I've Always Wanted You

Chapter 3

Braden's POV

Sullies was only a mile walk down the beach and the only seats open were at the bar.

"Busy this morning, Cherry?" I asked the waitress as she speed walked across the restaurant in here ripped jean shorts with her hair up in a bandanna.

"You know it, Sugar." She yelled as she walked past us holding a large tray with all the breakfast fixings in one hand and a pitcher in the other. Cherry moved to California from Georgia about five years ago and she's as southern as they come.

We sat at the only two seats that were beside one another, putting us in between a man wearing a worn beat up fisherman's hat and a heavy khaki coat in 90 degree weather and a woman dumping half the sugar dispenser in her coffee cup.

"You think she'd like some coffee with that sugar?" I asked Cassie.

She giggled with her mouth closed as she continued to look at the menu. I smiled as I watched her reading over all the choices for breakfast.

"You know what you're gonna get?" I asked her.

"Probably blueberry pancakes." she said. "You?"

"I don't know yet. Might try something new." I said, still watching her look at the menu.

"Psh. You always say that and still end up getting the same thing every time." she said.

"Eh. You never know. I could surprise you." I said as I pushed a piece of hair from her face behind her ear.

She stiffened in her seat. I could see her chest visibly rise and fault quickly.

"Yeah. Right." she said and pulled her hair from behind her ear so that it fell in front of her face again.

I looked at her closely. Her index finger was fidgeting with the edge of the menu and her knee was moving up and down as she was bouncing her foot quickly along the bottom of the stool. She was nervous. Was I making her nervous?

"What can I get for y'all?" Cherry appeared behind the counter, notepad in hand and pulling a pencil from behind her ear.

"Blueberry pancakes and a coffee for me, please." Cassie says.

Cherry turns to me after she writes down Cassie's order.

"Four scrambled eggs, two pieces of bacon and two pieces of sausage for me, please. Oh! And a coffee too." I say as I smirk at Cass.

She rolls her eyes and takes her backpack off her shoulders and drops it on the floor.

Cherry says, "Sure thing, doll," and she's off again, yelling orders at the cooks and welcoming people to Sullies.

"So." I say as I turn to Cassie and lean my elbow on the counter. "Did you have fun last night?"

She rubs her hands against her thighs and squares her shoulders before leaning towards the counter awkwardly.

"Sure. I mean, I mostly read my book, and besides getting thrown into the water the night wasn't all that eventful. But, sure." She explained.

"I, uh saw Austin checking you out last night." I say slowly.

Her eyebrows furrow and her upper lip raises slightly.

"You're best friend, Austin?" she asks.

I just nod my head as I watch Cherry pour coffee in my coffee cup she just placed in front of me. I look up at her and smile a 'thanks'.

"When would he even have time to be "checking me out" between playing football with you and hitting on Carrie Connors with her extra small bikini top and barely there bottoms?" she asks with disgust in her voice.

"Don' like Carrie, huh?" I ask as I take a sip of my black coffee.

"It's not that I don't like her. I just don't appreciate her styling choices." she says as she pours cream and sugar into her cup.

"What a nice way of saying she's a slut." I in a cheerful tone.

Cassie gives me a small death stare while blowing on her coffee before taking a sip. The woman beside her has abandoned her coffee for a plate of eggs and bacon which she is cutting with a knife before taking the smallest bites of it. I wonder if she's even tasting it.

The bell above the door rings and Austin walks in with a few other guys from the team. They walk over to us and I slap hands with all of them before bumping fists.

"You guys working off hangovers, too?" Austin asks me.

"Nah, man. Just getting my sister and I some breakfast before we head back to the house. The house keeper has the weekends off." I say.

Cassie stays turned facing the front of the restaurant, staring at the coffee pots and old fashioned signs on the wall of the diner. She doesn't say hello to the guys and her hands are curled up into fists.

Austin tilts his head to look at her.

"So you're not gonna say hello, Cassie?" he directs the question to her as he taps her shoulder.

She swivels the stool around and smiles sarcastically at him.

"Hello, Austin." she says and then turns back around. She sips her coffee loudly.

"Touchy today, huh? Maybe I'll catch you again at a time where you're more suited for my company." he says while cheesing at the back of her head before telling me bye and talking to an open booth at either side of the diner.

"Yeah, you do that." Cassie says after Austin is out of earshot.

"Sorry about that, " I say. "The guys can be rough after a night of partying."

"No problem," she says before downing the rest of her coffee like a shot of tequila.

Cherry brings out our food a few minutes later and Cassie eats her as though the diner is on fire.

"Cass, what's the hurry?" I say. "Look, I said I was sorry about the guys. I didn't know they were gonna come in today. What's your problem?"

She finishes the last bite of her pancakes and drops her fork onto her plate.

"My problem?" she asks as though I should know the answer.

"My problem is that you let him talk to me like that. You know his reputation. You know what he gets from girls, and you're just gonna let him hit on me when I'm your sister?" She says sister as though she isn't mine, as if there is some other meaning behind it.

Before I can say anything else she grabs her backpack, drops eight dollars on the counter and walks out the door, the bell ringing behind her.