My stomach also growls something vicious, only making him laugh more.
“Becoming a felon works up an appetite for you, I see,” he teases, motioning down the street to the many different restaurant options. “My treat.”
“I’m pretty sure I mooched off you enough when we were younger,” I point out, but he isn’t having it, steering me in the direction of the closest restaurant when I refuse to pick a place—
But then I see it.
The holiest of all holy things to have ever been established.
Am I hallucinating?
I must ask it out loud, because Jase follows my line of vision down the street to see which establishment I’m gawking at.
“You mean Slippery Pete’s?” He obviously doesn’t understand how monumental this is, because he just looks confused. “No, it opened here last week. Why? Do you want to go there?”
“Are hummingbirds the only birds who can fly backwards?”
“I have no idea, but I’m going to assume that’s a yes,” he laughs as I haul him by the arm down the street like a piece of luggage.
I pray that I’m not wrong, that this isn’t a sick joke or an imitation of some kind as we approach the restaurant…
And I’m reassured that heaven is indeed a place on Earth as I’m met with the most glorious sights and smells known to mankind when I open the front door.
The layout may differ from the restaurant near the university, but its aesthetic is still the same. With its exposed brick and stone walls, reclaimed wood tables, and various industrial light fixtures, Slippery Pete’s is the very definition of rustic charm. If you choose to sit at the bar, you’ll be served traditionally, but everyone else lines up at the service counter as you would when ordering at a fast food joint.
Much to Jase’s amusement, I happily take my place in line, bouncing on the balls of my feet as I continue admiring the scenery and inhaling the air.
“You look like a kid opening day at the amusement park,” he laughs.
“Only if you’ve ever eaten here could you begin to understand my obsession.” I practically swoon at the tray of food that goes by as someone picks up their order.
Jase, on the other hand, looks about as impressed as he would be standing in a McDonald’s. “Yes, because where else could you possibly go to get a run-of-the-mill burger?”
I gasp in mock horror, slamming my hand over his mouth. “You mustn’t let them hear you!” Leaning towards the glass partition where several trays of food are being prepared, I whisper in the gentlest voice, “He didn’t mean that.”
Jase peels my hand away, but he also plants a kiss atop my head as he hugs me from behind. “You’re such a dork.”
“Your point being?”
“It’s adorable.” Despite me not being able to see his face at this angle, Jase must be looking over the menu board behind the counter. “Is there anything in particular you would recommend?”
“You can’t go wrong with any of their burgers, but they also have Chicago-style hot dogs that are to die for. And then there’s Italian beef sandwiches, the Cheesy Beef on Garlic Bread, grilled cheese practically oozing with butter—”
I’m not sure how long he lets me ramble on for, but he eventually laughs. “You just ran through the entire menu, and you weren’t even looking at it.”
This only makes me smile more. “There’s a Slippery Pete’s right by my campus, and I pretty much lived there freshman year. It was soul-crushing thinking I’d have to go the entire summer without being able to eat here.”
My stomach quite literally announces this confirmation, letting out another terrible growl loud enough to be heard over the chatter and music.
Jase peers over my shoulder, looking almost alarmed by the sound. “Seriously, how can you be this hungry? You just came back from dinner.”
I step forward out of his hold, turning my face away so he might not notice the heat rising to my cheeks. “It’s…complicated.”
“I figured the portions would be small, but did the restaurant not serve food at all?”
“I tend to lose my appetite when I’m stressed, which interrogations tend to do,” I admit.
His eyebrows furrow. “Holbrookeinterrogatedyou?”
