Chapter 49

"Sure," he replied. "And some sodas, too."

She smiled. "Of course."

"So, what have you been up to over the years?" She shook out her napkin and looked into his eyes. "Were you in Afghanistan?"

He let out a deep breath. Although he had served his country and had gone off to war, it wasn't something he wanted to talk about. "Yes, but I don't want to talk about it."

"Good evening," the waitress said when she approached the table. "My name is Lisa and I'll be your waitress this evening. May I start you both off with something to drink?"

"Just Coke for me," Caden replied.

"Chardonnay for me," Mallory said without looking up from her menu. It was obvious that she only paid attention to people she thought she could easily manipulate.

The waitress looked over at Caden and gave him a wink. "I'll be right back with that."

"Thank you, but I think we're ready to order now, too," he replied, ignoring the wink.

Turning to Mallory, he asked, "So what kind of pizza would you like?"

"Anythin