CHAPTER 36
The driveto the restaurant took fifteen minutes and was filled with small talk about the town and the weather.
Wyatt had looked up the restaurant he was headed to before they’d left the hospital—a small place called Olivia’s Table.
He found parking in front of the restaurant and cut the engine.
Thunder looked at him from the back seat, almost as if he knew food was close.
“Don’t worry, boy,” Wyatt said. “You’re coming in with me. I already checked to make sure it was okay.”
Thunder panted in response.
“He looks happy about that,” Kori murmured.
“Oh, he is. He loves trying new restaurants. And he deserves a special treat after all his hard work today.”
“I agree. He’s an extraordinary dog.”
Something about her words brought him an unexpected pleasure. He wasn’t sure why he wanted Kori to like Thunder, but he did. The dog truly was one of his best friends and closest confidants.
He clipped on the search and rescue vest, and the three of them headed inside.
The restaurant was warm and low-lit with wooden tables, and it smelled like something savory. He and Kori were seated at a corner table, with good sight lines to the door.
Thunder settled at their feet.
As Kori looked at the menu, surprise flashed across her face. “They have vegan options.”
A smile tugged at the corner of Wyatt’s lips. “I know.”
Gratitude filled her gaze. “You actually looked into places where I could eat . . . ?”
He shrugged. “That’s just being polite and a good listener.”
“Well, I’m impressed. Thank you. Most people aren’t that considerate.”
Satisfaction filled his chest.
Several minutes later, the server came, and Kori ordered the corn chowder with cashew cream. Wyatt ordered the pot roast. He also ordered some chicken and rice as well as a bowl of water for Thunder.
As they waited for their food, the restaurant moved around them—quiet conversations, the clink of silverware, a couple near the window sharing a dessert.
Everything seemed normal and ordinary.
But nothing was normal and ordinary, Wyatt realized.
He studied Kori across the table. The slight circles under her eyes. The paleness of her skin. The way her motions all seemed heavier than before.
It was clear everything was beginning to catch up with Kori. The weight of the situation was pressing on her. The unanswered questions haunting them were beginning to take their toll.
He gave her space to think.
When Kori was ready to talk, he’d be there to listen . . . in a professional capacity, of course.
Kori looked at Wyatt across the table. She’d been contemplating how much to say about her and Flint’s past ever since they’d run into each other.
Now seemed like just as good a time as any.
