his eyes that I was right. “We don’t have to stay here.”
He pushed up his glasses and said, “No, I’m fine! Really.”
Another waiter tripped over Kole’s robe. He winced and sunk further into his chair.
“Alright, maybe we should go,” he said. “I’m going to cause an accident.”
“We can go back to the café. I’ll make us something to eat. How’s that sound?”
“I think that sounds wonderful.”
Kole led the way out of the restaurant, his robe swishing behind him. He let out a deep sigh when we walked out onto the sidewalk. “I feel so awful. I thought this would be appropriate attire. You made reservations and everything…”
“You’ve really never been out to dinner before? Like, ever?”
“I’ve never had cause to,” he said. “Not to a restaurant like this.”
I grinned and then started laughing. He laughed with me and gave me a look.
“I didn’t know,” he said.
“I’m sorry,” I replied, putting my hand on his shoulder. “But that sight of you walking inside. That was something. You do truly look amazing, by the way. Everyone should dress like that for dinner.” I suddenly remembered the bag in my hand. “Oh, here. I got you something. As thanks for what you’ve done for Elise.”
He gasped in surprise and took the bag from me, and I encouraged him to open it. He pulled out the packing paper and unwrapped the gift—a ceramic teacup. His eyes lit up as he turned it over in his hand, examining it.
“It’s made of a special material,” I said. “It’s supposed to keep your tea hot for hours. I thought it’d go well with your new tea. Hope you like it.”
Kole said nothing for a moment and continued to run his fingers over the ceramic as he gazed at it. “It’s perfect,” he said, with a smile that made something shiver in my chest. Out here in the clean air, away from the swirl of potent culinary aromas in the restaurant, I could smell Kole’s scent—that familiar mix of florals, herbs, and smoke from the incense he used. There was something else, too, his natural scent probably, and it all mixed to form something unique and, honestly, addicting. When I closed my eyes, it transported me to green, magical forests. Ancient places where my wolf mind wanted to run. And it drew out a craving from somewhere inside my body that had been hidden away for a very long time.
I was trying to ignore it, but it wasn’t something I could turn off.
“My car’s right there.” I turned and pointed, trying not to fixate on my senses.
“You know, I live just a few blocks away from here,” he said. “I have quite a wonderful kitchen that’s not being nearly as well utilized as it should be. We could go there.”
I froze for a half-second as my thoughts split a million ways. Go back to Kole’s place? My mind was going to weird places—I needed to calm my ass down. Nothing was going to happen, it was just a friendly invitation.
“Sure,” I said calmly. “But let’s stop by the market first, I’ll pick up some stuff.”
“Okay.”
“Will you be fine?”
He adjusted his glasses and nodded. “I don’t mind people staring. I just prefer not to be a tripping hazard.”
We walked down the block and into a corner grocery. I picked up a handbasket and went for the produce section, quickly selecting what my nose drew me towards.
“You seem to know exactly what to choose,” he observed. “What are you looking for?”
“Whatever smells good,” I said, smiling. “I’ve been blessed with two things in my life: my daughter and my sense of smell. If it wasn’t for this nose, I wouldn’t have my restaurant.”
“You mean, you’re able to tell which things are good just by smelling them?”
“Yep,” I said. “And it’s how I decide what I’m going to cook. I can already taste the flavors in my head as I choose the ingredients. What kinds of spices do you have at home?”
“Oh, I’m not sure,” Kole said. “Just the basics, I think. I eat very simple food.”
We went to the seasoning aisle, and I took a few moments to mull over which spices I wanted to go with. A little boy and his mother walked past us, and the boy shifted out of his wolf form and pointed up at Kole.
“Big hat!” he squealed. Kole smiled and waved at him before his mother dragged him away, not paying any attention to us.
“This, this, and…this.” I dropped the containers into the basket.