Page 8 of Such a Sweet Omega

“Just water, please.”

He nodded. “Would you like to hear about the specials?”

Sweat beaded up along my brow and trickled down the back of my neck. Tingles broke out along my arms, and my leg bounced.

I tugged at my collar, wishing I hadn’t worn a sweater.

Why was it so hot in here?

“No. No specials. Thank you.”

“Sir, are you all right?” he asked, bending down a bit to whisper.

“I’ll be fine. Water. Please.”

The chatter from the other diners got louder until the separate voices blended into a roar in my ears. I gripped the edge of the table for some kind of stability, but even that didn’t help.

Closing my eyes, I took a long deep breath, but that only made my heart stutter harder.

This was all a bad idea.

Taking myself out.

The night with Aaron.

Trying to be alone.

If only I had something or someone to ground me.

Chapter Seven

Jabez

I didn’t have a real problem with eating alone because as a healer, my schedule could be so erratic that I could find myself eating breakfast when others were having dinner or vice versa. Even though I tried to leave the birthings to other healers and midwives, attending to illnesses and injuries did not take place only during regular business hours. And often, I had just a little while between calls, not nearly long enough to go home and prepare a full meal. So, it was either get used to sitting alone in restaurants or go hungry.

And my wolf and I did not like going hungry.

So while I preferred eating with friends or other healers or even business associates, I found myself alone in restaurants far too often. And I had come up with a system to make sure my meals were as relaxing and nourishing as possible. First, I insisted on a booth or at least a table out of the way. Nothing worse than being stuck in the middle of noisy diners and staff constantly passing by when I’d been up for thirty-six hours and wasn’t going to get to sleep anytime soon. I needed to use my break to restore my energy to be there for my patients.

Another thing was what I chose to eat. It was entirely too easy in restaurants to eat heavy food, or fried, or just too much salt or sugar. My wolf craved meat, of course, so I never cut back on that, choosing high protein most of the time and saving the heavy starches for special treats. And dessert, well, I just didn’t have the time or energy to weight myself down with that. But I did have a love for all things dark chocolate.

However, tonight, I had decided to indulge in one of my favorite meals. And that meant going to my favorite restaurant. An out-of-the-way steakhouse, it always managed to be busyyet always managed to get me one of the booths I preferred even without a reservation. Just like any other physician, my healer status granted me that privilege. Mostly, the job was hard and grueling and, even avoiding my Achilles of birthing, could emotionally take a toll.

“Healer Jabez, lovely to see you tonight.” Betsy, a cougar shifter, picked up a menu and waved it. “I don’t suppose you need this?”

“No, but you may be surprised at what I order.” I followed her up a flight of five steps to a booth in the back section, a place as quiet and secluded as possible in this popular restaurant.

“I’m intrigued.” She grinned. “I hope that includes dessert.”

“It might, but”—I crooked a finger, inviting her to lean close—“I am going to have some of those potatoes au gratin your mate creates.”

She fake gasped. “But you claim they can clog even the arteries of a shifter.”

“What is life without its little treats.”

“Agreed.” I leaned back in my seat and let my tense shoulder muscles relax as she stepped away. Betsy and her mate had opened this place a couple of years earlier, and they drew a mixed clientele of shifters and humans and some people who did not fit into either category. It was one of the reasons I enjoyed coming here and watching all the activity that went on. I just didn’t want to be in the middle of it. My current perch allowed quite a view of all the goings-on.

My server, Eduardo, brought me a drink without my having to ask. I kept a bottle in the bar here, on the top shelf, for a fee I considered well worth it to enjoy my preferred whiskey. “And what will you have tonight, Healer? Steak and salad? No dressing?”

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