“Turkey, ham, or both?” Braun needed groceries. “There’s only one kind of lettuce and a slightly sad-looking tomato but I think they’re both still good.”
Teenagers all had the craziest senses of humor…salad wasn’t humorous in the slightest.
“Sad tomatoes aren’t funny.”
Great.
They were both laughing.
“Aren’t Alphas supposed to be good influences?” It should’ve been an easy, slightly ridiculous question but our new friend went very still.
Pretending not to notice, I kept my gaze on Braun and shook my head. “Snickering like a kid.”
“What can I say?” He shrugged, keeping his tone dry as he glanced over at the boy. “I can’t wait until he meets my mother.”
That seemed to spring life back into the pup. “She still lives here too?”
He asked the most interesting questions.
Wait.
Still?
“Yes, and she’s a pain in the ass.” Braun leaned back in his chair as I gave up and grabbed both types of meat along with cheese and a variety of condiments. “She kept most of the teens in the pack over at her house last night and stuffed everyone with brownies and junk food while they watched horror movies.”
“What?” Dumping the food out on the counter, I shot Braun a glare. “Really?”
And the giggles were back.
Braun gave the boy a conspiratorial look. “Told ya.”
As the young man tried not to giggle, he gave me what was probably supposed to be an innocent look. “Are you a vegan, Sir?”
That question should not have been as funny as they both seemed to think it was.
“No.” And the amount of processed meats in Braun’s refrigerator said he couldn’t be one either. “I’m not but good nutrition is important.”
“Yes…” Barely holding back more laughter as I found the plates exactly where they should be, the boy nodded as he tried to be serious. “You’re right. Good nutrition is important.”
They were both ridiculous.
But as I held up the veggie options, he finally found his serious side. “Just the lettuce, please?”
“Alright.” Making a mental note to come back to questioning him on what kind of vegetables he liked, I turned to his snickering sidekick and raised one eyebrow.
“Both please.” Flashing me a grin, he shrugged. “I didn’t get lunch.”
Ah.
That explained his temper…low blood sugar.
“Then we’ll get that fixed right now and work on a real dinner in a bit.” Grabbing another plate, I worked on their sandwiches as Braun finally eased into getting more information from the boy.
“He’s gonna have questions once he stops asking about the sandwich. Humans just do that.” Shrugging, he pinned the blame on me which was perfectly acceptable in our current situation. “At the very least, he’s gonna go into teacher mode and ask your name. He won’t be able to help himself.”
Still looking lighthearted, the boy nodded and shifted in his seat to mirror Braun. “And then he’ll start talking about homework and asking how I’m doing in school.”
“Of course.” That should’ve been obvious and not worth as much laughter as it got. “And I’m sure as bright as you are, you’re going to be able to tell me you’re working hard.”
