Page 39 of Challenged Mate
With a blush of her own, the hostess nodded, then wordlessly escorted us to the other table.
Once we were seated and alone, I murmured to Chase, “Thanks.”
He waved his hand, and a silencing barrier fell into place. “No problem. I wasn’t interested in being gawked at from all sides. At least now we only have to worry about people snapping photos from one direction. Thank goodness this is my good side.”
Kayla and I laughed.
We looked over the menu. Everything sounded delicious.
I was debating which sushi roll I wanted to try when our waiter appeared at the edge of the table.
I was pleasantly surprised when he didn’t so much as blink at my presence. He acted like I was like any other guest, and I appreciated it more than he could know.
“Good evening, ladies. Sir.” He dipped his head to Chase. “Welcome to Miko’s. My name is Joshua. Can I start you off with something to drink?”
“How about a bottle of your 1983 Pinot Grigio,” Kayla said. She looked at me, flicking her eyes to the sushi menu in my hands, and explained, “It tastes great with fish.”
I smiled. “Sounds wonderful.”
The waiter nodded. “Excellent choice. Anything else?”
“Just a round of waters, I think. Thanks,” Chase said.
Joshua left to get our drinks, and the three of us discussed the different menu items. Apparently, Chase and Kayla ate at Miko’s often. They’d tried nearly every dish and gave great recommendations.
Joshua returned with our drinks and asked for our orders. Kayla requested blackened salmon. Chase ordered a rib-eye. I opted to try the Rainbow Roll and Dragon Roll after hearing Kayla gush about how good they were.
The evening continued on. Gradually, I forgot all about the curious looks being thrown our direction as Chase, Kayla, and I shared fun conversation.
I learned more about what Kayla’s and Chase’s lives had been like growing up in the Wilds Pack, away from the rest of the North American Packs.
Honestly, their stories filled me with envy.
There was something to be said about living life the way you wanted without worrying what others thought of you.
It would be refreshing to make pack decisions without wondering how it could impact your pack’s hierarchy within the shifter community.
Or how they would respond when a female finally replaced her father as their pack’s alpha…
Dinner arrived. Our trio maintained our easygoing banter as we enjoyed our meals. Halfway through the meal, Chase ordered a second bottle of wine since we’d already demolished the first.
I finished my last piece of sushi and sat back in my chair, enjoying the wine.
I wasn’t drunk, but my muscles felt loose and smiling came easy. It felt good to relax. I should’ve done it sooner.
Before I knew it, the lights in the restaurant dimmed, and the soothing background music morphed into an up-beat electronic track that was trending on the radio.
On the other side of the room, a pair of waiters slid apart a cherry-blossom screen that I’d mistaken as a permanent structure. They revealed an entire second part of the restaurant. Strobe lights flashed on a wooden dance floor. A long bar stretched across the left side of the space. Dozens of liquor bottles hung on the wall behind it. On the right side, a modest stage was elevated two feet with a DJ’s turntable placed on it.
A slender brunette stood at the turntable, wearing a bulky set of headphones. She bobbed her head along to the beat, moving her fingers over the knobs and controls as she adjusted the music’s sound.
“Looks like it’s party time!” Kayla cheered, lifting her wine glass in the air. Thank the Mother it was only half-full, otherwise it would’ve sloshed all over her red dress. Not that I thought that would deter Kayla from enjoying the evening. Her eyes glowed with excitement, and she danced in her seat, clearly eager to get to the dance floor.
“You two go ahead,” Chase encouraged with a wave of his hand. “I’ll join you once I pay the check.”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll wait with—”
“Sounds good!” Kayla practically shouted. She tipped her wine glass back, finishing it in three gulps. It clanked against her plate when she set it on the table.
