“Yes,” she said solemnly. “I will be sure to avoid being alone with him.”
“Well, that’s grand then,” Decker said cheerily and then glanced up with a smile as the waitress stopped at their table. “And here is our meal.”
Holly smiled at the girl as well, but once she’d set their plates down and both men dug in, she glanced to the tacos they’d ordered for Justin and said uncertainly, “Where is Justin?”
“Oh, he’s fine,” Decker assured her. “He went for a walk,”
“A walk?” she asked blankly, and when neither man responded, added, “But his food will get cold.”
“We’ll have it packaged and take it out to him if he doesn’t return by the time we’re done eating,” Decker assured her.
“Or maybe split it ourselves,” Anders commented, eyeing the tacos. “They look pretty good and I’m hungry enough to eat my meal and his too.”
“Me too,” Decker said cheerfully and glanced at the plate. “We’ll split it.”
“Good idea,” Anders decided with a grin.
Holly just shook her head at the pair of them and turned her attention to her sandwich. Still, she did wonder where Bricker had gone off to. A walk? Why? She wondered, but in the next moment bit into her sandwich and forgot all about Justin Bricker.
“So, Holly,” Decker said a moment later. “Do you like flowers?”
“I used to,” she said, lowering the sandwich she’d been about to bite into again. “But after working at the cemetery for a couple weeks I’m kind of off flowers. They represent death to me now rather than happiness and cheer.”
“Yes, I can imagine,” Anders said sympathetically. “What about picnics?”
She burst out laughing and shook her head. “I grew up being dragged from one archaeological dig to another. Every meal was basically a picnic. Can’t stand them, or camping or anything that has to do with the great outdoors anymore.” She sighed. “One thing that lifestyle did was turn me into a definite city girl. Give me restaurants any day.”
“So, no camping for you, huh?” Decker asked with amusement as she started to raise her sandwich again.
Holly shook her head. “Definitely not.”
“Dogs or cats?” Anders asked.
“Neither. Allergic, but also I was mauled by a dog as a child. They terrify me now,” she said with a shudder.
“Favorite and least favorite foods?” Decker asked.
Holly paused, lowering her sandwich once more without taking a bite, and glanced from man to man. “Why all the questions?”
“Just trying to get to know you better,” Anders said mildly, and repeated, “So favorite and least favorite foods?”
Justin glanced toward the restaurant door, an irritated frown claiming his lips as he wondered for the umpteenth time what the hell was taking them so long. Surely they’d finished explaining about life mates to Holly by now? Someone should have come to get him . . . preferably Holly.
How long had it been since they’d got to the restaurant? He glanced at his watch to note the time, but he hadn’t bothered to check before this so couldn’t be sure how long he’d been waiting, and it could just seem like a long time because he was waiting. It always seemed to take forever for something to happen when you were waiting.
Sighing, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes briefly. If no one came to get him in the next fifteen minutes, he’d go take a look inside and see if they were still talking or whatnot. If they were, he could at least grab his meal and eat it out here. He was starving. Rubbing his aching stomach, he opened his eyes and glanced toward the restaurant, and then stilled when he saw Holly heading across the parking lot with Decker and Anders on either side.
“What—?” he began, sitting up abruptly and frowning as they reached the car. His words died though when Anders slid into the front passenger seat and tossed a white styrofoam take-out container into his lap.
“We brought your meal,” Anders announced.
Justin peered down at the container and lifted it with confusion. “It feels pretty light.”
“Yeah. Sorry, but talking is a hungry business and Decker and I kind of picked at your tacos.”
Picked at them? Justin thought with dismay at he opened it to see that not only had they eaten the tacos, they’d pretty much demolished the nachos that came as a side. All the container held was a couple of nachos and a smattering of salsa.
“We were going to order you something else to go, but then figured you wouldn’t want to wait, and we are going shopping now anyway, so you can pick up whatever you want there,” Decker put in.
“Thanks,” Justin said sarcastically and popped a nacho into his mouth. He wasn’t too upset though. Anders’s comment about talking being a hungry business had reassured him that they had talked to Holly, and he supposed he owed them for doing that favor. That thought in mind, he popped the second nacho into his mouth, closed the box and then turned to peer at Holly. Unfortunately, she was peering silently out her window, her face turned away from him. He wasn’t at all sure what that meant. Was she embarrassed and shy to be around him now that she knew she was his life mate?
It was more likely that she was anxious about the whole thing now, he decided as his gaze landed on her finger and the ring there. She would have to end her marriage, or at least tell her husband it was over before she would say or do anything with him, he realized. She was just that kind of woman. At least he suspected she was. The truth was, he didn’t know much about Holly except that she was his life mate. Perhaps he should find out more about her while they had the chance. Once she explained things to her husband and was free to be with him, they would no doubt be spending all their free time in bed, and talking would be the last thing on their minds.
“So,” he said brightly, turning a bit in his seat to smile at her. “What made you want to work at a cemetery?”
Holly turned to peer at him with surprise, and then smiled wryly. “Money. Although I don’t really work at the cemetery. At least, not as a permanent position. I actually work for a temp agency and they placed me there for the cemetery’s tax season.”
“Oh. Right,” he murmured and thought that was good to know. Not that there was anything wrong with working at a cemetery but . . . Well, okay, he would be a little worried about anyone who picked it as their first choice in job options. Of course, nowadays, people took jobs where they could get them and he understood that.
“So . . .” He hesitated, unsure what to ask next. Did he dare ask how long she’d been married? That seemed an insensitive question to ask a woman you were stealing away from her husband.
“Here we are,” Decker announced, turning into the grocery store parking lot.
Justin let his breath out on a slow sigh and let go of the debate on what to ask next. He could think about it while they shopped and ask more questions later, he decided.
“Bricker.”
Justin closed his door and glanced to Anders in question as the man urged Holly around the SUV with a hand on her arm. Rather than walk her up to him though, he led her toward Decker as they reached the front of the vehicle and said, “You two go ahead. We’ll be right behind you.”
“What’s up?” Bricker asked when the man then turned to him, blocking him from following.
“We learned a bit about Holly in the restaurant,” Anders announced.
“Like what?” Justin asked curiously.
“Well, first off, she doesn’t like questions,” he said with wry amusement. “I suspect it’s because of her upbringing, but she’s a very private person.”
Justin merely nodded at this news and supposed it was good that he hadn’t asked too much then.
“Also, she loves fish, flowers, wine, puppies, kitties, picnics, documentaries, nature shows and anything to do with nature,” Anders added, and then slapped him on the shoulder. “We thought that information might help you out in the wooing department.”