Page 13 of Paper and Passion
“Where are your keys?” Adrian asks. “I’ll lock up.”
“Can’t find them.” I sigh, staring up at the ceiling. “Listen to me for once and lock up, okay, Sheet-y?”
I went and got my purse from the visitor center earlier this afternoon. Mappy had gathered everything up and found my car keys, but not the keys to the shop.
Adrian pats the counter. “You heard the woman.”
Sheet-y parked right across the street from the one nice restaurant in town, Ratcliff’s, so Adrian leads us there. He holds open the door like a gentleman, and Alex holds my hand as we walk inside.
“Three?” the hostess asks.
Something about that one word question has a chill skating over my skin. Three. Not one, like I normally would be if I ever ate out anymore. Not two, like a date. Not four, like a double date.
Three.
An odd number with a high probability of someone being left out.
“Yes,” Adrian says confidently.
The hostess gives me a once over with a smirk that says she knows my town nickname before leading us to a table in the back. At least she’s professional enough not to call me by it.
The table is the same table I sat at the night Chad told me I wasn’t enough. Quiet, dark, secluded, and perfect for heartbreak.
I slide into the booth with a heavy feeling in my stomach. Alex moves in next to me, and Adrian takes the chair across from us. As if she can sense my hesitance, Alex leans her head on my shoulder and gives my hand a squeeze.
“Your waiter will be by in a few minutes.” The hostess drops a few menus on the table, then retreats to the front of the restaurant.
“Well, this is quite the place.” Alex picks up a menu, and I try to imagine what she must think of our one nice restaurant.
“So what’s good here?” Adrian asks.
“Well, it’s not exactly a five-star restaurant, but the ratatouille is good. And they’ve got a wide selection for… um, well, people of various types.” I give them a look, feeling my cheeks heat.
What are they anyway? Do they haveunique eating habits like vampires? Is it rude to ask?
“We have a similar diet to humans, although we do love seafood more than the average person probably does,” Adrian says, answering my unasked question.
My mouth falls open. “Did you just read my mind?”
He chuckles, and Alex smiles.
“Your curiosity was pretty easy to read,” she says.
Adrian folds the menu and sets it next to him. “Is there anything else you’d like to know?”
“W-what are you?”
“Ah, yes.” He unwraps the napkin from around his silverware and places it in his lap. “Well, we’re not sure. We think we’re related to Kraken in some way, but we aren’t Kraken. Whatever we are, there aren’t a lot of us. We both only knew of our own families. I was an only child, and Alex has a sister she hasn’t seen in half a century.”
I choke on a breath. “Half a century? How old are you?”
Alex shrugs her shoulder against mine. “Not sure exactly. You lose track after a while.” She adjusts her body to face me. “Is that a problem, sweet girl?”
I look at her youthful face, then Adrian’s. They don’t seem old. Maybe a little older than me, but not by much if I was just making a guess based on appearance. “I guess not.”
The waiter brings out our drinks. His movements are a bit jerky, and he almost spills my water before Adrian takes it from him and sets it smoothly on the table.
Once he’s gone, I turn my attention to the beautiful couple sitting with me. My fingers twist my napkin, wringing it out like a wet rag. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
