Logan Chapter 12

-Emory-

“Actually, my mother was the disciplinarian. She ran my dad like a sled dog, and that’s not anything on how she ran the rest of us. With all of us being such giant mutants, she almost had to. Mama’s about half a foot shorter than me and I’m the shortest of the four of us. Eliana has about two inches on me, the brat.” I laugh at the image of a pixie whipping her whole family into shape.

“So how tall is your dad, then? Or is the tall gene just dominant?” I have trouble picturing it. Is her dad seven feet tall? It makes me wonder if there are more than just shifters in the world, and if her family is something different that makes them huge.

“I think the gene is just dominant.” Thank God. I haven’t been the shortest man in a room since I was a teenager. It would be hard to readjust. “Dad is tall by anyone’s standard, around 6’4”, and my brothers are an inch or so shorter than him, but we’re not actual giants. I think you might be just a little taller.” She’s not far off- the last time I went to Doc Liza, I was 6’5”.

“Just a little bit. Landon and I have been some of the tallest in every room for a long time. My friends are all around my height, too. I’m used to walking around with giants.” We both laugh a little before she realizes I’ve finally given her some personal information. It’s so hard to decide what I can tell her now and what absolutely has to wait so I’ve erred mostly on the side of less. By the look on her face, that really was an error. She’s got a raging curious streak hiding behind those viridian eyes.

“This is the first I’ve heard about your friends! Do they work with us?” She’s got a wide smile on her face, anticipating a meeting with my friends when we walk in on Monday, no doubt.

“No, they work all across the city. We all ran into each other at events in the past couple of years- Christmas parties, charity events, things like that. Ollie and Derek knew each other in college, but James and I just met them and each other in the past few….. Well. I suppose we’ve known each other almost ten years now. Time really does fly when you’re having fun. We mostly stay in touch via video chatting due to commutes and busy schedules. What about your friends? Do you have a group at work?” I know the design floor can get pretty cutthroat, so I doubt it.

“Nah. It’s just been Cora and me since college- she’s a journalist paying her dues right now. One day she’ll be in the New York Times for sure. For some reason, nobody has really stuck since then. She’s great, though.” I love the smile on her face when she talks about Cora. I can’t wait to meet her. I just know we’ll get along great if she’s such a good friend to Emory. At that moment, the waiters bring out trays of food. It takes three of them to carry it all, and they start setting plates down at my nod. “You know… I just realized I don’t even remember ordering.. That’s so weird. We must have just been so absorbed in talking that I missed it or something. I shouldn’t have because this is a lot of food. Did you just read off the whole menu when I wasn’t looking?”

“I actually took care of it before we came here. I know the chef, and she cooked up all of her best dishes for us tonight. I’ll just let you grab what you like from that and take whatever is left. There’s really no way you can go wrong if Nanette is cooking. I’m surprised she hasn’t already come out to see what you like best. She’s part of the community I was telling you about- I’ve known her since I was young and she has been pestering me about you since I set the reservation.” We both have a laugh at the nature of “small towns.”

“Oh my God, Logan, these appetizers are amazing! I had no idea I even liked alligator!” I watch, trying not to smile, as Emory tries to find some way to eat fried alligator daintily. It doesn’t really work, but I’m just happy she’s comfortable eating in front of me at all. I try to help by tapping her nose with a bite of andouille sausage before holding it in front of her mouth.

“Try this one. Don’t be shy, everything here is amazing. I’m surprised you’re surfacing enough to talk to me.” We both laugh as she takes the bite, and I think I might have miscalculated. Watching her mouth wrap around the fork I’m holding for her is somehow a thousand times more erotic than her feeding herself. I shake it off, though, and smile back at her.

We just laugh harder as Nanette comes out to snoop. She’s easy to pick out in her chef’s uniform, and even without it she’s hard to miss. The short, stocky woman comes ambling toward us, her eagle eye on the dishes in front of each diner she passes. She’s a stickler for quality in everything that comes out of her kitchens, which is why the restaurant is so popular. When she catches Emory and I looking her way, her dark skin creases even further than usual with her grin. As she walks up, she gestures for me to stay seated.

“Well, I suppose I’ve been caught rubbernecking, haven’t I? You must be Emory- you’re just as lovely as I knew you would be. So wonderful to meet you, dearheart. Did you have the steak? How was it? If you like to cook, I’ll have to tell you how I do my compound butter for it- it took me years to figure out just how I wanted the spices balanced-”

“Nanette!” I interrupt out of sheer desperation “I’d like you to meet Emory. Emory, this is Nanette, though as a kid most of us just called her Nannie.” Nannie catches herself and grimaces apologetically at Emory.

“The whole pack of you, trouble makers! So sorry, dear, I get wound up and my mouth just goes! Tell me, how has your dinner been?” I’m gratified to see Emory smile indulgently back at Nanette without mentioning anything of her use of the word pack.

“That’s quite alright, Nanette. I can be the same way, sometimes. I did actually have some of the steak, and it was absolutely amazing. I have to say I’m not much of a cook, though. I just never really picked the skill up no matter how hard I tried. Maybe one of these days you can give me some lessons.” Nanette fans her flushed cheeks at the praise, and pats Emory’s hands as she bids us farewell with a painfully obvious wink at me as she walks away.

“Sorry about that. The food is some of the best in the city, and if she found out I took you anywhere else she would’ve been crushed.” I’m hoping Emory won’t mention my own blush, but there’s no chance of that after giving her an entire nickname because of hers.

“It’s absolutely fine, Logan. I honestly believe it was worth it just to see you in the hot seat. I think this is the first time I’m seeing you blush for a change.” She has the nerve to wink saucily at me and I can’t help laughing at the little minx.

“Well speaking of hot seats, I’m thinking it’s time to get out of here before she comes back for round two.” To my aggravation, Emory reaches for her wallet. “I’ve got it, Emory. It may be old fashioned, but I never want you to worry about paying when you’re with me” She rolls her eyes, but puts the wallet back. Nanette’s place is out of most people’s price range, and I don’t want Emory setting back her new apartment plan another six months just so she can be a modern woman when she doesn’t even realize she’s dating a werewolf. Back home, my brother would be howling at the implication that I can’t provide.

I settle the bill with our main waitress and walk Emory back to the car with a hand low on her back. I can’t stop the hope that this dinner is what the rest of our lives are like. Emory seems rather introspective, too. It takes me a moment to figure out why she’s quiet as we both get into the car.