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Looking back at Mallory, I added, “Two orders of mozzarella sticks.”
“Coming right up.”
As Mallory got to work on our food, Ellery said, “I’m actually glad you thought ahead and brought us here. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until we walked in. It smells delicious in here.”
“Mallory is actually with one of the guys I work with,” I shared. “Nixon works in the kidnap and ransom unit at Harper Security. I’ll have to introduce you to him the next time the both of you are there.”
“What a small world,” she marveled.
I nodded. “Yeah. We’ve also got Tarryn, who’s married to Royce, the owner of Harper Security. I told you about her when we ran into one another at The Early Bird, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right. You said she started dating Royce after she started taking classes, right?” Ellery asked.
I couldn’t stop myself from letting out a laugh. “It was after, but it wasn’t without some hesitation on his behalf. In fact, what’s really funny is that all of us tend to have an understanding that we don’t get involved with Harper Security Ops clients beyond helping them with whatever we need to in each individual scenario.”
“What’s funny about that?” she pressed.
“Nearly every single guy that is spoken for on the team has gotten involved with a woman that has needed to utilize our services,” I told her. “The only exceptions to that are Mallory and Nixon and Damon and Avalon.”
“Avalon?” Ellery repeated. “The receptionist?”
Nodding, I confirmed, “Yes. Considering she worked there, I’m not sure it’s the same thing. She and Damon have known each other for years, but only recently acted on their attraction to one another after she sacrificed herself for him in a really big way.”
Ellery’s eyes widened. “What happened?”
“Kane?” Mallory called.
I tore my eyes away from Ellery and answered, “Yeah?”
“You’re all set here.”
Returning my attention to Ellery, I said, “I’ll fill you in when we get back in the car.”
“Okay.”
Moving back to the counter, I pulled out my wallet, paid, and grabbed the bag that was carrying our food. “Thanks, Mal.”
“You’re welcome, Kane. It was great meeting you, Ellery. Have a wonderful day together.”
I wasn’t sure if Ellery picked up on it the way that I did, but something about the way Mallory told us to have a wonderful day together made me feel good. I liked knowing that Ellery and I were spending the entire day with one another, and I was excited about what was in store for us.
When we got to the car and I started to pull away, Ellery asked, “Would you mind if I had my mozzarella sticks now? I’m kind of hungry, and I haven’t had these in ages. They were my favorite appetizer when I was a kid. I always loved to see how far I could make the cheese stretch.”
That was what exactly what I had wanted. Bits and pieces of her. Maybe she had shared willingly and didn’t think it was anything significant when she did, but it was a huge deal to me. I loved having that little part of her, so I tucked it away somewhere safe.
“Eat whatever you want, princess,” I told her.
There was a moment of hesitation, and I was wondering if Ellery was going to say whatever was on her mind, but she never did. Instead, she reached inside the bag and asked, “Would you like yours?”
“Sure.”
She pulled them out, unwrapped them, and set them carefully in the center console.
After she got out her own and unwrapped them, we both pulled out a stick and took a bite. Admittedly, I should have had all of my focus on the road, but I didn’t want to miss watching her reaction.
So, I glanced over at her at the very moment she bit down. Ellery had a look of delight in her eyes, and a moan escaped as she pulled the mozzarella stick away, allowing the cheese to stretch.
I pulled the car to a stoplight, where the light was red, and focused all of my attention on her. It didn’t matter that she was chewing her food, there was no missing the happiness written all over her face.
