was a beautiful cobblestone path, leading through town and many of the houses adorned flower boxes in the windows, some had ivy growing up the rock walls of the exterior. They were so quaint and reminded Jane of beautiful little cottages.
As they continued down the street, Jane spotted a small business nestled between two tiny houses. It was an ice cream parlor. It was more like an ice cream stand, because there wasn?t anywhere inside to provide room to dine, but there were tables set up along the street in front of it.
?Are you hungry?? Dirk asked, pulling her gaze from the ice cream shop.
Jane nodded and he motioned down the street. ?There is a pizza place down there, or we can have ice cream. Or if you like we can have both.?
Jane smiled, ?Ice cream sounds really good. Unless you?re hungry and would like something more filling.?
Dirk shook his head. ?I grabbed a quick bite while I was waiting for you to wake up.?
Dirk led her to the window of the ice cream shop and a middle-aged looking man appeared with a friendly smile, welcoming them. Jane noticed that he only met Dirk?s eyes momentarily, then looked to his shoulder as he spoke instead of his face. ?Guten Abend, Delta,? the man said smiling, then turned his gaze to Jane.
Dirk gestured in her direction and said, ?Gustave, this is Jane. She doesn?t speak Deutsch.?
The man nodded his head and smiled at her, then Dirk turned to her and said, ?Jane, this is Gustave. He used to work with us, but he has retired a few years back and now runs this ice cream shop to keep himself busy.?
Jane smiled back at the older man and wondered how old he really was. He didn?t appear very old but yet he was old enough to be retired.
?What can I get for you?? the man asked, still smiling.
Jane glanced up, realizing that the sign was written in German. If she continued to stay here, she was going to have to learn the language. Dirk must have caught her staring at the unknown words, because he leaned over and ask what her favorite ice cream was.
?Brownie sundaes,? she answered shyly, feeling insufficient that he had to interpret everything for her.
Gustave smiled even wider and said, ?My mate makes the best brownies in Europe. You won?t find a better brownie sundae anywhere else.?
Jane smiled and licked her lips at the thought. She also noticed that Gustave?s English was very good, he just had a stronger accent than Dirk. At times, Dirk?s accent was nonexistent.
?I?ll have the same,? Dirk told him, then moved away from the counter as Gustave moved into the kitchen to warm their brownies.
Jane leaned against the side of the counter and looked around. She hoped that she would make some friends so that she wouldn?t be such a burden on Dirk. Surely with so many wolves under his command, he had a lot of work to do. A thought suddenly hit her and she turned to Dirk, deciding if she would speak it aloud. She glanced back to Gustave and saw him heating chocolate syrup and decided she?d just simply ask. Dirk must have felt the heat of her gaze on him because he stood looking down the street but suddenly turned to face her.
?Why are you the one showing me around? I know you must have plenty of work to do.?
Dirk shrugged, ?I do, but it will be there waiting when I get back.?
Jane smiled at him, again feeling guilty for being a burden. If she knew that she could be any help to him with what he was putting off while being with her, she?d help, but she assumed that she couldn?t. She wouldn?t have permission to view classified information Dirk probably handled.
Gustave returned with two large bowls of ice cream topped with chunks of brownie and chocolate syrup. Dirk handed him money and Jane again felt awkward. How many times was Dirk going to buy her meals? She felt guilty for not being able to provide for herself.
Gustave handed Dirk his change and Jane thanked him, telling him how good it looked, then followed Dirk back toward the street.
?Would you like to eat here or would you like to take a walk??
Jane looked around at all the empty tables, the atmosphere was welcoming even though it was barren. The decorative street lights cast shadows around the street as their light danced along the cobblestone and rope lights stretched