Free Extreme Honor by Piper J. Drake Page B

so it was a possibility.
    “Question for now is, what will you have here?”
    “You haven’t led me wrong yet today.” Lyn settled into the seat and set her shopping bags at the side of the little table. “What do I absolutely have to try?”
    Sophie had been a fantastic shopping companion for the morning, whisking Lyn off to New Hope to explore quaint shops up and down a historic main street. They’d browsed and chatted, exploring locally made clothing and art. With Sophie as a guide, Lyn had learned more history about the area than she’d ever thought possible.
    “Hmm.” Sophie pondered for less than half a second. “The boys have been feeding you mostly hot subs and pizza, I’m guessing. Maybe some Chinese takeout.”
    Lyn groaned. “Yes. Do any of them cook? Ever? I’ve had more General Tso’s this week than I’ve had in the last two years combined.”
    She hadn’t wanted to insist on fresh salads or grocery runs when she was only a guest.
    “This one, then.” Sophie reached across the table to point out a sandwich. “It’s roast turkey and cornbread stuffing and cranberry, all on toasted white bread. So good.”
    It sounded delicious. “Perpetual Thanksgiving.”
    Sophie nodded. “Not a bad thing, as far as I’m concerned. But feel free to pick anything that looks good. With this restaurant, you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. Plus, it’s a fun place.”
    It was obviously popular. Every table was taken and the servers bustled between seated customers. The atmosphere was warm and the servers were good-natured. Friendly in the way only people who enjoyed where they worked could be.
    Their orders were taken by a cheerful girl who looked to be high school age, maybe first year of college.
    “What’s the story here?” Lyn had no doubt Sophie would know. The morning had been a fun, quirky litany of stories.
    “Hah. This place has an incredibly young owner, who is also the chef.” Sophie nodded toward the back. “Came up with the concept when he was…fourteen, maybe? It’s the nation’s first restaurant completely run by young people.”
    “Really?” Lyn raised her eyebrows. The menu was well put together with some complex flavors in those items. “That’s young. Very young to be starting a business.”
    She wasn’t familiar with labor laws for minors in this state but it seemed far-fetched.
    Sophie nodded. “It’s an inspiring story and they had the support of friends and family. Dinner is all fixed price style, European influence now. It’s a definite romantic hot spot.”
    “And have you been here for a particularly good date or two?” Despite chatting about shopping preferences and art, they hadn’t touched much on personal life. Lyn wasn’t sure if it was off-limits but she figured it couldn’t hurt to ask.
    “Nah.” Sophie sipped water. “I’m too busy with work to deal with the insanity of dating. Every few months I try to go out with a guy or two. There’s a couple of awkward dates with inane conversation and I swear off men until I forget just how painful dating can be.”
    “Ah well, I can completely understand.” Lyn played with her straw. “It gets worse when you travel all the time. Most guys don’t want to wait a couple of weeks for a second date. So even if I find someone remotely interesting, he’s moved on by the time I’m back in town. Or he’s decided I wasn’t interested because I keep telling him I’m out of town.”
    Sophie nodded in understanding. “Tough situation. But then again, you’ve been here about a week now. You usually in one place for this amount of time?”
    Lyn shook her head. “Most times, a client consultation is just a few hours. Training sessions are the same. I try to schedule clients in the same area together to make a trip out cost-efficient. Depending on how the dog and the owner are doing, I might come out every week for a month then switch over to once a month for a while to make sure the training