Chapter 25: The Date
~ Gwen ~
Jerome didn't take me to a flashy, high-end restaurant where I’d feel out of place in my sundress. Instead, he drove us to a classic diner downtown, the kind of place with red vinyl booths and the comforting smell of grease and toasted bread.
"This is my sanctuary," he told me, sliding into the booth across from me. "Whenever breakfast is running late at the pack house or the kitchen staff is lagging, I head here." He raised a hand, signaling a waitress behind me without even looking. He clearly knew the place by heart.
"It feels cozy," I said, glancing around at the vintage posters and the hum of the local crowd. "I like it."
"It’s honest," he agreed.
"What can I get for you, sweetie?" A middle-aged woman asked as she approached our table. She had a kin
