Page 16 of Capricorn Blessed

“I—we—won’t mind at all,” I answer as Izzy laughs beside me. “Oh, this is Izzy. She’s traveling with me.” She laughs again as Kenric turns to face her for the first time.

“Hello, Izzy. Nice to meet you.” He holds out his hand to shake.

“You too,” she answers, taking his hand. “Thanks for offering to help us. We would have been stuck here for who knows how long without you.”

“I’m sure it is no problem with such wonderful company. Shall we head outside?” he asks, turning toward the front door.

Izzy grabs my arm and pulls until I look at her.

“OMG!” she mouths. “So hot!”

I nod my agreement and pick up the pace to catch up with him at the door.

Dennis stands as we approach the table, pulling out a chair for me. “So what did you order?” he asks before noticing Kenric. “And who’s your new friend?”

“This is Kenric,” I introduce as we settle around the table. “He is local and has agreed to help us with ordering since no one came to the counter. Guess he’s our knight in shining armor.”

“Nice to meet you...” Kenric trails off.

“Dennis.”

“Dennis,” he finishes. “I couldn’t leave two gorgeous women hungry and in distress. I had to offer my assistance in getting them sustenance. The button in the middle of the table will let a server know that you are ready for service or have a question.” He reaches forward and pushes a button set into the table.

I don’t hear anything when he pushes it, but a few minutes later a server in a white button-down and black slacks approaches the table. She says something in French, to which Kenric responds, and then she leaves.

“She’ll be back with English menus in a moment for you all,” he tells us.

“That’s neat!” I say.

“Does this stop someone from coming and asking how it is when my mouth is full?” asks Dennis. “Somehow, it’s always when you take a bite.”

“Yep,” Kenric answers. “Other than bringing the food out, she’ll only come over when we buzz. People expect their privacy even when eating out.”

The server returns and passes each of us a menu before walking away.

My eyes scan down all the dishes. Toasties, cheese plates, sandwiches, pastries, caviars. This place has it all.

“I don’t know where to start,” I say. “I want it all.”

“It’ll take days to eat through all these items,” Izzy agrees.

“And we don’t know how long we’ll be here for,” I remind her.

She pouts a little but doesn’t respond.

“My favorites are the toasties for a lighter choice or the fish. It’s caught fresh daily and brought in. Or they have amazing hamburgers if you’re missing home. I know it sounds weird, but they are worth it. And of course, the wine here is excellent. You can get a vintage bottle or something that has just hit the shelves. I don’t know if you are aware, but Bordeaux is the wine capital.”

We decide on a variety of dishes to share, including the hamburger, a cheese plate, and a few others. We pass on the wine, since it’s still mid-day, but we do order some lattes. As we wait for our orders, we chat a little and get to know each other.

Kenric was born in England, but moved with his family to the States when he was five. When he graduated from university, he picked a job with offices around the world and transferred here.

“So what brings you all to this side of the world?” he asks.

“We’re on a treasure hunt of sorts,” I answer. “We aren’t sure if we are in the right area or not, but we’re planning to take some time to try to find what we need. But we may need to move to another city or country...”

“And what are you looking for?” he asks. “I may be able to help you find it or at least know if it is in the area... Wait, are you geocashers? I know people like to hide those things everywhere, but aren’t there normally clues?”

With a chuckle, Dennis answers, “Not geocashers, although I’ve thought that sounds fun...” He looks at me, and I shrug. “We are hunting some relics related to the Constellations.”

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