Runaway

Chapter 39

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"What are we doing here?" After I'd checked out of the hospital, Dylan had taken me to his truck and started driving without telling me where we were going. We'd ended up in the parking lot of a small Italian restaurant. 

"For lunch, of course. I'm not about to let you start looking for your brother on an empty stomach." 

He had a point. Before I could unbuckle my seatbelt, Dylan had already turned off the engine, crossed over to my side, opened the door and had his hand extended to help me out of the truck.

Part of me was flattered he cared, but the other part, the prideful part, was insulted to say the least. The pride won over, and I refused his hand. "You know, I'm not as delicate as you may think I am. I can do things myself."

Dylan nodded. "I know you can, and you're one tough cookie. I just don't want you to get hurt again on my watch. But if you don't want me to back off a little, then I will. I promise."

"Okay then." But his words didn't stop him from wrapping an arm across my shoulders, holding the door open for me to go in first, then pulling out the chair and pushing it in for me to sit first.

"You just told me that you'd let me do things on my own. What did you call all that back there?," I asked as we pored over our menus.

"I call it being a gentleman. Isn't that what guys are supposed to do on dates?"

"I haven't had much experience in that field, so I wouldn't know. But from what I've heard and read, there's actually not that many guys that do that these days."

"I'm old-fashioned that way," he winked. A pretty blond waitress came over and welcomed us to Tony's Ristorante di Famiglia, and asked if we would like anything else to drink other than water. I noticed she had given Dylan an appraising look when she laid eyes on him. "What would you like? Tea, hot chocolate, soda?"

"A green tea please," I told the waitress whose name tag read Angela. Angel. She certainly looked like one with all of that curly blond hair, gentle eyes and heart-shaped face.

"And a Coke for me, thanks. As for the food, what did you want, Danika?"

Damn it, I can't remember. It did weird things to me to be called by my full name, especially by Dylan, like tingles going up and down my spine. "Uh, it was, um..." I searched the menu desperately for what I had wanted to order.

"I think it was the spinach and ricotta agnolotti, right?" I nodded, glad one of us had their head still attached to their shoulders instead of rolling around on the carpeted floor. "So agnolotti for the lady, and I'll take the spaghetti and meatballs."

Angela jotted down our orders and told us she would return with our drinks. I kept my eyes trained on her as she went to the front counter to get the drinks from the glass-door fridge. I smirked to myself when she whispered something to her co-workers and they all cast a glance in Dylan's direction, then turned back around and giggled. I had done the same thing several times with Nora back at Minnie's, although we'd each only had eyes for one guy, Mikaël and Dylan. It didn't mean we couldn't admire others though, and we'd done so quite liberally.

"Hey." A hand tapped my arm and I turned back to Dylan. "What're you thinking about?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing, just something silly."

"I like silly. Come on, tell me."

I rolled my eyes. "The girls at the counter were checking you out and I thought it was funny."