“You’re doing well, Maverick. Wish I had that kind of flexibility. With luck, maybe both of us can recover, eventually.” If only…guess he’d have to work harder to keep up with the dog.
The scent of tomato sauce and the number of people in line to pick up their orders told him Ridgeview had the real deal for pizza. He only had a few minutes to wait and looked around at the restaurant’s seating area with typical Italian décor including red-and-white checked tablecloths.
The smell of the place convinced him he’d found his new favorite restaurant tucked away in little Ridgeview, Tennessee. Yep, he’d definitely come back and work his way through the menu.
“Michelini,” he heard the carry-out clerk call, and he stepped up to pay for the pizza. The box was huge, but he didn’t regret ordering the extra-large.
Maverick had his nose out the window, sniffing the incoming scent of food. “Sorry, buddy. It’s people food. I’ve brought some special food for you. You won’t be left out.”
The dog sneezed as if he didn’t believe Rob. Well, yeah, kibble wasn’t going to taste nearly as good as this. His mouth watered. He put the pizza box on the front seat, just in case Maverick got any ideas of helping himself. The big canine head hung over the console between the passenger and driver’s side, and Maverick kept turning his head back and forth between Rob and the magic pizza box.
“No, Maverick. Mine.” The dog looked at him as if assessing how serious he was. “Okay, it’s also Mary Jane’s. People food. Non è per te.”
Maverick huffed again.
“Sorry, boy. It wouldn’t be good for you.”
Maverick apparently still disagreed, because he panted and drooled. Thankfully, they arrived at Mary Jane’s, and Rob parked in the driveway. He connected the harness to the regular leash and escorted Maverick up to the front door. “Here,” he said when Mary Jane opened it, shoving the leash into her hands. “Hang onto him. He wants the pizza.”
The sound of her musical laugh followed him back to the truck, where he lifted the box and followed Mary Jane and the dog inside.
“If this is anywhere near as good as it smells, I may never leave this town,” he announced. “I have a feeling the biggest problem we’ll have will be keeping Maverick away from it. Let me go back out and get his food before you open that box.”
A couple minutes later, he’d brought the bag of kibble and dog treats inside and leaned the bag next to a door he assumed led to a broom closet or pantry. He put the treats on top of the counter, next to the pizza box.
“Here you go, Maverick,” he said, pulling a bacon-shaped treat out of the bag. “Want a treat?” The dog sat expectantly in front of him, his eyes focused on the treat. Rob reached out his fingers toward the dog and was pleased that Maverick took it from him delicately. “Good boy!”
He washed his hands at the kitchen sink and nodded toward Mary Jane. “I think it’s safe to open the box now.”
Her mouth gaped open at him as if she couldn’t believe her eyes. “Seriously? Would he have attacked the pizza?”
“Not exactly sure. I’ve never seen him as intent as he was on that pizza box, unless he was locating bad guys and pointing them out. It was as if he was obsessed with smelling and getting to the contents of the box.”
Mary Jane opened the box and leaned down to sniff it. “Ahhh. I totally get it. This smells amazing!” She looked like she’d discovered treasure.
“Then I’d definitely better take care of Maverick before we sit down and eat. I don’t want dog drool all over my pizza.”
Mary Jane giggled.
“Do you have a bowl you’re willing to use as his food bowl? I forgot to bring the one I’ve got.”
“Sure.” She walked to a cupboard near the sink and pulled out a large crockery bowl. “Like this?”
“That should work.” He took it from her and opened the dog food bag, lifting it to fill the bowl under Maverick’s watchful eye.
As he put it back, he noticed Maverick wasn’t the only one watching carefully. Hell, it looked like Mary Jane was checking him out. He flexed a bit as he put the bag back onto the floor and liked the way her eyes dilated and her breathing hitched.
Maverick lay down and stuck his head in the bowl, chewing and crunching, now distracted from the pizza.
By the time he sat down at the table, Mary Jane had pulled out two plates from the same cupboard, and laid them onto the table. “Are you ready for a fantastic meal?”
He grabbed the box from her hand as she approached the table. “Napkins?”
She turned to grab them out of a napkin holder near the end of the counter. “You’ll love it—at least I hope you do.”
“I can tell from the way it smells it’ll be great.” He helped himself to a piece and took a big bite. It was all he could do to keep from moaning. “Wow. That’s fantastic. How long have they been in town?”
“Since my senior year in high school. I must have gained ten pounds the first three months they were open. Now I have to ration myself to once every couple of weeks. I can’t ever remember having pizza this good.”
“Frankly, I can’t either. I’ve had a lot of good pizza in my travels. That, and in my family’s kitchens. My Uncle Guido makes a mean pizza, but it’s been years since I’ve had it. They live in New Jersey, and I’ve been deployed for most of the last ten years.”
Mary Jane paled, and he
