“Too late.” Diesel guided her inside Andre’s Bistro. “We’re here.”
“Oh, but—”
“My friends, you are here and you have brought your new ma-friend.” Andre’s mate swept from the back, eyes sparkling in delight. She winked at us, which didn’t exactly help to correct her gaffe. But nobody could stay mad at the lithe restauranteur. She’d been a dancer in her youth and left it all behind to join Andre in moving to America and opening the restaurant. Together, the two fox shifters were perfect at their jobs. Him in the kitchen and her managing the front of the house. “I am Pierrette,” she said, taking Josie’s hands in hers. “And you are lovely.” She looked her up and down and gave a nod. “I highly approve. Come with me.”
If Josie had any reason to argue, she had no chance. Our hostess swept her to the back patio and to a table screened by tall potted trees from the rest. Subtle. “I trust this is acceptable?”
We all looked at Josie. If she preferred a more central table, we would not object.
“It’s very nice, thank you.” Josie freed herself but patted Pierrette’s hand. “Such a beautiful garden. So many flowers. They nearly glow.”
“It’s a night garden,” Pierrette told her. “Designed just for this effect. I will go now and bring your drinks and first course.”
This was new. “But we haven’t ordered anything yet,” Diesel pointed out.
“No, and you won’t be because Chef has designed for you a special menu.” She leaned close to Josie and stage whispered, “We have a staff, of course, but my husband will always be chef here.”
“Oh, that’s very nice.” Josie nodded and smiled, but when we were alone for a moment, she said, “I’ve never had French food before, but isn’t it all snails and organ meats?”
“Goddess, I hope not.” Diesel shuddered.
I punched him in the arm. “You know better.” I shifted my attention to Josie. “We eat here all the time. And we have never eaten either of those things, so I doubt they would be Andre’s choice for our meal.”
“Of course not.” Andre was anything but lithe. The chef’s rounded belly testified to his love of his own food. “We serve comfort food here, and these wolves are not going to think frog’s legs or snail or other delicacies are comforting.”
“I’m a wolf, too,” said Josie in a small voice.
“Ah, but I can tell you have a more refined palate just by looking at you. Tonight, we will serve a meal your males will enjoy, but next time, I will prepare the more traditional dishes for you to try, yes?”
From Josie’s expression, she might never come again in fear of that, but she quickly schooled her features and gave a gracious nod. “I’m excited for tonight’s dinner. What are we having?”
Andre waved a finger and tsked. “One course at a time, and here are your drinks. It is a Kir Royale, champagne with a little berry liquor, and your starter. Pâté is technically one of those ‘organ meats,’ but I have seen your males eat about a kilo of it.” He made his excuses then and left for the kitchen to supervise our dinner, and presumably that of everyone else, while Josie discovered a love for pâté served en croute and accompanied by thin slices of lightly buttered baguette. We had onion soup, steak frites with tiny true baby carrots, and finished with a salad of delicate greens dressed with a light vinaigrette. Each course served with its own wine, and when we thought we were done, Pierrette reappeared with a plate of tiny pastries and small cups of espresso.
Only shifter biology left us able to walk out of the restaurant after all the drinks and wine and food. Perhaps a run was in order? But before I could suggest this, one of the residents from the motel came racing down the block and grabbed our mate’s arm. “Josie, Thea wants you. She says don’t come to the front door.”
“Why, Katie?” Her voice held a level of fear that made my wolf want to kill someone. “Is it…is there someone…”
My heart sank. After our beautiful first date, something terrible hung over our mate. At least I’d be able to know who to kill.
Chapter Fifteen
Josie
They wanted to take me back to their house, but I wasn’t leaving the motel residents if I’d drawn danger to them. I’d spent the whole evening trying to come up with a way to tell them we weren’t on a date because I never wanted to date anyone at all. A realit’s not you, it’s meexplanation, but every time I worked up the courage, someone brought us another course of beautiful food. And although we’d been tucked into such a private corner of the garden, the hostess, staff, servers, and even the busboy kept stopping by. The alphas knew them all, apparently, and they all had plenty to chat about.
How did the guys manage to stay sober with everything they drank? I knew a shifter in theory could drink more than humans, or so I’d heard some of the pack joking about when they came back from a trip to the local bar. But from the Kir Royale, that might have been the best thing I’d ever tasted through all the wines, and I swore that espresso had something in it, there was so much.
Females in our pack didn’t drink at all. A fact I chose not to share with the alphas who seemed to find it perfectly normal for me to be served glass after glass of intoxicating beverages. I really wanted a Diet Coke, but nobody ever actually asked me. They were so excited, the servers, pouring each vintage and describing it in a way that had me searching for notes of chocolate or blackberry or walnut—and not finding them. At first, I’d drunk every bit poured, hating waste, but my tablemates didn’t do that, and it seemed unwise to continue.
So, between eating, drinking, trying not to get too tipsy, and visiting with the whole restaurant staff, there never came a goodtime to tell them my news. And now, there was some kind of situation that meant I should go around back?
Aries escorted me to the kitchen door while Diesel and Carver went to the front. Katie hadn’t had much information, and they had all silenced their phones during dinner. But as they split off from us, Diesel had his up between them and they were listening intently.
The door flew open as we approached, and I raced inside and up to Thea. “What’s going on? Is it one of the new girls? Has an abusive alpha shown up?”
“Now, keep calm. It’s probably nothing.” She tried to get me to sit down, but I shrugged her hands away.
Oh no. Nobody ever said anything was nothing unless it was totally something. “Just tell me.”
