Page 17 of Briggs (Paranormal Council Enforcers #16)

Briggs

I still found it amazing just how much your life could change in such a short amount of time.

This morning, I was in New Mexico on an assignment that wasn’t really going anywhere.

Now, I was in Timber Valley with my adorable mate, watching him war with himself on which flavor of milkshake he wanted with his meal.

“What flavor are you getting?” he asked.

“Probably chocolate fudge. It’s really good.”

Todd’s eyes widened. “They have chocolate fudge? That’s not on the menu.”

I chuckled. “There are several flavors that are up on the board there.” I pointed to the menu that was on the wall behind the counter. “There is a full milkshake menu on the counter by the register.”

“What?” Todd stretched a little to try and see better, but it was no use. There were too many people standing in the way. “Now I’m never going to be able to decide.”

“What was your first choice?”

“I was leaning toward strawberry, but you said they had fudge. And I do love me some chocolate.”

“How about this? You get your strawberry, and I’ll get chocolate fudge like intended. Then you can have some of mine, and you’ll get both flavors.” We moved up in line and were now in the front, and Todd could see the counter. His eyes widened even more when he saw how many choices there were.

“Why so many? I’ve only ever been in the drive-thru, and it doesn’t list all of those.”

“I’m sorry. If I’d known it would distress you, I would have suggested a different restaurant.”

“Don’t be. It’s completely my issue.” Todd leaned closer. “I just…I struggle with food choices sometimes,” he whispered. It didn’t matter that he was whispering—I heard him.

“What can I get for you today?”

I smiled at the teenager behind the counter, taking orders. I quickly gave him mine and looked over at Todd, who was staring at the list of flavors on the counter.

“So many.”

“Yeah. They keep adding more too. Like, why can’t they just keep it simple, you know?”

“Yes,” Todd said before he sighed. “Can I just get a strawberry milkshake with extra strawberry?” Todd looked up at me. “Is that all right?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” In a way, I wish we were already mated because then we could talk through our bond. But I was almost certain that Todd wasn’t quite ready for all of that. Maybe I was wrong, but I didn’t think so.

“Is that all? Did you want a meal with it too?”

“Oh, yeah. Can I just get the same as him?” Todd asked, pointing up toward me.

“Sure thing.” The teenager input the rest of the order before looking at us expectantly.

“That’s it, I think,” I told him before glancing at Todd.

“I’m good.”

I chuckled again and pulled out my card. After I paid for our food, we took our cups and the little tent thing and went to get our drinks. When we encountered the soft drink machine, I bit my lower lip.

“What? Why…I really need to get out more,” Todd said under his breath. I couldn’t help but bite my lip a bit harder. He struggled with around eight different milkshake flavors. There were literally over a hundred options. “I can’t,” Todd said and handed me the cup. “Please just surprise me.”

I managed to grab the cup before he dropped it.

Todd took the little tent with our number and wandered off.

I watched him for a moment before he sat at a booth on the right side of the restaurant.

Not sure what he wanted, I filled his cup halfway with ice and then added a flavored drink.

I gave myself something different, and after I grabbed straws, I followed my mate and placed a cup in front of him before sliding into the booth across from him.

“I’m sorry it seems to be stressing you out so much.”

Todd sighed. “That’s not it. It’s really not.” He glanced around before leaning closer. “Because I barely had anything to eat or drink for so long, I really enjoy everything now and want to experience it all. But at times, it can be overwhelming when there are so many options.”

“Well, if you don’t like your drink, you can have mine.”

Todd shook his head. “I’ll like it. I meant it when I said I like all things. I do. But there’s so many options. We didn’t have a whole lot beyond the very basics growing up either, so I’m sure that is part of it as well.”

Immediately, I understood what he was telling me. Either his parents, or his pride, or possibly both hadn’t provided a whole lot of variety when he was younger.

“We’ll have to make sure you try all of the things and get you out more,” I told him. Todd offered a smile, but whatever he was going to say was cut off when our food was brought out to us.

It was an experience watching him try his drink and then his shake. I’d obviously done well on choosing the drink because he closed his eyes and quietly moaned.

“We started to talk about ourselves a little, but we didn’t get very far,” Todd said. “You know more about me, I think, but I know so little about you.”

I shrugged. “Possibly not.”

“How old am I?” Todd asked.

“I believe nineteen? Twenty?”

Todd nodded. “But what about you? I don’t know how old you are. When is your birthday? Favorite pastime? All the things.”

I chuckled again. “Well, I’m forty-three.

My birthday is July twenty-sixth. My favorite color is blue, favorite food is probably steak, followed by pie.

I love to run,” I said but gave him a look that he understood.

I loved to run, but in my other form, not this one.

“Lazy mornings are a goal, and on the weekends, I do not get up early.” I leaned back and watched Todd eating.

It was good that he was since he hadn’t eaten much of his lunch.

Todd looked around again before leaning close once more. “Do you think I’m too young for you?”

I shook my head. “On my team, there is Benjamin, whose partner is Eli. Benjamin is much older. Raiden and Alexander. They’re fairly close in age, only eight years apart.

Dimitri…now, he’s probably close to twice the age of his partner, Caspian.

If you think about…say Master Ambrosius.

He is…yeah,” I said, cutting myself off as someone walked by.

They had to choose the table that was right next to us, which was frustrating and meant Todd and I would have to limit what we were discussing.

“Age is just a number,” I whispered. “It’s not important. ”

Todd nodded. His eyes shifted to the right, then back at me before landing on his food.

We ate in mostly silence until we were finished.

I gave Todd half of my shake, and once he’d finished it, we cleaned up and left.

The place was much busier now than it was when we arrived, and before we could even get to the bin to dump our trash, someone was sliding into our booth.

Once outside, it had not only cooled considerably but had started to get dark. “I will say that I miss the longer days of summer,” Todd said.

“Yes. It will be winter before we know it, and then there will be snow on the ground. We have a date already for that,” I reminded him. Todd smiled up at me. I grinned back before I opened the door for my mate. He grinned at me as he climbed in.

I closed the door, rounded the truck, and after I slid in behind the wheel, I looked over at my mate. “Now we can talk,” I told him. “I didn’t even think about the lack of privacy. That’s my fault.”

Todd shrugged. “The council is busy, I know, but it would be nice to have a restaurant or two up on the mountaintop. We have everything else.”

“True. Maybe we should suggest that at some point. I agree that it would be nice. Although there is the council cafeteria. You are always welcome to eat there.”

“Yeah, but I don’t always want to take it home.

I don’t have a badge like you do. Like, I could get in, but it’s a whole thing.

So I have to go to the takeout window around the back.

I don’t mind, but sometimes it’s just nice to be able to sit down and eat at a restaurant where you don’t have to cook or do any of the cleaning. ”

I stared at Todd, a bit bewildered. “You don’t have a badge?”

“Sort of. There’s no reason for me to be in the council building. So I have one that gets me into the clinic, and the store is obviously open, and I can knock on the door to the council, but my badge doesn’t work in the keypad thing.”

I blinked at my mate. “We’ll get you one tomorrow. You’re my mate, and I’ll get you a mate’s badge. That way, you can come into the building.” How was it that his badge didn’t get him into the council building? He was employed by them.

“What? No, I don’t need one. I was just saying…it would be nice to have a restaurant.”

“I agree, but why wouldn’t you want a badge? You can come see me at work once we get you one.”

“But I’ll be working. And so will you.” Todd shook his head.

“I wouldn’t want to bother you at work.” I chuckled before starting the truck.

“But you could come have lunch with me in the cafeteria. Lots of mates come, and some even bring their babies.” This was all true.

Granted, it wasn’t an everyday thing, but it did happen.

And with Todd being right next door, it wouldn’t be a far walk for him to come on over.

“Are you planning on continuing to work?” I asked.

Todd looked at me with confusion on his face. “Why wouldn’t I?”

I shrugged. “I was just asking—making conversation. You know you don’t have to, right? If you want to stop working, that is. Maybe you want to go to school full-time like you mentioned earlier? Or just spend time relaxing?”

Todd’s expression was pure surprise. “I have to work. Eventually, my brother and sister are going to have to come stay with me.” Todd took a deep breath. “Well, with us. I should already have them, actually, but I’m being difficult about it.”