Rose with a Thorn

CHAPTER TWENTY

I walked in the diner, and I was surprised at how busy it was considering there were barely any cars in the lot. I grabbed us a booth near the back and watched Brandon take his time getting out of the car. Things were changing quickly between us. The more time I spent with him, the more comfortable he made me feel.

I watched him walk through the front door, looking around until he spotted me. I smiled as he made his way over but there was a glint in his eye that was telling me I'm not going to like what was about to happen. Instead of sitting across from me, he slid in right beside me, putting his hand dangerously high on my thigh.

“If you’re going to play with fire, my little flower, I’ll show you what it’s like to get burned.”

I knew I was going to regret what I did! He started moving his thumb on my leg when the waitress came over. “Hey there, welcome to Dad’s Diner! You're both new around here, why don’t we get you started with some menus!”

“We heard you have some amazing pancakes here,” I said, “Marg sent us to try them out.”

“Oh, Marg. Sweetest lady around! I'll bring you some of her favorites right away! In the meantime, can I get you some coffee? Tea? Water?”

“I’ll have a coffee, black. My girlfriend here will have some chocolate milk if you have any.”

“Of course! Be right back!”

I turned to look at Brandon with a pout. “I could’ve ordered my own drink, you know.”

“I wouldn’t be a very good boyfriend if I couldn’t order your favorite drink for you, would I?” He said with a wink.

“Yeah, whatever... About that... are you sure it’s a good idea for us to play on the boyfriend/girlfriend thing? I don’t want to give people the wrong idea or have them asking questions we can’t answer.”

“It was your idea, sweetheart. I think as long as we look and act like a couple, no one’s going to ask any unnecessary questions. Which is why I'm currently sitting beside you. But also, you were being mean to me, little flower. I intend to show you that two can play that game.”

He leaned toward me, and his lips brushed beside mine. I inhaled sharply, looking around to see if anyone was watching. He laughed and moved to the other side of the booth.

“I think if your face gets any hotter, it might actually catch on fire. Relax, Rose. I won’t push your limits, no matter how much I enjoy seeing you squirm.”

The waitress came back at that moment with a huge plate of different kinds of pancakes. My mouth was watering looking at the variety. I couldn’t wait to dig in!

“This here is our famous pancake platter, shareable for 2! It's also Marg’s favorite way to have her breakfast with her husband. There are cookies and cream, peanut butter cup, birthday cake, and regular! I'll be right back with your coffee and milk.”

I didn’t think Brandon heard a single word she said, he was too busy watching my reaction! I grabbed a plate and dug right into the cookies and cream. The first bite made my eyes roll back and an enjoyable moan escaped my lips. Marg wasn’t kidding about how good these were!

“Aren’t you going to have any?” I said with my mouth full.

“Yeah, I’m just busy watching and listening to you. I can’t wait to hear that moan in my ears when I'm touching you.”

My face heated up again and I looked down at the plate before shoving another piece of pancake in my mouth. By the time we were finished eating, our stomachs were completely full and not a single crumb was left on the plate. I was so overstuffed, I felt like I had to take off my pants and have a nice, long nap. Brandon could see where my thoughts were going. He put his hand up to signal for the bill.

“Wow! Ya'll really enjoyed those!” said the waitress. “Can I get you anything else? Or just the bill?”

“Just the bill, please. I'm afraid my girl might fall asleep right here if we don’t get moving.”

I rolled my eyes but he was right. If I closed my eyes for even a second, I'd be fast asleep. Probably snoring and embarrassing myself in front of the town’s people. I doubt Brandon would mind though. He'd probably just carry me out.

On second thought, maybe I should close my eyes. Lost in my own thoughts, I felt a hand slip in mine before a gentle tug pulled me out of the booth. When I got to my feet, he picked me up bridal style and started walking out.

“You can put me down, I can walk.”

“That’s okay. I kind of like carrying you like this. I wish it was to a bed though.”

He has no shame! He carried me to the car and opened the door. After setting me inside, he closed the door and got in. “Why don’t we take a nap? We can go back to the house when we wake up.”

“Sure. Where are we going to go?”

“Right here. You can climb in the back if you want to stretch out better.”

“I’m good here, thanks. The windows are dark enough.”

I leaned the chair back, put my feet on the dash, and closed my eyes. I didn’t remember hearing anything else once my lids were closed, I knew sleep would consume me quickly. I dreamed of the house we were going to look at. I kept thinking of different ways I could decorate and make it ours and I wasn’t even sure what it looked like inside yet. Before I knew it, I was being pulled out of sleep by the sound of the car starting.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. I was just going to drive around until you woke up.”

“Well, I'm awake now, so why don’t we go back?”

I sat the seat up and rubbed my eyes. The country really was beautiful. I could see myself living out here all the time, even if we ended up moving back home eventually. Being able to walk through property and enjoying the fresh air every day sounded like a dream come true.

Back at the house, we pulled right up beside it instead of parking out on the road. Marg greeted us at the door with a smile and 2 bottles of water. “Welcome back, Dears! I was telling my husband about your interest in the house, and he is more than happy to show you around. He asked me to send you right back to the barn when you got here.”

“No problem, thanks Marg. It's a pleasure to see you again.” I said.

We started walking towards the barn in the back. Brandon took my hand mumbling something about it being all for show, but we both knew there was more to it than that.

I was looking around all the space this place had on the short walk back. I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like raising a family here. I'd put a big tree swing on the oak tree, a play center for my kids in the fenced area. Maybe we’d get a dog or two and some other animals. I always wanted chickens. Brandon opened the barn door, letting me step in before him. I saw an older gentleman cleaning some tools in his cabinet.

He turned to face us when the door closed. “Ah, you must be the folks interested in the house. Nice to meet you, I'm Carl.”

I walked over to shake his hand, Brandon following behind me. “Nice to meet you, Carl. I’m Rose, and this is my boyfriend, Brandon.”

“You look a little young to be having a boyfriend, young lady.”

I laughed off his response, sensing the humor in his voice. “What can I say? I like my men a little... older.” I gave him a warm smile. I could feel Brandon’s heated gaze on my back.

“Well, damn. You got a funny one here, Brandon.”

“I sure do. A little charmer.” he said back, shaking Carl’s hand.

“I suppose ya’ll want a tour of the grounds? We're selling privately so you’ll just have to put up with my slow ass.”

“Not a problem. We're actually looking to move sooner rather than later. My girl here is tired of sleeping in the car while we house hunt.”

“For sure, sweet little thing like you probably gets bored quick.”

“At least my company is good.” I said.

We spent the next hour walking around the property and barn. Carl told us all the plans he had but never got around to. I thought if we ended up living here, I would finish some of the projects he had in mind.

The property was much bigger than the area surrounding the house. They owned about 10 acres of land going straight back, all the way through the woods before hitting the property behind them. He said there were horse and four-wheeling trails through the whole area but that no one had been out on them in the last several years, so they’d need some cleaning up before being able to use them again.

As we were walking back to the house, I was sad that the tour was over. Carl seemed to take pride in everything outside, I was sure the interior was just as beautiful. We walked through the back door into an amazing laundry mud room, completely refinished. Carl motioned for us to take off our shoes, before walking ahead of us into the kitchen. Brandon and I looked at each other in awe, following him in.

The main floor was completely open with new flooring and a fresh coat of paint. The kitchen was absolutely perfect. Black cupboards, black and white counter tops, a big farmer’s sink, and a huge window above it looking into the backyard. There was a giant island in the middle separating the kitchen from the living room, which was also breathtaking.

“We put a lot of money into renovating and updating, so you’ll have to excuse our old furniture. We figured whoever buys the house will get themselves new stuff anyways.”

“That’s okay, Marg. This is stunning! I'm absolutely in love with what you have done here. Babe,” I turned to look at Brandon, “This would be perfect for us. Don't you think?” My new favorite thing to do was catch him off guard. The look on his face was priceless.

“Ah-hem,” he cleared his throat. “Yes, I think it would be perfect. Do you mind showing us the rest?”

“Of course, I'll let Marg show you this floor and I'll take ya’ll upstairs after.”

Since everything was open, there wasn’t much else to see here. Marg showed us all the storage and the view from the windows on the main floor. There was a half bathroom that just had a toilet and sink and an office that looked like a personal library. I couldn’t stop smiling, I was in love with this house!

Carl came back and we made our way upstairs. There were 3 bedrooms, 2 of them were completely redone and the third one they were just starting to clear out. Apparently, the stairs were too much for Marg to be using multiple times a day, so she usually slept downstairs on the pull-out couch.

The master bathroom was my favorite part of the house, for sure. It had a great big soaker tub and a walk-in shower. The windows were huge, but you could fog them up before taking a bath or shower for some privacy. Not that I thought very many people stop by out here. We made our way back downstairs to where Marg was putting dinner on the table.

“You’re welcome to stay and have some food. I always make way too much for just the two of us anyways.”

“No, we couldn’t impose any more than we have. It smells delicious though.” I said to her.

“Don’t worry about it, dear. Come on over and grab a seat. I already put 2 extra plates out for you guys.”

“Thank you so much!” I didn’t think my smile could get any bigger.

The food was amazing! Grilled chicken with rice, broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower. She also made a delicious cheese dip that had pita for dipping.

“So, what brings ya’ll out this way?” Carl asked us.

“Honestly, we’re just looking for a fresh start. We decided to drive until our surroundings felt like they could be home, and then we went house hunting. Yours is actually the first one we’re seeing, but I think Rose really enjoys the space you’ve created here. What are you asking for this place?” Brandon was using such a sweet voice, I almost had to laugh.

“The house is paid off, so we only wanted to get enough that we could find a smaller place, more suitable for Marg. That, and a little closer to town, not that it’s overly far. When would you be looking to move in?”

Brandon and I looked at each other, both of us saying as soon as possible, before we burst out laughing together.

“Carl, honey, I like them. Look how magical their chemistry is.”

My face heated up. They didn’t know our relationship wasn’t real, but I wasn’t going to be the one to tell them. I reached over to take Brandon’s hand with a warm smile on.

“Thank you, Marg. When you know, you know.” Brandon said.

“Alright, love birds. We'll sell it to you for $300,000, on the condition that we can stay here with you until we find our own place in town.”

My mouth must have dropped open. Brandon put his finger under my chin to close it.

“Sorry about her,” he laughed, “She gets a little awe-struck when things work our way sometimes. We would be happy to have you stay with us, but we couldn’t impose on you. We can make do with the car for now, or if there’s a motel, we can get a place there for a while.”

“Nonsense,” Marg stood up from her chair. “You saw we have a perfectly good bedroom upstairs that’s ready for you two to stay in until we can find a new home. Don't be silly, you can stay here starting tonight.” Marg took her dirty dishes to the sink, ending that conversation.

“Should we go over the details then? I have enough cash. I can take you to a bank tomorrow and we can deposit it for you.”

I didn’t know he had that much with us! Is he crazy carrying all that around? Carl must have read my mind. “Why are you carrying around that much money in cash, young man? What if someone robbed you?”

“We didn’t want to leave anything behind, and we didn’t know where exactly we were going to end up. I figured it would be easier to withdraw everything and open a new account wherever we ended up. It's no big deal, no one would have found it.”

“Ya’ll can go talk in the study, leave us girls alone for some girl talk.”

Brandon seemed unsure to leave me, but I just smiled at him. What could they possibly do to me? The men got up and left, and I brought the dishes over to the sink.

“Just leave them, Dear. This is still my house until the payment is made. Why don’t you go sit on the couch and I'll make us some tea?”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course! I'll be there in just a moment. We can load the dishwasher later.” She winked at me and turned to finish rinsing the dishes off.