Page 24 of Magical Melee
“Come right on in,” she said, motioning to the man.
He gave a quick nod and wheeled the table into our room. The smell of deep-fried goodness filled the air, and I chuckled.
“We don’t usually eat this poorly,” I assured him.
He laughed and shrugged. “Why not? We only live once.”
Skye quickly scribbled her signature on the receipt, and he walked toward the door as someone else with a bag appeared.
“I have an order for Skye…”
She whooped, interrupting the second delivery man, and dashed toward him. “Thank you so much.”
“Absolutely,” he said, handing over the small plastic bag.
Both men turned toward the elevator down the hall as Skye shut the door, dangling the bag in front of me.
“This is it. We’ll see if Nova is up to no good.”
I smiled and shook my head. I wasn’t so sure we were going to be pleased with the results.
“Are you sure you don’t want to wait?” I tried again, reaching for a cheese curd. “She did say…”
“Have you ever known me to be patient?”
I laughed and shook my head. “No, that isn’t a characteristic that comes to mind with you.”
She bounded off to the restroom as I stared at the photo I’d set on the dresser. I had so many questions for my mom and for Keegan, and since my mom was floating in tropical breezes somewhere, I had to find Keegan.
I placed our food on a small table and wheeled the oversized cart back out the door, only to see Frank standing as still as a statue facing the hallway.
“You’re still here?”
He didn’t even twitch.
I frowned and looked down the hallway. “Where is Stella? Does she just let you roam around town? You could get stolen or dognapped.”
His inability to answer didn’t stop me from talking.
“What kind of place is this, Frank?” I sighed softly. “I feel like there’s something more than meets the eye. Are you with me on this?”
He finally glanced up at me, and his dark brown eyes melted me.
“I’ll be right back.” I turned around and closed the door, beelining to my burger. I ripped off the bun and tore off a big chunk of meat and cheese, set it on a smaller appetizer plate, and returned to Frank in the hallway. “You have to eat something.”
His eyes widened, and he looked both ways in the hallway before standing and gobbling up the meal in one bite. He let out a burp and sat back down.
“You truly are a bulldog.” I grinned and took the plate away. “I’ll bring some water.”
As I went inside and snooped for something to pour water into, the toilet flushed, and Skye reappeared.
“Time will tell.” She wiggled her brows. “What are you looking for?”
“A dish to put water in for Frank.”
“He’s still here? I didn’t even notice him out there.”
“He is, and I gave him some of my cheeseburger.”
