Her Wolf

“Alan,” he said flatly.

“Excuse me?” Catherine replied.

“Alan. The guy who has been doing nothing but causing problems for me since he found out I wanted to preserve the park. This is all his doing, I know it.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Catherine offered. “How would he even know we were meeting with the board if you didn’t tell him, Ryan? It’s simply a coincidence.”

“Trust me, he knows.”

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife and Catherine stared off towards the door the women had exited out of. She swiped her tongue along her lower lip and relished in the sweet berry taste that came from her lipstick.

“Why don’t we get out of here?” Catherine questioned, turning away from the door to give Ryan her undivided attention. “I’m thinking maybe a drink and something to eat will be the best thing right now.”

“I don’t really think we should be wasting any time, Catherine,” Ryan said.

“We aren’t going to accomplish anything successfully if we don’t get our heads together and on the same page. We need to regroup and try a different approach.”

“I know a place that isn’t too far from here,” Ryan said, ultimately relenting and agreeing to Catherine’s suggestion. “A bite to eat and a drink might do some good.”

The two left the courthouse and opted on taking Ryan’s car instead of Catherine’s Mercedes. She slipped effortlessly into Ryan’s Range Rover and eased back into the comfortable seat. The scent of Ryan’s cologne assaulted her senses as he found his way to the driver’s seat beside her.

She smiled.

“What are you smiling about?” Ryan asked, turning on the engine. “We just hit yet another dead end and you’re smiling like we’ve just hit a home run.”

“I’m just happy to be getting something to eat, I’m starving,” Catherine said, purposely avoiding Ryan’s eye contact.

“You’re a terrible liar.”

For the most part, the ride was spent in silence. Ryan was right when he said he knew of a place that was close, because ten minutes later they were pulling into what appeared to be a family owned Italian restaurant. The building was small, charming and tucked in between two larger brick buildings from the second sector and the more historical part of downtown Denver.

“Segreto?” Catherine asked.

“It means secret,” Ryan replied. “In Italian. It used to be called Il Nostro Piccolo Segreto. Our Little Secret. Sometimes you’ll get an old menu that still says that, but they cut it down because it was too long. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid.”

Catherine smiled once more. She hadn’t paid much thought to how Ryan was as a kid, or what his family was like. He knew so much about hers, but he was practically a closed book. She hadn’t realized how nice it was to hear something personal about him until he had offered it on his own accord.

“Then it must be pretty amazing,” Catherine said, retreating from the car and moving towards the restaurant. “No reservations or anything are needed?”

Ryan laughed, ushering her inside.

“Ryan! How lovely to see you!” A small woman with a thick Italian accent exclaimed, wrapping Ryan in a hug. “And you brought a date with you!”

Catherine coughed loudly and scratched the back of her neck. She shook her head and offered her hand to the warm woman who was greeting them.

“We’re just business partners,” she said through a smile.

“Business partners? Mr. Metcalfe doesn’t bring his business here,” she winked before turning back to Ryan. “Your usual table?”

Ryan nodded his head and stepped back for Catherine to follow the older woman who was shifting her weight from one foot to the other. The restaurant looked like something straight out of Italy. It was filled with a warmth and rustic charm that was unparallel to anything Catherine had seen before.

“Take a seat and I will bring you both a glass of our house wine. It’s Ryan’s favorite,” she said before bouncing off.

“Don’t mind Isadora,” Ryan said as he pulled out a chair for Catherine. “She’s overly enthusiastic sometimes.”

“She seems sweet,” Catherine replied.

Their table was completely cut off from the rest of the restaurant, giving them total privacy. The sounds of the other patrons who were enjoying their dinner were but mere muffles and Catherine folded her hands in her lap.

“If you don’t bring business partners here, why did you bring me?”

“I figured it would be nice to get away from the work atmosphere for a bit. Maybe get to know one another a bit more,” Ryan offered. “I know you probably have some questions.”

Catherine shrugged her shoulders aimlessly as if to say she had no idea what he was talking about. Truth be told, she had a lot of questions for Ryan but her own inhibitions were keeping her from breaking down the barrier.

Did she want to become friends with a business partner?

“Well anyway, the food here is delicious,” Ryan said as he perused the menu. “Please order anything you want. There’s not a bad thing on the menu.”

There was a silence that hung in the air as both Ryan and Catherine flipped through the four page menu that was full of authentic Italian cuisine. Catherine’s mouth watered as she read over the names of the dishes.

“Two glasses of Segreto for you both,” Isadora said as she set two glasses of red wine on the table for Ryan and Catherine. “This is our house Cabernet, specific to our restaurant. It’s been in the family for fifty years!”

“Thank you, Isadora,” Ryan said before he looked towards Catherine. “Are you ready to order?”

“Yes,” she replied. “I’ll have the grilled chicken with butternut squash ravioli,” she answered, handing Isadora the menu with a grateful smile.

“I’ll have my usual,” Ryan said, grabbing his glass of wine and flashing the woman a quick wink.

She flushed red and slapped his shoulder once before scampering off.

“You seem to have a good relationship with her,” Catherine said, taking a slight sampling of her wine. She purred in response to the taste. “This is amazing.”

“You’ll only get the best here,” he said.