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“Ready to head out?” Alissa asked Dane, pulling on her coat.
“Yeah.” Dane checked his computer one more time before standing up and stretching. “I skipped breakfast this morning, so I’m more than ready to eat.”
“You, skipping breakfast?” Alissa grinned. “I wouldn’t have guessed.”
Dane nudged her as he passed, a teasing brightness in his eyes. His breakfast was almost always a latte from Tidal Wave Coffee, and he always talked about how hungry he was around lunch time because of it.
Dane put on his coat as well and they stepped outside of the office. The air was brisk, but not as bitterly cold as it had been in the past weeks. Alissa loved the way Dane’s cheeks got a rosy flush to them after he was in the cold for more than a moment. They had been going out to lunch every day, or at least eating together in the office, and they had gone to dinner a few times too.
Their lunches were a bright spot in her day—fun and casual.
“So, where to?” Dane asked, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Want to walk or drive?”
“Hm, driving might be faster but it’s a lovely day.” Alissa looked up at the clear, blue sky, then back at Dane. “I’d prefer walking. We can pass by a few different options and see what we want.”
“Then let’s walk.”
“I hope the boss doesn’t mind if our lunch runs a little long,” Alissa said with a grin.
“I don’t think he’ll mind all that much.” Dane grinned back, taking her hand in his.
Alissa savored the warmth of his skin as they headed toward town on foot. It was such a small point of contact, but it made Alissa’s whole heart light up.
“Okay, first option,” Dane said, pausing in front of Sally’s Soup. “Soup?”
“Caitlin and I went here not long ago.” Alissa scanned the chalkboard sign outside that listed the specials. “Though the soups of the day sound really interesting. I’ve never had a Thai-inspired shrimp soup before.”
“Ah, they don’t have the chicken noodle today,” Dane said. “Can we keep looking?”
“Sure.”
They kept walking, passing by a few shops before Alissa spoke.
“Wait, do you always order the chicken noodle soup at Sally’s? Even with all the different kinds of soups she offers?” Alissa asked.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
Alissa snorted so hard that she had to stop. “You cannot be serious. She has a billion different soups!”
“A billion’s a stretch.” Dane squeezed her hand and tugged her along.
“Okay, fine, but still—there’s so much out there but you’re sticking tochicken noodle?I only eat that if I’m sick. I mean it’s good, but still.” Alissa shook her head.
“Exactly, it’s good.” The corner of Dane’s mouth quirked up. “Classics are classic for a reason.”
“But the same old thing again and again is boring.”
“Not if it’s delicious,” Dane said. “And I’ve been adventurous in the past. I just like knowing that lunch will be satisfying.”
“Yeah? What kinds of foods have you tried?” Alissa glanced at the sign for a Mexican place they had tried a day or two ago for dinner.
“Oh, as much as I could back in New York. I could travel around the world without leaving the city. One month I was ambitious and tried to have some food from at least two countries on every continent.”
“Wow. I take back everything I thought about you not trying new things. That’s really cool,” Alissa said. “I tried to go to as many different kinds of places as I could, but I really loved Ethiopian food the most.”
“Ethiopian food is great. Especially with a littletejto drink,” Dane said. They both spotted the sign for The Crab off in the distance. “But it’s hard to beat the fresh fish and the restaurants around here.”
“Definitely. I’ve never had anything like it.” The breeze chilled Alissa, and as if he read her mind, Dane put his arm around her shoulders. “I never would have expected the food here to be on par with what I had back in Denver. This town has been filled with surprises, but in a good way.”
