“Thank you. There’s two more in there,” she said.
“Aye, aye, Lupa.” Bo gave her a salute and went back for the second and third trays.
“Do you want to stay for lunch?” Isabelle asked. “Ransom’s out at the garage today and won’t be back until tonight, so it’s just us. And Silke, whenever she gets here.”
As it on cue, a knock at the back door announced Silke’s arrival, slightly out of breath and carrying two pies. Immediately, Evan let out a shriek of delight and reached out to her, sending her scurrying toward him to give him a kiss on the cheek.
“Hello, my beautiful boy,” she greeted, the pies on the counter, then turned to Bo. “Are you staying?”
“Nah,” he said with a casual wave. “As I was about to tell Isabelle, I’m gonna go eat with Arlene. She’s got the front desk, right?”
“Yeah, just left her there.”
He tipped his head to Eli and Olivia. “Good to meet you both. You need anything, just holler.” And with that he left.
“Sit, sit,” Isabelle urged them.
“Can we do anything?” Olivia offered.
“No, no,” she said. “You’re guests.”
The smell of tomato sauce, basil and cheese hit Olivia’s nose, making her stomach gurgle. The last meal she’d had was at the fast-food burger place somewhere past the West Virginia border, where they’d sped through the drive through like the devil was on their tail.
“Olivia and I get one tray each,” Isabelle declared. “And I supposed we’ll have to share the pies with you guys,” she said with a laugh. A knock at the door had her frowning. “Who could that?—”
Silke rolled her eyes. “I can take a guess. Come in!”
Two men walked in, both Lycans, both clearly members of the MC based on the leather vests similar to the one Ransom wore. The first man was lean and wiry, with light hair, while thesecond was bigger, broader, with a wide grin and blue eyes that could stop traffic.
Blue eyes spotted Olivia and stopped mid-step. “No way. You’re Olivia Jones.”
“Axle,” Isabelle said in a warning tone.
“I’m just saying. You were on that billboard on Route 9. The perfume ad. I drove past it every day for like three months.” He elbowed his companion. “Snake, that’s Olivia Jones.”
Snake gave her a nod. “Ma’am.”
Beside her, Eli tensed and placed a hand on her arm possessively, before shooting the two other Lycans a glare until they both looked away.
“They just came to check in,” Isabelle said diplomatically. “Which they’ve now done.”
“Out,” Silke said, pointing at the door. “You can meet our guests properly later when they’ve had a chance to settle in.”
He and Snake shuffled out without protest.
“What did I tell you?” Isabelle said. “Gossipy grandmas.”
“To be fair, they’ve been asking about the new guests all morning,” Silke said. “Hawk told Axle, Axle told Snake, Snake told Hardy. And you know how these things go. Anyway, let’s eat.”
As they sat down at the table, Isabelle settled Evan between her and Silke, who gave the toddler a breadstick which he immediately smashed into bits. Isabelle set one tray of lasagna each in front of Olivia and herself, serving her a portion that barely fit on the plate.
The lasagna was incredible, rich and layered, and Olivia realized this was the first real meal she’d had since Boston that didn’t come out of a paper bag or a gas station microwave. “So … good …” she said between bites.
“Thank you, Lupa,” Eli said. He seemed to be enjoying the food as well, though his eating pace was slightly less embarrassing than hers. “You’re a great cook.”
“Oh, God no.” Isabelle chuckled. “I didn’t make this. The chef from the lodge sent it over.” She turned to Silke. “How’s this one working for you?”
Silke wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Better than the last. Thank goodness for your Uncle Dante. He really saved our butts. The lodge wasn’t doing so well right before Isabelle came,” Silke explained to Olivia and Eli. “I inherited this lodge from my mother when she died shortly after I was born. It’s a long story, but Ransom is actually my stepbrother which is why I’m human. My dad, that’s the former President of the MC, was a Lycan and married Ransom’s mother when I was just a baby.”
