Chapter 26
DARCIE
If you would have told me a powerful vampire and confident were-beast would have a harder time picking a place to eat than my childhood best friend who was notorious for her “selective eating preference” as she called it, I would’ve called you crazy.
It seems Paige has gotten over her initial hangups around interacting with vampires. And now I’m suffering for it.
“How about there?” I point at the all-American café on the corner.
We sit in a blue Jeep, idling at a red light.
I’m driving with Gregory in the passenger seat, and Paige is in the back.
Apparently, Alex rented the vehicle for my use while the rest of the team uses the SUVs for their surveillance.
It is newer than my Jeep back home, but it’s nice to be in a familiar vehicle.
“I don’t know.” Paige leans forward to stare through the windshield, eyes narrowed. “It looks kind of sketchy.”
I suppress a groan.
We’ve spent the past fifteen minutes circling the restaurant district closest to the safehouse, turning down place after place, and my stomach is starting to eat itself.
“What does that even mean?” Gregory asks.
“It means that it looks unsafe. And gross. I bet you they barely pass the health code.”
Gregory rolls his eyes. “This community is full of million-dollar homes. There is no way any restaurant would still be standing if it wasn’t up to par.”
“Whatever. I’m not eating there.”
The light turns green. I press the gas and pass the café before they can argue long enough for me to miss the next turn. “Can we decide on something soon, please? I’m starving.”
“It’s not my fault you friend is picky,” Gregory mutters.
“I’m picky?” Paige scoffs. “Do you even eat?”
“Guys,” I interrupt with a whine. “Please choose something.”
“Alright, alright.” Paige huffs, still leaning between the front seats. “How about there?”
She points to the right, her arm extending directly in front of Gregory’s face.
For a split second, his lips pull back, teeth flashing.
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
“Fine,” he bites out.
“Great!” I flick on my right blinker and switch lanes before either of them can change their mind. The Jeep rolls into the parking lot and stops beside a tall palm tree.
We climb out and head toward the popular chain restaurant.
“Of all the unique restaurants in Florida…” Gregory shakes his head as we walk.
“Whatever.” Paige flips her hair over her shoulder. “It’s not like you’re going to eat anyway. The menu doesn’t have anything for your diet.”
Another laugh escapes me as a snort.
I cover my mouth with my hand.
Gregory’s gaze swings to me in mock outrage.
“Control your friend,” he commands.
I raise both hands. “Hey. I don’t control anyone here. You two need to settle this amongst yourselves.”
He mutters something under his breath, and I laugh again.
Paige and I haven’t exactly had a ton of time to spend together these past two days, what with my training and her sporadic help with the search for Adir, but the time we have had together has been nice.
She may be a were-beast, but she’s also just like an ordinary young woman. She loves shopping and is passionate about fashion. Right now, she wears a pretty sundress and black combat boots. Her brown hair is twisted in a long braid that sways with each step.
And her pushy-but-friendly personality reminds me so much of Kayla that I have to breathe through the grief clutching my lungs.
I hope Kayla and I can repair our friendship, but it sucks not knowing when I’ll get the chance.
With a shake of my head, I dismiss the sad thoughts just before Gregory opens the restaurant door. Paige and I walk inside. She strides up to the hostess stand while Gregory hangs back beside me.
“Remind me to stay behind the next time you want to spend time with the wolf,” he mutters, crossing his arms. “She’s too pushy for my liking.”
The hostess turns away to prepare our table, and Paige pivots back with a glare. “I can hear you, jerk. You aren’t the only one with good hearing.”
Gregory doesn’t even blink. He simply stares at her—bored, unbothered, like she’s an insect buzzing near his ear.
My cheeks hurt from smiling.
The hostess returns and gestures for us to follow her.
We head toward the second room. A large U-shaped bar dominates the back wall, and tall tables fill the rest of the space.
Paige climbs onto the elevated chair beside me. Gregory takes the seat across from us, angling his body so he has a clear view of the entrance.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” the hostess asks. “Water? Tea? Something from the bar?”
Her lashes flutter at Gregory as she speaks, and she hands menus to Paige and me without even looking at us.
I fight the urge to scoff. She can’t be older than eighteen. Even if you ignore Gregory’s advanced vampire years, it’s obvious she’s too young for him. He looks like he’s in his mid-twenties at least.
“Water will be fine,” Gregory replies, accepting a menu without giving her the attention she wants. He lowers the menu to the table, and he resumes scanning the room.
The hostess pouts.
Paige lifts a hand, nearly placing it in the girl’s face to get her attention. “I’ll take a Coke.”
The hostess blinks, snaps her attention to Paige, and nods, cheeks flushing.
“Of course. And for you?” she asks me.
“Water, please. Thank you.”
She nods, gives Gregory one last lingering look, then hurries away.
Paige opens her menu. “I think I’m in the mood for something heavy. Chicken-fried steak sounds good.”
“If you want a heart attack,” Gregory mutters, still in full surveillance mode.
Paige sticks her tongue out at him.
I chuckle, open my menu, and scan the options. I may be hungry, but my stomach is still in knots from the tense exchange with Lola and my mother earlier. A lighter lunch seems like a good idea.
Spotting grilled salmon, I make my decision and close the menu and place it on Gregory’s.
The hostess returns with our drinks, and a waitress arrives right behind her.
“Sorry about the wait,” the waitress says brightly. “My name is Hannah, and I’ll be serving you today. I see Cari got you started with drinks. Do we need more time, or are we ready to order?”
Her eyes lock onto Gregory, and she smiles.
He doesn’t notice.
“Gregory,” I say.
His gaze snaps to me. “Yes?”
I jerk my chin toward the waitress. “Are you going to order?”
“Ah.” He grabs a menu and reads the first thing his eyes land on. “A house salad. Italian dressing.”
“You got it,” Hannah says, pulling out a notepad. “Anything else? Would you like an appetizer to go with your salad?”
Why does it sound like she’s offering herself up as the appetizer?
“No, thank you,” he replies, already looking back around the room.
Hannah’s shoulders deflate.
“I’ll take the chicken-fried steak,” Paige says. “Mashed potatoes and gravy on the side, please.”
She jots down the order and turns to me. “And you?”
“Grilled salmon, please. With grilled vegetables and rice.”
“Great.” Hannah scribbles on the notepad, then tucks it into her apron. “Your food will be out shortly.”
She gathers the menus and walks away, but instead of heading to the computer to enter our order, she goes straight to the hostess stand.
Cari and Hannah immediately lean close, whispering like they’re plotting. Every few seconds, one of them glances at Gregory.
“Good grief,” I mutter, but I’m the only one watching the obvious exchange.
Paige is tapping away on her phone, and Gregory is back to scanning the room.
I let my gaze wander the restaurant, admiring the old movie posters and signed headshots of celebrities I don’t recognize, until my attention lands on the bar.
A tattooed bartender smiles as he speaks to one of the female customers in front of him, his muscles bulging under his tight black shirt. There is another man behind him with a shaker in his hand. He’s shorter, less bulky, but his jaw is sharp enough to cut glass.
The second bartender says something that makes his coworker and the female customer laugh. Then his attention snaps to the left.
His eyes widen.
Curious, I follow his line of sight.
There’s nothing there…except Paige.
I stare at her, then back at him, and let out a disbelieving laugh. “You have got to be kidding me.”
Paige and Gregory are obviously attractive, but the staring is a little ridiculous.
“What?” Gregory’s head snaps toward me, alarm in his voice. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I shake my head quickly. “It’s just that most of this restaurant seems preoccupied with ogling the two of you. I’m starting to feel frumpy by comparison.”
My joke doesn’t land.
“Please.” Paige finally looks up from her phone. “Some of those stares are for you, too.”
She shifts her gaze pointedly.
I follow it and notice a row of guys at the bar I hadn’t clocked before. One of them raises his hand in greeting and smiles wide. His friends nudge him, and they all look my way.
Heat floods my cheeks.
I offer a polite smile, then turn back to my friends.
Paige’s grin is triumphant. “See? Not frumpy.”
Gregory huffs, pulling his phone out. “Of course, Darcie isn’t frumpy. What a ridiculous thing to say.”
“Whoa.” Paige lifts innocent hands. “I didn’t say that. She did.”
He unlocks his phone and gives it his attention.
Paige mouths whatever at me and takes a sip of her soda before saying, “So, we’re moving locations, huh? Any idea where we’re going?”
“Nope,” I say.
Paige and I both turn to Gregory.
He ignores us.
“Ahem.” Paige clears her throat.
He drags his eyes up and lifts a brow. “What?”
“Do you know where we’re going?” she asks.
His gaze drops back to his phone, and his finger swipes down the screen. “That’s confidential information.”
She huffs. “What’s the big deal? We’ll find out tonight.”
“Then you will know soon enough.”
“Ugh!” She flings herself back in the chair. “How do you stand hanging out with this guy? Why did we even invite him to lunch?”
“He’s my bodyguard,” I say, suppressing my laugh. “He’s invited everywhere I go.”