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He was unfazed by the abrupt change of subject. “A few times a month,” he agreed. He was watching her instead of looking at the menu.
“What do you recommend?”
“Everything.”
She barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I’m sure it’s all good, but you have to have a favorite.”
“I do.” He leaned over and tapped the menu. All of the pizzas had fun, oddball names and the one he indicated had a long list of ingredients that matched the one it had been given. “Everything but the Kitchen Sink. It’s one hell of a pizza.”
Eloise scanned the list of toppings. Ham, bacon, sausage, onions, peppers—both green and banana—plus tomatoes, black olives, green olives, pepperoni, several kinds of cheese …
“Green olives?” she asked, brow lifted skeptically. “On pizza?”
“Everything but the kitchen sink,” he confirmed. He looked over his shoulder and waved an arm to get Paula’s attention, already indicating they’d like a number seven. “Best pizza I ever had in my life.”
“Okay.” She tipped her head and considered him. He’d already ordered it so she might as well get something out of it. “New deal. I’ll eat this pizza …”
“And?” His eyes lit up with interest at the possibility of an interesting trade.
“And you tell me about this bar Dylan owns. I don’t see him as the type to tend bar and balance the books.”
He hesitated and then shrugged. “Not much to tell. His dad owned the place until he died and now Dylan does. He hires people to tend the bar and balance the books so he doesn’t have to. No real mystery there.”
“What kind of bar is it?”
He waited to answer as Paula bustled up to the table with their drinks and patted his shoulder as she left. Apparently she’d already informed the kitchen about their order and asked for it to be bumped up the line. Flirting with the restaurant owner had its perks and Eloise was amused despite herself.
“The rough kind,” he said, when Paula was out of hearing range. “Dylan’s dad was a big part of some old biker gang that used to hang out there. That was years ago but the reputation as a dangerous hangout stuck. It’s empty more often than it should be and the crowd that does come in is just looking for cheap beer and a place to lay low.”
That seemed like something she could imagine from Dylan and she pondered it as she took a sip of her wine. It was bright and sweet, bubbles dancing over her tongue. There were many questions she wanted answers to, but it was probably best to start simple.
“Does it have a name?”
“You ask a lot of questions for a deal over pizza.” He leaned back, fingers tapping on the table as he looked at her with a heavy-lidded gaze.
“Green olives on pizza is a lot to ask,” she said brightly, her smile sweet and challenging. “Besides, I’m a naturally curious person.”
“Tough Break Bar and Grill,” he said, “but the grill part is honestly more wishful thinking.”
“Hence the pizza?”
“Hence the pizza,” he agreed. “And the sushi bar around the corner and the Indian restaurant down the block and?—”
She laughed and held up her hands in surrender. “I get it. You don’t like to cook, and Dylan won’t feed you properly, so you make yourself a nuisance everywhere else.”
He laid a hand over his heart, his expression comically wounded. “Paula loves me.”
That much was obvious, more so when Paula came bustling out with their pizza herself, no waitress in sight. “Enjoy your date and keep the table as long as you like,” she commanded as she slid the pizza onto the table and placed a hand on top of Eloise’s. “Maybe you can be the one to charm him away from his mess, huh?”
“Mess?” Eloise asked.
“Paula,” Ethan said, his voice a warning Eloise had heard only once before.
Paula wasn’t impressed and the smile on her face never wobbled as she winked at Eloise. “He deserves better than the life he’s made for himself. Remember that and trust an old woman who’s seen too many things in this neighborhood.”
She didn’t stay to see Eloise’s reaction, leaving them alone with their pizza and questions Ethan didn’t want to answer. “Is that why everyone looked at us funny when we came in? People are scared of you around here?”
“You’ve run out of pizza questions.” He wasn’t looking at her now, his attention directed at their dinner instead of her face.
