Page 81 of Deathmarch

He raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Never mind.” She bit her lip again.

“You have something to say about me being a nut?”

“So much.”

He grinned. “Look at you, all mature and holding back.” Then he gestured at the platter. “Barbeque ribs or buffalo wings?”

Both came with french fries and a salad. “I think I’ll try both.”

“Now that’s the Allie I remember.”

She was not ashamed of her lack of restraint. Finnegan’s was famous for their secret sauces.

She took a bite of falling-off-the-bone rib meat, the sweet and savory taste nearly making her moan with pleasure. She liked good food, but rarely had the chance to indulge. Her usual motel rooms didn’t come with kitchens, so she didn’t cook. Most of the time, she lived on rest-stop food. Her culinary expectations didn’t reach beyond those prepackaged apple pie pockets.

She took another bite and let her eyes flutter closed, let the rich spices suffuse her entire being.Heaven. When she opened her eyes at last, she didn’t even care that Harper was staring at her. “Do you know what’s in this?”

“My mother makes the sauce.”

“She won’t tell her own children?”

“She said she’ll whisper the recipe to her favorite on her deathbed.”

“Who’s her favorite?”

“I guess we’ll find out then.”

She licked her finger. “Good to know I’m not the only person she doesn’t trust.”

Harper picked up a wing. “She’s not a bad person, you know.”

“I didn’t say she was. But she thinks I’m a bad person.”

He flashed her a long-suffering look. “Why can’t the two women in my life get along?”

She nearly choked on a french fry. “I’m not a woman in your life.”

“You’re living with me.”

“Until tomorrow. You said forty-eight hours,” she rushed to remind him. “Have you tracked down Zane?”

“Working on it.”

“I still can’t believe he’d physically hurt me.” She fell silent for a few seconds. “But I wouldn’t have thought he’d be a stalker either. It makes me feel stupid for having bad judgment.”

“It’s not a woman’s fault if a man decides to behave like an ass.”

“I should have seen through him sooner.”

“As you said, with your job being what it is, you didn’t spend a lot of time together.”

True. But… “Here’s the thing. In a few days, I’ll go back on the road. I’m not going to have any more free time than before. How am I ever going to judge whether a man who asks me out is a good guy or someone who’ll try to run me over with his car later?”

“You could just date people you already know.” Harper reached for another wing.

She ran the handful of men she’d dated through her head. The only one she could imagine spending more than a few hours with was Harper. “No, thanks. Anyway, I probably shouldn’t see anyone for a while. A new boyfriend would really set off Zane.”