“Oh, that’s right.” As we made our way through the vegetable section and over to the meats, I handed over my phone and Emeric searched the map app to double-check what options were close by. “There’s not a lot.”
It was no wonder I hadn’t spent more time in the area.
“The food truck looks weird. It’s got really strange reviews. Some people are claiming the tacos are amazing and others are saying the meatballs are yucky.” Emeric looked up at me, confusion clear on his face as I grabbed bacon and sausage. “Does Taco Bell have meatballs?”
Good grief, was that his only exposure to tacos?
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a restaurant that does both of those.” Maybe it was some kind of fusion place? “It might just be someone leaving a review on the wrong business?”
Emeric looked skeptical about that but pleased about the steaks I grabbed as we kept going. “I don’t know. There’s morethan one weird review for the meatballs. Oh, and a couple of really good ones. People are strange.”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what the reviews looked like…good or bad.
“What—” Before I could ask if he had opinions on chicken breasts versus thighs, Emeric went still and his head cocked. He suddenly went from a kid to a pup, as Braun put it, in the blink of an eye. Something about it felt odd, so I stayed quiet as he slowly turned in a circle.
“Something smells familiar.” And unpleasant or negative based on his tight expression. “I don’t remember why, though.”
That was not good.
It wasn’t much information to go on but it was enough to worry me.
Nothing seemed good about where he’d come from.
“Alright. Then we’re done for today.” That seemed like an easy decision but I tried to look calm as we went around the end of the aisle and I grabbed a few random things like cheese as we walked by the diary case. “I want you to stay right here beside me, and if we get separated for any reason, I want you to call outUncleDorian. Loud. The family title will make people pay more attention.”
Hopefully.
“Braun said they know him here, so remember to use his name too.” I wasn’t usually the type to throw around names but knowing the Alpha of the local pack should come in handy if something went wrong.
“Yes.” Looking slightly steadier, he nodded. “But I’m not going to leave you.”
My biggest fear wasn’t him wandering off.
“I think we’re good, so it’s not going to matter anyway.” The store wasn’t that big but it felt like it took an eternity to get to the front. Emeric seemed to think so too but he was too focused on his surroundings to complain about it.
He usually looked so much like a regular human child it was easy to forget the pup part, but now he was obviously more. And at the moment, all that more was standing up and paying attention. It was amazing to see but I just wished it hadn’t come out because he was worried.
“There’s something…” Emeric’s voice was quiet but I could hear the tension in it. “We need to go home.”
I didn’t question what home meant, but someone behind us did. “Home?”
Wait.
Oh dear.
Turning around slowly, I put on my teacher face and smiled at one of the craziest parents I’d delt with in my entire teaching career. “Mr. Stein, it’s nice to see you. Getting some shopping done this morning?”
It was a deliberate choice of topics to hopefully distract him and get him thinking about what an idiot I was, but after a quick glance at his cart, he focused back on me again. “No.”
Great.
“I hope you finish your errands then.” Completely ignoring his ridiculous answer had Emeric doing his best not to laugh ashe started piling our groceries on the belt, but I was just hoping to get out of the stupid store as fast as possible.
The fates had to be fucking with me.
I thought we might be saved by his own internal grumbling as I started helping Emeric with the groceries, but my reprieve only lasted a few seconds. “What are you doing?”
Were we trading moronic questions?
