at me again. “Are you associating soup with being sick now?”
“Probably.” I turned us out of the hospital lot and headed down the main road leading through the center of town. “It just doesn’t sound appealing.”
“No soup, then,” she agreed, planting her hands on my fuel tank. “But something hot and hearty would be good in this weather.”
The ride was slow, with no particular destination in mind as we checked out the bustling center of Four Corners. It had stopped snowing already and road crews were already raking the slushy snow-and-mud mix off the sidewalks.
“Oh, shepherd’s pie!” Mari pointed at a sandwich board outside of a squat brick building. “How does that sound?”
“What is that? I’ve never had it,” I admitted.
“Oh, it’s amazing!” She was already wriggling in my seat, eager to get off. Ugh, don’t think about getting off. “It’s a savory pie with a meat filling and mashed potatoes on top. It’s so good, Shadow. You’ll love it.”
“Sounds good. I’ll try it.”
I maneuvered the bike close to the building and looked for a place to park. There didn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason to vehicle parking yet, so we found an alley on the next block where a few scooters and motorbikes sat and decided to take our chances. Crime was supposed to be low within Four Corners, due to the governor’s strict entry requirements. My Harley would be tempting to a thief, but also too big to steal without alerting me in the next building.
Freyja jumped out from under my hoodie and Mari’s hand slipped into mine once we got off the bike. I did my best to walk normally while my heart went crazy. She appeared to have no second thoughts about being affectionate with me in public.
Like I was one of her men.
That thought was almost as staggering as her being affectionate with me at all.
“I like your hoodie,” she said, bringing the fabric over her nose. “It smells like you.”
I looked at her, surprised again. “That’s a good thing?”
“Yes,” she laughed. “I might steal it, so it feels like I’m wrapped up in you when you’re not around.”
“You can have it, then.” I took my gloves off and stuck them in my cut pocket so I could feel her hand better as I held it. “But what if I want to steal something of yours?”
She gave me a playful look. “You already have my cat.”
“That’s true,” I chuckled, looking ahead to where Freyja waited for us at the end of the alley. “She’s lovely, but a poor imitation of you.”
“I could say the same for your hoodie.”
No words came to me in response to that, so I just rubbed my thumb along the back of her hand. She returned the gesture, squeezing around my fingers lightly.
We turned the corner and walked into the restaurant where the shepherd’s pie was advertised. It was a simple, rectangular building with a ceiling almost too low for my head. The tables and chairs were obviously scavenged from other places, spread out with few matching pieces in the dining area. The original counter had been ripped out, but there was a window in the far wall looking into the kitchen. A hand-drawn sign was taped next to the window that read ‘Order Here’.
There was plenty of room to sit, with only a few tables occupied. Customers paid little attention to us, keeping their conversations low over their soups and sandwiches. Two chefs cooked over stoves in the kitchen, the closest one looking up and nodding at us as we stepped inside.
“Just holler when you’re ready,” the chef yelled before turning back to his stove.
He was a stout guy, red-faced with strawberry blond hair. The collar of his chef’s jacket was turned up, which was curious, considering the sweltering heat from the stoves. He wiped sweat from his brow before grabbing the handle of a frying pan to sauté his dish. The movement showed a peek of a tattoo on his neck—two straight lines intersecting at the ends—before he readjusted his collar to hide it.
“I hope I have enough to trade for food.” Mari dug through her pants pockets. “I always carry a few pills on me but it’s not always—”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said with a light touch to her elbow. “I’ll get us lunch.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind—”
“I got it, really. Why don’t you find us a place to sit?”
“‘Kay.” She nearly had to jump to kiss my cheek before meandering through the eclectic