Starlight Web (Moonshadow Bay #1) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,16

my family pictures…everything I had accumulated…all gone,” he said, a melancholy look washing across his face.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t realize you had truly lost everything.” I paused, frowning. There was more to his grief than losing possessions. “You lost more than that, didn’t you?”

He nodded. “I lost my dog. I couldn’t get in to save her. It still chokes me up, thinking about it. The only comfort I have is the firemen said the smoke took her before the flames reached her. She wasn’t young—she was fourteen—and I doted on her.”

“What was her name?” I asked. I had wanted a pet for years, but Ellison had argued against it so vehemently that I decided he couldn’t be trusted around a pet anyway.

“Sasha. She was a German shepherd. I wish to hell I had followed my instincts and taken her to work with me that morning. The fire hit my house before it hit my practice. I could have saved her—gotten her out with me.”

I bit my lip, feeling bad that I’d brought up such a sad memory. “You want to grab a cup of coffee?” I asked. “Ruby’s is a good place to eat, and I was about to stop for lunch. My treat, to welcome you to Moonshadow Bay.”

Killian tilted his head, his long curls sweeping to the side as he did so. His eyes softened and he smiled. “Thank you. I’d love to. In fact, I wouldn’t mind some lunch, too. I ate breakfast at six this morning and could use a good bite. But I insist on paying.”

I felt my cheeks color just a little as he offered his arm, but I managed to push down my feelings of awkwardness as we headed into the restaurant. In the back of my mind, Ari’s teasing rang loud and clear. Yeah, maybe I did like him—just a little.

Killian scarfed down his spaghetti as though he hadn’t eaten in days. I was just as hungry, but I suddenly felt self-conscious. I twirled the spaghetti around and around on my fork.

He noticed. “What’s wrong? Is something off with your food?”

I blinked. I had done the same thing with Ellison because he was always harping on my weight and he only noticed if I actually ate anything. “No, it’s fine. I’m just…”

“You can’t be full already. You’ve barely eaten a bite.” He frowned, looking puzzled.

I bit my lip, unsure of how to answer. But it felt foreign to eat around a man. Finally, I decided that it wouldn’t matter anyway. He was my neighbor. I forked a mouthful of the noodles and meat sauce into my mouth, immediately spilling some on my shirt. My boobs acted as a catch tray, as usual, catching the brunt of the sauce. I couldn’t see my stomach or my feet when I looked down. A G cup pretty much make sure of that. It also ensured that I pretty much only wore shirts and dresses one day before having to wash them.

I scrambled to wipe the sauce off my top, then reached in my purse for a Stride Pen—soap in a pen to take off stains.

“Damn it,” I said, trying to clean off my bust in the most delicate way possible. “I’m not usually a klutz.”

“You’re not a klutz at all. Spaghetti is a messy food and I personally think they should cut the noodles up and serve it with a spoon. But you’re right—the food here is fantastic.” He enthusiastically finished off his meal and motioned to the waitress. The lunch was all-you-can-eat. “More spaghetti and garlic bread, please.”

I finished tidying up and went back to my meal. He was right—the food was so good that I decided to forget about being self-conscious. I was hungry and I was going to eat.

After a few minutes, Killian asked, “How bad was it? Your marriage?”

I froze, darting a glance his way. “How did you know?”

“I know the signs. My sister was in a bad marriage and it really messed with her head. It took her a long time to regain her sense of self. He didn’t want you to eat, right?”

I hesitated, then nodded. “Right. I was in a thinner phase when we got married and Ellison was really unhappy that I gained any weight. But I had been sick when we met—I had had mono and had lost about forty pounds from my normal weight. Ellison assumed that was my normal look. I managed to keep it off for a while, and we got