He pressed wide-spread fingertips against his chest. “Offended. You clearly have a boundary you don’t want me to cross.”
“Clearly,” I slowly agreed.
“So I won’t cross it.”
“Just like that?”
“I’ve always respected your boundaries, Boo-boo.”
“Is that so?”
He smiled. “Dress shopping is important. A...tradition, a ritual. It’s for women only. I heard you. I hopeyouheard that I am more than willing to help with the wedding. With anything you might need to make it easier. Especially officiating.”
He might be angling for only helping with the fun stuff, but at least he was offering his help.
“Thanks,” I said, actually touched to know he was there if I needed him.
Maria popped over to our table, balancing plates on her arms.
“Here you go, Delaney.” She placed the fish tacos, which smelled delicious, in front of me, then set down a small side salad and tartar sauce.
“Looks amazing,” I said.
She nodded. “And for you.”
I half expected it to be oatmeal, but instead it was a burger, with generous portions of avocado and bacon peeking out from under the bun.
“Well, look at that,” Crow said. “Thank you, Maria. This looks great.”
She added ketchup and other condiments to the table. “Anything else?”
“No, but thank you.” I lifted one of the tacos and took a big bite. It was delicious.
Crow’s phone rang, and Maria took that as her cue, working her way toward a table that was asking for more coffee.
Crow frowned at it his phone, then slid out of the booth.
“Problem?”
“I don’t think so. But I need to take this.”
“That better not be Odin challenging you to a duel,” I said.
He pointed at his fries. “Stay out of those. I counted. I’ll know if you steal them.”
I snorted, but had a mouth full, which I decided was more important than a snappy comeback.
He walked past me and out the door where, even with mid-day traffic going by, it was probably quieter than inside the diner.
The music had rolled through several feel-good love songs, but now Taylor Swift was getting her chance to shake things off.
I tapped my boot along with the song while I looked around the diner again.
Just people having lunch.
Then why were my nerves on edge? I’d thought it was just Crow being annoying and the lingering anxiety and, okay, I could admit it, fear over the wedding planning. But now that Crow was out of the place, the slight feeling of wrongness remained.
I stole three of his fries, rearranged the stack to hide it, then ate them one by one. Nothing seemed out of place, except that group of four quiet diners.
