Dinnertime. Maya felt more antsy than hungry, but she was ready to eat—or at least meet Ryan and Piers for dinner.
Walking down the stairway to the lobby, she thought once more that it was a shame they were staying in a hotel like this. She enjoyed cooking and wouldn’t mind putting a meal together for them.
Only—what did people like Ryan really enjoy? She’d seen him eat steak as well as breakfast food. Red meat might be his favorite kind of meal, but maybe not.
Maybe it was just as well that they were eating out and he could order whatever he wanted.
They were waiting in the nearly empty lobby for her. Rocky the wolf-dog was with them and made Maya smile.
Would she smile as broadly if that was Ryan sitting there on the floor in his own wolf form?
To her own surprise, she thought the answer was yes. But she remained a bit confused. Not that she expected a bunch of detailed websites on the reality of shapeshifters and how they lived and shifted and all, but she had spent an hour or so that afternoon online after her conversation with Cheryl researching as much as she could about what Ryan truly was.
All the sites referred to the whole idea as myth or legend, or horror movies—nothing with any truth to it. But she knew full well that shifters were real. She’d seen it, more than once.
Kind of admired it...
She also admired how shifters had apparently been able to keep who and what they were as secret as they did. For surely Ryan wasn’t the only one, and he had hinted at others.
“Hi,” she said immediately as she reached them. Ryan and Piers sat on chairs in the center of the lobby with Rocky lying on the floor between them. “You guys hungry?” She looked directly at Ryan as if to ask if he was ready for some meaty food—and found herself flushing. He did appear hungry—but the kind of hunger she thought she saw in his hot glance toward her didn’t suggest he was ready to eat a meal.
Instead, she had an urge to invite him to her room. Into her bed.
Which was ridiculous. She wouldn’t do that with any guy she was interested in without knowing him better. And getting more involved with someone with—well, secrets—like Ryan made no sense at all.
“I’m definitely hungry,” Piers replied. “We thought we might try another restaurant tonight, if that’s okay with you.”
Not the steak house? “Where did you have in mind?” Maya asked.
“The local pancake house, Griddle Junction. It’s just a few blocks from here.”
Pancake house? For dinner? Well, the ones Maya was familiar with served other meals besides breakfast. There might even be steaks there, if that was what Ryan—and Rocky—wanted.
“Fine with me.” Maya wondered why they had chosen that place. From what she had gathered, these two didn’t do anything without a reason. Was there something there they could learn about wolves? Or shifters like Ryan? She might never find out, and she knew better than to ask questions here, in the hotel lobby. Or there, at the restaurant.
Well, maybe as they walked there. But when they got on their way and she started asking questions, Ryan, who strode beside her, said, “Look, there’s a lot I want to talk to you about. But it’ll have to wait for now. We need to find a place with no one else around again.”
Back at the park? Maybe. But that wasn’t going to happen tonight.
Just be patient, she ordered herself, though that wasn’t in her character. Yet if she wanted answers to her questions, she needed to wait.
And, yes, be patient.
* * *
Ryan let himself enjoy walking with Maya to the restaurant despite the frustration she apparently felt, too, though for different reasons. She didn’t talk much on this stroll, just appeared to look around and take in the sights, such as they were, of the downtown area of this small city.
He’d already told her he wanted to talk with her but hadn’t said when or where. Yet despite his receipt of permission to tell her more, this wasn’t the time. Not that everyone on downtown Fritts Corner sidewalks was a shifter with hearing acute enough to eavesdrop on what he said, but he didn’t want to take any chances with the few regular people who were also out there, shifters or not.
Not when it came to talking about his covert military unit, Alpha Force.
For one thing, Piers, now walking behind them with Rocky, had done additional research online about the Sharans, such as when they had arrived in Fritts Corner—about ten months ago—and who else had moved here around the same time.
He had learned that Buck Lesterman, owner of Berry’s Bar, had arrived around the same time. Plus, the owners of Griddle Junction had bought a home here, as well as the restaurant, at nearly the same time as the Sharans. Their names were John and Georgia Maheus, and there had been no indication they had lived here prior to that time. Ryan hoped to meet them this evening.
Had they and Lesterman come with the Sharans? For similar reasons? He would try to find that out, and hopefully learn if they, or anyone else in the area, were shifters, though he might not get all that information tonight.
And if they were, could they shift the way Pete did? Had he shared his formula?
Had any of them shifted—and attacked the Frittses?
For now, it would be a bonus to share another dinner with Maya. He certainly wouldn’t be able to talk with her in private at the restaurant, but he’d find a way to do so as soon as possible since he now had permission to tell her more. Maybe they could walk Rocky together after they ate, not around the park but someplace a lot more private than the sidewalks of downtown Fritts Corner.
He already had plans in mind for tomorrow. He’d decided he’d remain hungry after breakfast, a good time to visit the Corner Grocery, buy some snacks and find a way to speak with the Sharans again, especially Pete. They, at least, had a private office.
But for now—well, he’d find a way to talk with Maya, if not tonight then tomorrow.
After passing Berry’s Bar, some clothing stores and a couple of gas stations, they soon reached Griddle Junction, a single-story restaurant with lots of windows that occupied nearly half a block. He listened as they headed inside and heard a lot of conversations, as with a typical restaurant. He also inhaled scents typical of a pancake house at dinnertime—including sweet syrup and eggs, as well as hearty red meat. And that wasn’t all.
“Cute place,” Maya said. “I even see a couple of other dogs here.”
Ryan had smelled them, too. Both were small and lying on the floor inside the place, perhaps not permitted by law here but no one was complaining, which made Ryan like the place immediately.
“Hi,” said a fortysomething woman carrying menus and smiling her welcome. Her graying hair was caught up in a clip on top of her head. Ryan caught another scent as she approached.
One that suggested she could be a shifter.
“Hi,” he returned. “Are you one of the owners of this place?”
He wasn’t surprised when she said she was Georgia Maheus. “Have you eaten here before?” she asked.
“I haven’t,” Maya said, “but I’m sure I’ll enjoy it tonight.” She looked toward Ryan for his response, her expression somewhat quizzical as if she realized he had an ulterior motive for coming here.
“We’re just visiting town,” he replied, “but we’ve heard good things about this place.”
Georgia showed them to a table in the middle of the moderately busy restaurant, notwithstanding the fact they had a large dog with them. That emphasized Ryan’s belief that they might have good reason to welcome canines here.
So did their hostess’s scent.
It wouldn’t hurt to meet her mate, too. “Is the rest of your family involved with this restaurant?” he asked. “I travel a lot and enjoy seeing how families work together running businesses in so many locations. I’m with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, by the way.”
The woman’s brown eyes widened as she regarded him. “I’ll bet you have an interesting job,” she said, then added, “Are you here because people around this area have been seeing wolves?”
“That’s right.” He continued to watch her reaction, which she clearly attempted to keep blasé.
“And I’m with WHaM,” Maya added. “That’s Wildlife Habitat Monitoring. I’m interested in learning more about the wolves, too. What do you think about them?”
Ryan was both amused and pleased that Maya seemed to work as a team with him, and with Piers, too, who was watching them all.
“Oh, we like wild animals,” Georgia said. “But I’ve heard some people were hurt by the wolves. That’s truly sad, from both the people’s and the wolves’ perspectives, I’m afraid.”
“Do you know of anyone who’s going after the wolves?” Piers asked, his tone just as Ryan hoped to hear it—interested, but not too interested.
“No—but if I do, do you gentlemen have a card so I can let you know? I assume Fish and Wildlife would be interested.”
Ryan nodded at Piers, who took a card out of his pocket. Fortunately, as part of their cover, they’d gotten phony identification for just this kind of situation.
He noticed Georgia motion to someone behind a nearby table. A man approached, tall and thin, with a wary expression on his face.
“John, these people are with US Fish and Wildlife, and with WHaM.” She turned back toward Ryan and said, “I’ve got to get busy now, but I wanted to introduce you to my husband.”
“Good to meet you,” John said. “Sorry I don’t have time to talk to you, but welcome to Griddle Junction.” He reached his wife’s side and they walked away together quickly.
“So what was that about?” Maya asked immediately.
“I think you can guess,” Ryan responded.
“Something else we’ll talk about some other time?” Her tone was sweet, her expression irritated.
“You got it. Now, are you in the mood for breakfast food for dinner, or what do you have in mind to eat?”
“I saw someone eating a really huge and great-looking omelet,” Piers said. “That’s what I’m getting.”
“I need to look at the menu,” Maya said. “I might go for an omelet, too. And I assume you’ll at least consider the steak.” She smiled and batted her eyes at Ryan.
“I’ll consider it,” he confirmed.
* * *
Dinner was over. Maya had enjoyed her omelet.
She’d enjoyed the company even more. But now they were walking back to the hotel. There was no indication they were going to do anything when they arrived except to all head for their beds.
She didn’t want that. She wanted to chat with Ryan. He’d already said he had things to talk to her about, too.
Why not tonight?
They reached the door to the lobby. They’d taken their time somewhat to make sure Rocky was able to accomplish all the sniffing and relieving himself that he wanted, and now the dog seemed quite happy to come inside.
Maya was, too—maybe. “I’m not really tired,” she said to her two male companions as they entered. “And we discussed the possibility of talking about some of the stuff that’s going on around here. Why not here and now?”
She anticipated Ryan’s reaction. He’d only talk to her when he felt comfortable no one else would be able to listen in.
Then, as she’d said, why not here and now? The hotel lobby was empty except for the senior guy at the registration desk. He most likely wouldn’t be able to hear what they said as long as they kept their voices low.
“Not here,” Ryan said. “But just a minute.”
He motioned for Piers to join him off to the side of the empty room. Maya didn’t know what they were talking about but she had an idea. She approached the guy at the registration desk and asked some questions. Then she hurried back across the lobby to where the men stood. Apparently their quick conversation was over since they both just looked at her.
“Okay,” Ryan said as she reached them. “Here’s what we can do. Piers will take Rocky to his room to bed, but you and I will go for a ride to talk.”
“Sure,” she said, her mood lightening. She’d been concerned they would just tell her they were tired and no one really wanted to talk to her, after all. “Or, we can go to my room.” She told them she’d seen the people on either side of her leave with luggage earlier, and she’d just confirmed that they had checked out—and that no one else had checked in. “No one’ll be close enough to hear anything if we talk there.”
“So we’ve got two good possibilities.” Ryan’s smile looked relieved. Good! He must really be serious about wanting to tell her...something. What? She already knew what he was.
Still...
“So which will it be?” Maya asked.
“Let’s look at your room first,” Ryan said, “and if all seems as quiet and private as you indicated, it’ll be fine not to run around anymore tonight.”
“Great.” Maya felt her heart rate accelerating.
She shouldn’t feel at all excited that she might be alone with Ryan in her bedroom for an unknown length of time.
They were going there to talk, for him to tell her even more, she believed, about the kind of person he was, and how he melded into the regular world of regular people.
If nothing else, that should be a huge turnoff. In fact, she had a sudden urge to change her mind and say they should go for a drive to talk.
But she didn’t. And in another minute Piers and Rocky were heading down the hall toward their room...and Maya was leading Ryan up the stairs toward hers.