Chapter 5 #2
That was a potential minefield. “Quiet. Cold. Quaint.”
I glanced at him to gauge his reaction, and he eyed me back just as suspiciously. This was starting to get ridiculous.
“The people are warm,” he said.
“I haven’t spoken to that many, but I’ll take your word for it. I bumped into the guy from the town hall. Oliver. He was nice. A bit too bouncy for my taste, but nice.”
“Oliver’s great. He’s the sheriff’s son.”
“Chicken?”
Jordy snorted. “Chickie.”
“Why do people call him that? He’s like the most frightening bear around here.”
“His name is Hawke.”
A small giggle escaped me. “Okay, that makes sense.”
“It was Monty’s dad who spread the nickname decades ago,” Jordy said, his voice softening.
“That makes even more sense.”
He nodded noncommittally and was quiet again. He was really going to make me work for it, huh?
The diner was a crooked, wooden house, seemingly older than the rest of the main street.
It looked like it came straight from the gold rush era.
Jordy pushed the heavy door open for me.
I braced myself for the same wave of silence that greeted me at the pub, but the place was so busy and loud barely anyone noticed us coming in.
The old, round man behind the counter glanced our way. His cheeks were so red they looked painted on.
“Hello!” he called brusquely before turning away again.
Nearly every table was occupied, and the two free ones were covered with piles of used dishes. I looked up at Jordy, about to ask if we were to wait or order at the counter, but he was staring at me again in that unnerving way of his. It almost made my hair stand on end. What was his deal?
And why did that dark stare make me all squirmy inside? Yeah, I so wasn’t over my bad-boy era.
Not knowing what to do with myself, I grabbed two dirty plates from the nearest free table and carried them to a trolley in the corner, obviously meant for the purpose. A few crumbs dotted the surface, so I wiped them off with a napkin and sat down.
Jordy loomed above me, looking a little puzzled.
“Can you order the meatloaf for me?” I asked.
For some reason, he was suddenly smiling. “Sure. Drink?”
“Just water, thanks.”
“On it.”
Now that I was seated, I caught a few curious looks from the patrons, all of them bulky, muscular alpha dudes who seemed to be shifters.
Judging by their coveralls, a lot of them must have worked at the lumber mill.
A couple of young omegas sat at a nearby table.
One of them, a bespectacled, mousy guy, was staring at me with his mouth open.
When I caught his gaze, he blushed bright red and looked down at his plate.
Jordy returned and lowered himself into the rickety chair. It groaned under him. He leaned back, spreading his legs, and folded his arms across his chest.
“Who’s that?” I jerked my chin to the omega who’d been staring at me, now engrossed with his food.
Jordy briefly looked that way. “Martin Beckett. He’s our new librarian. Oliver recruited him to help with our hybrid high school program. And the guy sitting opposite him is Ed Limbaum. He rents a cottage here. He works remotely, doing data analysis or something like that.”
I was tall for an omega, and I liked that. I wore boots to enhance that. But looking around the diner, I felt tiny. Martin Beckett and this Ed person were the only human-sized bodies in the room.
“What’s the shifter-to-human ratio in Beauville?” I asked Jordy.
“I’d say three to one, and many of the humans are shifter mates. In the summer, we have people coming as tourists and renting cottages, but those rarely stay longer than a week.”
“Do you know everyone in town?”
“I guess. Everyone comes to the pub sooner or later.”
“And how did you end up in Beauville?”
He straightened in his seat and put his hands on the edge of the table. Suddenly, he didn’t look so self-assured.
“Heard about a town full of bear shifters and figured I might feel at home here. Came to visit and stayed.”
That was not the whole story. “I’d heard something about Chickie putting you in jail overnight when you arrived.”
He flashed me an almost threatening look. Did he know what effect his expression had? Was he really trying to intimidate me?
“I got into a little scuffle at the pub,” he said. “Monty was behind the bar. The next day, he explained to Chickie what happened and got me out. Gave me a job.”
“You got into a fight at his pub, and the next day, he gave you a job?”
Jordy shrugged. “Monty’s like that.”
“He really is a different species, isn’t he?”
“You have no idea.”
A hoarse voice cut through the air. “Jordy! Food’s ready.”
I was about to stand, but he shot up faster. “I got this.”
He pushed through the throng of humongous bodies, exchanging a few hey mans and dudes.
Then a steaming pile landed in front of me. The presentation left a lot to be desired. Brown goo covered the chipped plate, and the dull cutlery was rolled in a wrinkled paper napkin.
But the scent rising from the plate made my mouth water.
New experiences, here I come.
I unwrapped the knife and fork and dug into the mountain of food, encountering a layer of tender meat and, under it, mashed potatoes. The goo ran into the dent I made, creating a small lake.
Gravy dripping from my fork, I tasted the first mouthful.
Christ Almighty!
I groaned and chewed and groaned again. That was…
absolutely marvelous. For a moment, the blend of tastes took over my being, and I breathed through my nose, drawing in more of the smell as I rolled my tongue in my mouth.
I had to fight the urge just to let my face drop into the plate and slurp everything up like a dog.
I opened my eyes after the foodgasm, a little dazed. Jordy hadn’t yet touched his meal.
“Wha?” I mumbled, mouth still full.
“I guess you like it?”
I nodded, scooping more mash and gravy on my fork as I swallowed. “This is fantastic. You need a Michelin critic to visit this place.”
Jordy finally began eating, the cutlery like toys in his large hands.
“A food critic? Bert would spit in their soup.”
I snickered. “Local pride, huh?”
He hummed and swallowed. “When there’s something to be proud of, why not?”
“It’s absolute heaven.”
“Bert’s checking on you.”
I lifted my head. The old guy behind the counter was craning his neck our way, along with at least five monstrous alpha bears. I raised my thumb at him and offered what I hoped was a polite smile.
He beamed like the sun and gave me a salute. A couple of guys clapped, and one even whooped. I couldn’t help but smile wider.
When I glanced back at Jordy, he was grinning. His expression was full of warmth, and for a second there, I forgot about the most delicious food I’d ever eaten.
It felt like I’d earned that smile, which made my neck heat up. I hoped like hell my ears didn’t turn red.
I returned to the heavenly meatloaf soaked in gravy and didn’t look up until my plate was empty.