Page 22 (1/2)

Ryan aiting for ard, but he flashed me a quick smile when I entered, then allowed the hostess to lead us to one of the vat/booths in the back I scooched into the booth and took the ot settled in

I looked across the table at him, more relieved than I could say aloud that he was here, that he’d called ry and hurt, but his friendship was important to me Too important? a small voice inside worried at me, and I pushed it down as best I could

"I was a dick," Ryan said without looking at me as soon as the waitress walked away "Sorry"

Well, it was better than no apology at all "It’s all right Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, I aain" His eyesover the offerings "What’s good here?"

I raised an eyebrow at hiured you’d been here before"

He shook his head "Nope I just heard it was a cool place"

I gave him a sharp look, but his attention was on the menu, so I decided that the pun was unintended and unnoticed I’d let that one slide

"I don’t go to restaurants very often," I adirl"

"Yeah, well, you need to start eating ain, eyes raking hting his eyes

I laughed "Hey, that was easy" The knot of tension in y offered and accepted

The waitress came to take our drink orders, and since the --ent ahead and ordered burgers After she walked away, I looked back at Ryan "So is this an apology thing, a s?"

He lifted a shoulder in a shrug "All of the above, but don’t make it sound so damn ominous I was a dick You do need to eat And we do need to talk But not a we-need-to-talk kind of needing to talk"

"Uh-huh" I picked a pink packet of sweetener out of the container on the table and started to toy with it "So what do we need to talk about?" Good, I’d sty as I actually felt

"Jesus Christ, Kara," he said with a scowl "Not that kind of we need to talk, just a we need to talk to each othershit about the arcane, neither of us has too many people we can be open with"

I made myself smile, but old doubts churned within me "Yeah Friends," I said "And we can talk about the arcane" Would we even be friends if not for that? "Though Jill kno About the arcane and the su"

His eyebrows lifted "How the hell did that happen?"

I gave him a quick rundown of Jill’s encounter with Kehlirik "And she was okay with it," I said, still feeling the relief that she hadn’t run screah with me to accept it"

He leaned back in the booth "I like Jill, what little I know of her Haven’t seen much of her since the Symbol Man case, of course, other than at the funeral Andwith any local agencies But she seemed pretty cool"

A stupid spike of jealousy jabbed at e to scowl What arade? It’s just Jill "Yeah, she’s cool," I said, deliberately bright

"Any progress on finding your essence-eater?"

I ht now" I paused while our food and drinks were delivered "I still need to do a lot of research," I said as soon as the waitress left I picked up rimaced Now I knehy this place was deserted on a Friday afternoon It wasn’t horrible, but it certainly wasn’t great

Ryan’s expression mirrored my own as he sed his first bite "I’m not sure I want to knohat kind of ani of my diet soda to wash it down, then tried the fries to see if they were any better Overly greasy, with too hed and blotted at them with my napkin "Anyway, the reyza was able to reet intoto do with the quality of the food or lack thereof "Now ht book or paper or scroll If she has a system in there, it’s way beyond me"

He was quiet for a er "Have you been to see her?"

"My aunt?" I sighed and shrugged "I’ve been a few times But it’s not her Iin a roo a chair" I toyed with a lih the ketchup "But I know it’s expected of h to keep people fro I’ across the table and gripping my hand I looked down at his hand on ainst you," he said "Give it time Like you said, stuff blows over"

I forced a sh the back door, and I had to breathe shallowly as the se fro you for choosing this place"

"It’s pretty vile," Ryan agreed

I looked up as the busboy caer away fro to the plate "I’m finished"