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Me:Wait, how did you know about what he did to me last night?
Saara:It was just a guess, you sex-reeking minx.
Me:Saara, he’s wild.
Saara:Another reason I love him.
Saara:And how wild are we talking? And does he have a brother?
Me:Two sisters...and I can barely sit down.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Drake
Never once during our flight over the Atlantic, where we’d spent almost every one of those hours in bed together, or in the ride to the hotel or while we’d been checking in, had Easton mentioned anything about going out to dinner. The conference started at eight the next morning. I assumed we’d be eating at the hotel and going to bed early, jet lag already setting in. But after a long nap and shower and catching up on some work, we were walking through the lobby, hand in hand, to make our reservation.
Easton halted once we came out of the hotel, his face tilting up toward the sky. “Should I grab us an umbrella? Just in case?”
I hadn’t checked the weather; I didn’t think we were going out.
Nor did I look up before I said, “Let’s risk it.”
He pointed at my right. “Then the restaurant is that way.”
I matched his pace, my shoulder brushing against his arm as we moved down the walkway, as narrow as the street it lined.
“What do you like most about this city?” he asked.
I felt his eyes on me, but I didn’t gaze back. I absorbed our surroundings instead, the modernist architecture mixed with buildings from the Bauhaus movement, the art that hung in the gallery windows, the energy in the people.
“The beauty.” The sun had already gone down, but the sky was still aglow, so much so that the streetlamps hadn’t yet switched on. “It’s as pretty at night as it is during the day. You’ll see on our way back from the restaurant.” The area was starting to look familiar, the hotel I’d last stayed in just a block from where we were. “When I came last year, my coworker had a wicked case of morning sickness that went from day to night. When we weren’t at the conference, she was in her room. Unfortunate for someone who was dying to see the city.”
“Did that stop you from exploring?”
“No.” With the dampness causing my hair to curl, I tucked some locks behind my ear. “I’d get up extra early, before the conference, and go for walks. And since it wrapped up before dinner, I wandered out each night, eating all the German cuisine, soaking up every second of culture. That’s one of my favorite things to do.” I finally looked up at him. “But at the same time, I’m happy if you stick me in a park with a cup of coffee. Like, say, the Public Garden—that’s one of my most treasured places in Boston.”
“That park doesn’t get enough love.”
I squeezed his hand. “You think so too?”
“There’s so much to love about that little slice of the city. The view, the landscape, even the ducks and swans that come during the warmer months.”
I smiled. “Yes. All of that.”
We’d reached the end of the block, waiting to cross, and there was a store directly across from us. In Boston, it would have been called a bodega. Here, it was known as a Späti, and it was one I’d frequented the last time I was here.
I turned toward him. “How married are you to the idea of going to a restaurant?”
“Unattached.” He faced me. “I’m down for whatever you want to do, Drake. I just didn’t want to stay in the hotel tonight.”
“I have an idea. Follow me.” My mouth watered the moment we stepped inside the Späti, the scent of bratwursts strong in the air. “I’m going to grab us some snacks.”
I waved to the older woman behind the counter, the only other person in here, her cheeks so weathered they looked like mini accordions. She gave me a slight nod and I went to where the prepared foods were stored, filling my arms with containers of potato salad and cabbage salad. I combined those with some sausage, bratwursts, and a double serving of sauerkraut.
“Give me a job, Drake. I’m just standing here, useless.”
I laughed at his description and nodded toward the beer section. “Pilsner. Find us a good one. And stick with cans, so we don’t have to fuss with a bottle opener.”
