food was concerned.
“Sounds great. I’m looking forward to it already.”
He left his office and found Riley standing by the filing cabinet, one hand hovering over his bruised face as if it hurt but he couldn’t bear to touch it.
“How are you feeling?”
“Fine.”
“You sure? No headache, double vision, nausea? Anything like that?”
Riley had seemed spooked enough earlier that Brendan hadn’t bombarded him with questions, but now he wondered if he’d missed something, like a concussion.
“No…”
Brendan raised an eyebrow, not the slightest bit convinced by that answer.
“A tiny headache, but it’s just from all the tension. He didn’t hit me hard enough to do any real damage. I think he was just trying to scare me.”
It had worked, if Riley’s jumpy demeanor was any indication.
“Are you sure your head didn’t hit off anything? A wall or a door? Maybe you didn’t notice?”
He came to stand in front of Riley, taking the folder from his hands and setting it aside.
“I’m sure I’d remember if my head had met concrete this morning,” Riley said with a huff. “There’s no need to fuss.”
“I’m not fussing, I’m assessing. Hold still.”
Riley frowned at him but didn’t duck away when Brendan gripped his chin gently to hold him steady. He peered into the omega’s eyes, then tipped his face up toward the light, all the while watching his pupils. That all seemed normal enough. He pressed gently along the swelling on Riley’s jaw, eliciting a wince from the omega but not even a murmured protest.
“You’re talking and eating, so I doubt anything’s broken.”
“No glass jaws here,” Riley quipped but fell silent when Brendan slid both his hands into the omega’s hair. The silence didn’t last long.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for bumps or bruises.”
“I didn’t hit my head.”
“No harm in making sure.”
His fingers searched carefully over Riley’s scalp, seeking out anything untoward. There was nothing to find, so he let go, patting Riley on the shoulder as he stepped back. “All done. You can go back to whatever it was you were doing.” He checked his watch, realizing what time it was. “On second thought, you can join me for lunch. Grab your coat.”
“Uh…”
“Wait, do you want some Tylenol for that headache? I’m sure I have some around here somewhere.”
Riley looked confused by the rapid change in subject. “No, it’s not that bad. As for lunch, I wasn’t really planning on eating out…” He trailed off, and then groaned.
“What?” Brendan pressed.
“I was supposed to pick up some lunch on the way in.”
Yet another plan derailed by the omega’s eventful morning. Well, at least that was something Brendan could easily put right.
“Then let’s go out. My treat.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to. Grab your coat, and let's go before they run out of seats at Pickles.”
“Pickles?”
Brendan made for the door as Riley threw his coat on and followed him out.
“Best sandwich shop in the city. Picture doorstop slices of homemade bread, the freshest meat and salads. Plus, they have the nicest desserts. I hope you’re hungry.”
“I’m starving, actually,” Riley admitted. “I kind of skipped breakfast.”
“That won’t be a problem if you take the room at Mrs. O’Brien’s. She knows you’re coming, by the way. You’re invited to dinner. We should talk about how to get you on her good side.”
He felt Riley’s sideways glance.
“Is that hard to do?”
“Not especially. She doesn’t like to be challenged, except when she likes to be challenged. Interesting woman, Mrs. O’Brien.”
“Is there a Mr. O’Brien around somewhere?”
“Oh, she got rid of him a long time ago.”
“Is that like she kicked him out, or more like she took care of him with a shovel and a six-foot-deep hole?”
“You know, I never thought to ask.”
They were in luck, snagging the last table at Pickles. Brendan barely glanced at the menu, but he gave Riley time to peruse it before waving Sue over.
“Brendan. We don’t usually see you here on a Monday. Long weekend?”
“It’s Monday. I don’t think any more excuse is needed to find solace in your food.”
She grinned at him. “Certainly not. What’ll it be?”
Brendan gestured for Riley to go first, wincing when Sue’s eyes went wide, her smile dimming on seeing the omega’s face. The rapidly darkening bruises looked far starker now than they had that morning.
Riley pretended not to notice her reaction, ordering the plainest sandwich Brendan had ever heard of. It didn’t sound adequate, and clearly, Sue felt the same. She made prodding suggestions until Riley agreed to add herb mayonnaise, some bacon, and another two salads. Riley looked less and less certain