam to a table along the wall and paused before sitting down. The options were to slide into the booth next to Jack, which meant close proximity for the next hour, or she could sit next to Sam, which meant more eye contact across the table with Jack. Both would result in those pesky heart flutters that she was trying to suppress.
“Are you going to sit?” Jack asked.
She nodded and slid into the booth next to him. She could feel his warmth, and some part of her wanted to slide in closer and soak it up.
A waitress stepped up to the table and laid out three menus.
Emma looked up at her. “Ruby Jean.”
Ruby had been working at Bear’s since Emma came here as a teenager. She still wore her hair back in a tight bun at her nape, although the color had faded from blond to silver over the years. “It’s been a while since you’ve been in,” Ruby told Emma. She looked over at Jack. “You too. Even longer since you came together.”
Emma and Jack had come here first with their moms and later, when Jack got his license, just the two of them. They’d always ordered a large bottomless plate of fries to split.
“And who is this handsome young fellow?” Ruby asked, looking at Sam.
Sam shifted in the booth across from Emma, offering an awkward grin at the older waitress. “I’m Sam.”
“Sam is my nephew. Amanda’s son. He’ll be staying with me this summer,” Jack said.
“Oh, how nice.” Ruby gave a warm smile. “And where is Amanda? I haven’t seen her in ages either.”
Emma looked over at Jack, noticing the corners of his mouth dip subtly.
“She’s taking some time to herself,” he told Ruby.
Ruby seemed to wait for a moment as if thinking he’d say more. When he didn’t, she pulled her notepad out of her apron pocket and reached for the pen tucked away in her bun. “Well, every woman deserves time to herself once in a while.”
“She’s not by herself. She’s with her boyfriend,” Sam pointed out.
Ruby Jean smiled. “Having the time of their lives, I’m sure. And I’m sure you’ll have a great summer staying with your uncle Jack.”
Sam heaved a sigh. “So far he’s only had me working at the park with him.”