Page 7 of Wolfish
That made her mate a hero, Selena was thinking.
The tavern was decorated with fall flowers and pumpkins, not for sale, but purely decorative. No competition for her merchandise here.
“What can I get you to drink?”
“This pumpkin spice drink looks good,” Selena said.
“I’ll have the same,” Daniel said.
She liked that he was joining her for a cocktail. Her last boyfriend always drank beer and didn’t care for wine, cocktails, or even champagne.
“So what do you do, other than keep the peace and help Frank build shelves and the like for new shopkeepers?”
“I love to ski and hike. I even do a little bit of gardening in the spring—some herbs, tomatoes, and onions. It’s just me, so I don’t need a lot.”
“But you cook, or you wouldn’t need to grow anything to eat.”
He smiled. “Yeah, I love to cook.”
“I like the same kind of things. I love cooking too. I’m not a great skier, but I can manage the intermediate slopes.”
“Living here, you’ll end up on the advanced slopes, guaranteed, once the slopes are open.”
If she had time. She imagined that with her research at night and taking care of the shop during the day, she wouldn’t have much spare time to go skiing.
“Will you hire additional staff to help you out at the store?”
“Once it gets busy.”
Silva returned with their drinks. “Have you decided on what you want to order, or do you need more time?”
“Oh, I would love the prime rib, mashed potatoes, and broccoli,” Selena said.
“I’ll have the prime rib, a baked potato, and spinach,” Daniel said.
“I’ll bring them right out.”
“Do Darien and Lelandi and his brothers and their mates often eat here?” Selena asked Silva before she placed the order.
“Yeah. The table in the back is reserved for them.” Silva pointed to the table. “No one eats there unless they are a special guest. Mostly their cousins and their mates also eat at that table in the corner.”
“So they have a large extended family.”
Silva nodded. “They do.”
Just then, three rowdy men entered the tavern. They’d been drinking alcohol by the looks of it as they stumbled into the entryway.
Daniel stood up from the table, stalked toward the entryway, and stopped them at the entrance from going any further. “You have to have reservations to eat here.” He handed them a business card for the tavern. “You can call this number.”
“Hey, come on, man. They threw us out of the ski lodge restaurant, and we’re hungry,” one of the men said.
They were big, bearded guys, and Selena didn’t believe Daniel could manage the three men on his own.
Suddenly, Sam was there with Daniel. He was the size of a grizzly bear, black-bearded, black-haired, eyes narrowed. “I own the Silver Town Tavern, and that’s the rules.”
“Look, there’s an open table over there,” one of the other men said.
“It’s reserved,” Sam said.
