Etching Our Way (Broken Tracks 1)

I narrow my eyes as he shrugs his shoulders. “I wanted to make sure you weren’t going to stand me up.”

I shake my head as we continue walking. Zanders is a five-minute drive from here, but I don’t want to be sitting in the car while I talk to him, plus it’s quicker to walk with the lunchtime traffic. I want to ask him if he knows what’s going on with Amelia, and as much as I trust Edward, I don’t want him to hear this. Whatever is going on, she’s keeping it close to her chest for a reason.

“So…” I start, pushing my hands into my pockets. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Shoot.”

I turn my gaze to his, taking note of his questioning green eyes. He can see that what I want to ask him is important as soon as his eyes meet mine because his whole demeanor changes; gone is the fun-loving Nate and in its place is the ruthless lawyer.

“It’s about Amelia.” I let that sink in as we weave our way between all of the people scuttling along the sidewalk. “Something’s going on with her.”

“Right,” he says, his voice gruff.

“Do you know what it is?”

He raises a brow. “How would I know? I barely talk to her.”

I chuckle. “You must think I’m blind,” I say. “I see how you always talk when you’re together.” He shakes his head, giving nothing away. “I…” I run my hands down my face again and look down at the sidewalk that is littered with lumps of gum and God knows what else. This isn’t about them, it’s about Amelia. “Every time something comes to the house for her, she acts… I don’t know… weird.”

“Weird how?” he asks.

“You saw her at the cookout, she was fine until that package turned up.” I think about it for a second before saying, “Her face pales, and… I don’t know… there’s something in her eyes, something that tells me that there’s something going on. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I’m worried about her.”

I lift my gaze back to his, watching the green of his eyes swirl. “So, ask her.” He shrugs.

“I have.” I curse as we come to a stop outside of Zanders. “She won’t tell me.”

His gaze flits from mine to the restaurant and then back again as he says, “I can do some digging, see what I can find out.”

I nod in reply, grunting before opening the door and following Nate over to a table. I look up and halt in my tracks, coming face to face with the last person I expected to see here.

“Harmony?” I stare at her in confusion for several seconds. “What are you doing here?”

She opens her mouth and closes it again, the breath leaving her body as her gaze skirts to Nate, her eyes narrowing.

I was supposed to come into the city, grab my art supplies, and go home. That was the plan anyway until I got a message from Nate asking me to have lunch with him. I was wary at first, not knowing if I could sit there without him bringing the past up, but I decided to suck it up because I need to talk to someone other than my mom. I love her, but I need some friends.

I arrive outside of Zanders and blow out a breath, looking down at my paint-splattered denim overalls. I don’t think I’m dressed to have lunch in here; it’s too high-end.

Sighing, I open the door anyway and smile at the maître d'. “Hi, I’m… I’m supposed to be meeting a friend here.”

Her gaze wanders over my attire, her smile faltering before she pastes it back on her face. “Name?”

“Har—” I chuckle, realizing that she doesn’t mean my name. “Oh, Nathan Cole.”

She looks down at the book in front of her before she nods and motions for me to follow her around the fancy, glass tables. “The waitress will be with you in a moment to take your drink order.”

“Thank you.”

She walks away and a couple of minutes later, a blond-haired waitress walks over to me. “Welcome to Zanders, can I get you a drink while you wait for your guests?”

I smile at her. “Sure, a…” I scan the drinks menu, my eyes widening at the extortionate price for a glass of wine. “I’ll have a tap water, thank you.”

Her brow furrows. “We only serve sparkling or still by the bottle.”

I inwardly sigh but keep a smile pasted on my face. “Perfect. Still, please.”

She nods. “Of course, I’ll go and get that for you, ma’am.”