Grayson cracked the door to reveal the curb, less than an inch away.
Reece yanked up the e-brake with a satisfying screech. “Specialize that.”
They walked a block through downtown to a restaurant tucked into the base of a corner high-rise, the windows emblazoned with the wordsYokota’s Sushi House. It was somehow familiar, except Reece was certain he’d never eaten there, and possibly never eaten anywhere this nice, period.
The hostess straightened as they walked in. “Are you Agent Grayson?” Her gaze darted over Reece, from his unwashed hair to his stained hoodie to his gloves, and her smile became strained. “Your table is ready,” was all she said, though.
Reece kept his hands firmly in his pockets as she led them through the restaurant to a small booth at the back. “Please make sure Mr. Ohayashi is our server,” Grayson said to her, and if he thought Reece hadn’t noticed he was waiting for Reece to sit down first, he wasn’t half the specialist he claimed to be.
But Reece had just realized he was starving, so he sat without poking at Grayson about his Southern chivalry. He picked up the menu, took one look, and tossed it straight back to the table. “Maybe you’re here with a new admirer every night, but I can’t afford any of this and I don’t eat—”
“I need to be here for the investigation. I’m handling it.” Grayson slid the menu back across the table to Reece. “Also, you got a real generous opinion of how much I date.” He put his own menu to the side without cracking it.
Reece leaned back in the booth, eyes on Grayson suspiciously. “It doesn’t seem like your style to care who the waiter is.”
“It’s not.”
“So why would you ask for a particular server?”
“Better question is why I owe you any explanations.”
Reece rolled his eyes.
Ohayashi came a couple moments later. Middle-aged, his bland waiter expression couldn’t hide the smile lines around his mouth and eyes, and he didn’t bat an eye when he saw Reece’s gloves. Reece couldn’t imagine why Grayson had specifically asked for this nice man.
Grayson ordered several things he didn’t recognize. Ohayashi nodded, then pointed to Reece’s menu. “I recommend the Bainbridge roll to all our vegans.”
Reece blinked. “You know an empath?”
Ohayashi didn’t seem surprised to be called out. “My daughter-in-law, in Portland.” He offered Reece a commiserating smile laced with genuine sympathy. “Today must be hard for you.”
The simple kindness from a stranger who cared about the empath in his family put a lump in Reece’s throat, and despite the years that had passed, the loss of his mom abruptly stung like a fresh wound. He loved Jamey down to his bones. He could have loved a whole big family, if he’d ever had the chance. “I’ll try that roll.”
“Very good.” Ohayashi disappeared.
Reece tried to push his feelings away. “You brought me to dinner at a restaurant with an empath-friendly waiter.”
“That’s not why we’re here,” said Grayson. “You saw the picture of this place just hours ago in Mr. Adams’ office.”
Reece finally realized why the restaurant looked familiar. “This was where Stone and Hathaway took Hathaway’s assistant for his birthday. And Dr. Whitman made that comment aboutnot being invited for sushi.”
Grayson nodded once. “Turns out, Stone had a reservation here for two last night.”
Reece pointed at him. “But that’s not why you asked for Mr. Ohayashi as our waiter.”
“No?” Grayson made it a question.
“Our waiter likes empaths. He has empath family.” Reece leaned forward. “If Stone comes here regularly, I’m betting Mr. Ohayashi would recognize and avoid him. So you didn’t ask for Mr. Ohayashi to question him. You asked for him for—” The words tripped on his lips as Reece realized what he was about to say. “For me? So I could be around someone nice to empaths?”
Grayson propped his chin in his hand. “You got to stop presuming to know me.”
“Am I wrong?” Reece asked pointedly.
Ohayashi approached their table. Grayson was silent as he set a clear soda and a green-bottled beer on the table and vanished again.
“Can’t hurt for you to be around someone who’s not openly hostile,” Grayson finally said, picking up the beer. “You’ve been a little less Cheer Bear, a little more Grumpy Bear, even for you.”
Reece rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t exactly deny that. The casewasgetting to him. His body hurt, not the phantom pain of a specific cruelty, but a low-level ache in his joints, upper back and shoulders, like he’d been carrying something too heavy all day. He’d lost his temper completely over Jamey on the news. If Grayson hadn’t stopped him, he might have kept going.
