Page 19 of Made of Steele
“An excellent choice.” The waitress jotted it all down and departed, her heels clicking on the distressed wooden floors.
Teagan put her napkin on her lap. “Okay, you ordered like a true southern boy. Where’d that come from?”
“I served in the marines before ICE, and my buddy Otis was from Alabama. On leave, we’d go to his family’s house and work on restoring his 1955 F-150 truck. His mama fed us. That’s where I got my love for the food and for restoring vintage cars.” He leaned forward. “I don’t know how I missed this place though. Glad to have found it.”
She was about to mention that she restored cars with her father, but the waitress returned, first giving Drew his tea before setting down Teagan’s glass without taking her eyes off Drew. She gave him a suggestive look and slowly backed away.
“She has a preference for you.” Teagan took a sip of her drink.
“I got that.”
“Does that happen often?”
“Enough.”
“You don’t seem to like it.”
“You caught that, huh?” He took a long drink of his tea. “Tea’s almost as good as Otis’s mama makes.”
A change of subject. Could he be shy about the way women responded to him?
“Why didn’t you come home on leave? Or should I first ask where home is?”
“Minneapolis, Minnesota. Most of the time it’s too dang cold to be there. Besides, nothing really to draw me home.”
“No parents?”
“Yeah. Believe it or not I was born not hatched.” He chuckled, but tension lurked underneath the good humor. “It’s just my mom. When I got the assignment here, she moved to Portland. I call her when I have my regular check-ins with Harris. My mom hates that I’m UC and is looking forward to the end.”
“What about you? Looking forward to the op ending?”
“I guess I am. I never really planned to do it in the first place. I’m the only one in the office who speaks Italian, which the Contis often resort to when they don’t want anyone to know what they’re saying. They have no idea I speak the language, so I’ve been able to learn valuable information.”
“Italian’s not a common language to learn. I don’t think a lot of schools offer it, right?”
“My father was career Air Force, and when I was a kid, he was stationed at the Aviano Air Force Base. We lived in Aviano for six years.” He shrugged. “I picked up the language.”
She loved getting to know more about him. “Did you like living there?”
“It’s a small sleepy town, so as a younger kid I liked it but then I wanted more.” He frowned. “I got my wish, but in the worst way. Right before I turned ten, my dad died right in front of my eyes, and we moved back to the States.”
“Oh no,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”
He shrugged and stared at his hands resting on the table, his jaw muscles working hard.
Clearly, he didn’t want to talk about this painful loss. She really wanted to know more, but she would respect his privacy and move on. “My family would be all over me if I chose to go undercover for a long time.”
He looked at her. “I read about your family on the Steele Guardians’ website. Seems like you’re close.”
She shouldn’t be surprised that he’d researched her background, but she was. “Very.”
“Otis’s big family was the same way, and I thought it was great. With just my mom and me, it’s not such a big deal, but we have a solid connection. Especially with our faith. Though, like I said, since I’ve been UC it’s been a struggle. I guess I need more MomandGod time.”
She loved that he was a fellow believer, even if he was struggling. She’d been a Christian her entire life and knew there were times she relied on her faith less. In those times, she struggled to live her faith. But God always came through. Always. Often allowing something to happen in her life where only her faith could bring her through. Sort of like He’d sent the shepherd to find the lost sheep, He brought her back into the fold.
Please, God. Do the same thing for Drew.
He suddenly straightened his back, and his expression hardened. “We should talk about the operation. What I know about the Conti brothers and what to expect in these next few days.”
