Page 61 of Guarding the Singer

"I found a pub down the street and stopped in to order some food. I'm sorry. I should have-"

"Please," she laughed. "No worries. For a few minutes I wasn't going to order anything and dig through my cupboards and then I decided I was starving!"

"If you'd like me to go out and pick up something for you-"

"Nope," she shook her head at Badger's offer. "Ilike to patronize the local businesses and the local delivery drivers."

He chuckled. "Sounds like a great idea. I'm here if you need anything."

"I'm good, Badger... Evander... Whatever I'm supposed to call you tonight."

He laughed and she laughed along with him. "You can pick whatever name you like."

"Why is it that your comments seem a little more proper with your British accent than they do without it?"

"Because everyone knows that British men are more proper than other men. We're superior to Yanks."

She snorted a laugh at that. "Oh, I kind of walked into that one."

Before she walked away from the speaker, she leaned back into the microphone. "Later on, I'm going to ask you if you've ever met the King. Or the Prince. I've always been fascinated about the Royal family."

He didn't respond immediately, but when he did, she couldn't help but smile.

"You can ask, Selene, but I might not be able to tell."

She heard the humor in his tone, but before she could call him on it, he spoke again.

"I used to work for the King, but I would be limited to certain topics of discussion."

"Oh..." She bit into her lip for a moment. "This is going to be great."

"Enjoy your dinner, Selene."

"Enjoy yours too, Badger."

She went back to the menu, ignoring the card that William had set down on the table and picked up her phone to order.

It didn't take long to get their food. William had ample time to get through a shower and have a quick meeting with Badger and Alex on a video call before the delivery person showed up.

A delivery person who wasn't expecting a fairly hefty tip. "Thanks, dude."

"Thanks for delivering it. Stay safe on the road."

The guy, who didn't look like he was a day over eighteen, gave him a salute and a bright smile. "Okay, dad."

William rolled his eyes and stepped into the house, smiling.

"Was that Chase?"

"Chase?"

William looked at her.

She gave him a grin. "About a hundred and twenty pounds of gangly young man with a bicycle helmet and a big, bright smile?"

He nodded. "That's a spot on description."

Selene came over and took the bag from him. "Chase delivers around this area. If I call to order from someplace, they route the deliveries through local kids in high school and college. Give them a chance to make money. I like that." She grinned at him and then turned her head down as she started digging through the bag. "Oh, it smells so good tonight."

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