Point Pleasant by Jen Archer Wood Read Free Book Online Page A

proposed.”
    “Wouldn’t that be something?” Andrew asked almost to himself. Ben could see his father was considering the idea of walking his little girl down the aisle.
    “Yeah,” Ben agreed. “It would. But it just got me thinking. It’s been a while. And I don’t have anything else going on right now.”
    “You’re not working?” Andrew asked, and Ben steeled himself at his father’s tone . Andrew might as well have used his index and middle fingers to make a pair of air quotes as he spoke the final word.
    “I am,” Ben said. “But a change of scenery can’t hurt. I can write anywhere.”
    “You staying long, then?”
    Ben scratched at the label on his bottle. “I dunno, I hadn’t really thought that far ahead.”
    “Well, you’re welcome to stay as long as you want, Benji,” he said. “I’m not here much, honestly. Your room is just as you left it,” he said, and Ben smiled as his father repeated himself from their conversation the night before.
    “Thanks, Dad,” Ben said, and his earlier tension slipped away.
    Andrew clapped him on the shoulder again. “Duvall’s?”
    Ben nodded.
    “Let me grab my coat,” Andrew said as he led them to the front hall. He paused and twisted to face Ben. “But let me ask you something.”
    “Yeah, what?” Ben asked.
    “Can I drive?”
    Ben laughed, pulled the keys to the Camaro out of his pocket, and tossed them to his father. Andrew caught them and beamed.
     
     
     
    When they reached Duvall’s, all of Ben’s earlier anxiety had disappeared. Andrew had been impressed with Ben’s upkeep of the Camaro despite his grumbles over the mileage, and he had taken the long way back to Main Street so that he could enjoy the drive.
    The diner was relatively busy, but it had always been a favored destination in Point Pleasant. Mae Duvall was an important member of the community and this was reflected in the popularity of her business.
    A stout man with ginger hair and a scruffy beard to match greeted them. His name tag read, ‘Keith.’
    Ben followed Keith to a corner booth and took a seat opposite his father. Ben gave his order; he had been away for over ten years, but the menu had not changed. Andrew asked for the same. Duvall’s did the best burgers in the state as far as residents of Point Pleasant were concerned.
    Keith seemed unprepared for their quick decisions and fumbled for his order pad. He took an awkward moment to jot down their requests before he disappeared to the kitchen.
    “He new?” Ben asked, and Andrew shook his head.
    “Keith? Nah, he’s been around a while. A nephew on Mitch’s side, I think.”
    Mitch, Mae’s husband, had died two years prior. Andrew had mentioned it in a phone call soon after, and Ben had sent flowers to Mae, but it felt like an empty gesture. Ben had liked Mitch Duvall; he had helped Ben patch up his front bike tire one muggy summer afternoon in his youth and had offered a free milkshake afterward.
    Ben sat a little straighter in his seat when he realized he and Andrew were under the scrutinous eyes of the other patrons. He felt overdressed for a burger and fries at the local greasy spoon, but Andrew seemed unperturbed.
    “Not much else has changed, though,” Andrew said.
    “Yeah, the ride in was like hopping into a time machine. The only real difference seemed to be the Sheriff’s Department.”
    “They finished construction on the new building a year or two ago. I don’t remember. Cost the county a lot of money, but I guess they can justify it.”
    “I saw Sheriff Nolan’s comments in the paper. About the missing livestock,” Ben said, and he kept his tone casual, hoping Andrew would resume their conversation from the night before. “Online, I mean. The Gazette has a website.”
    “Yeah, Lizzie Collins runs it almost single-handedly,” Andrew said, snorting. “She’s always got her nose in town business.”
    “Sounds about right.”
    “I read that article the other day, though,” Andrew said.