UnEnchanted (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #1)(37)

Mina tried to look at Mrs. Wong but a piece of napkin was stuck to Mina’s forehead obscuring her view. “You have got to be kidding me. I doubt he will ever be seen in public with me again. I’m walking talking catastrophe.”

Mrs. Wong snatched the napkin from Mina’s forehead and started waving it in the air at her while she lectured Mina. “You leesten to me. He nice boy, will forgive reel quick with kissy.” Mrs. Wong raised her eyebrows and bobbed her head at Mina encouragingly.

Mina groaned and pounded her head against the table again. When Brody came back, they ordered and sat silently while Mrs. Wong kept filling their bowls with all-you-can-eat pot stickers.

“Your right, these are to die for.” Brody took another bite. “But does she always hover like this?” Brody nodded his head to a smiling Mrs. Wong who kept making smooching faces toward them, whenever he turned his back.

“Um, no, I think she just changed the dose on her meds,” Mina lied, trying desperately not to look in the restaurant owner's direction. Pretty soon her husband came out in his white apron and hat and joined in the charade of advice. His wife must have told him about Mina’s embarrassing spectacle because he started to shake his head in his wife's direction and mime dropping a napkin on the floor. Both of them were miming different actions in a non-subtle manner.

Mina kept shaking her head "no" in their direction. Brody saw Mina’s head shake and looked over his shoulder to the couple who dropped their act and began cleaning the counters furiously. As soon as he turned back they went at it again.

“You ready to get out of here?” Mina asked desperately, looking over Brody’s shoulder.

Brody threw some money on the table and they escaped into the crisp afternoon air.

They started walking the different districts with no particular place in mind. Mina felt tense and awkward, she knew they needed to discuss what happened the other night but she really didn’t want too. She found the Grimoire, but she didn’t know how Jared or the man with the wolf tattoo figured into all of this and she was running out of ideas. But she didn’t know if she could trust Brody.

As if reading her mind Brody spoke up. “You know you can talk to me, right? I’m here for you.”

Mina kicked a stray piece of rock with her shoe. “How can I, when I barely know you?”

“I’m trying to amend that,” Brody whispered, he brought his hand down and cupped her small hand in his. Mina tried to pull away but he held on. “I’m sorry that I pressured you into going to the police after the attack, but you have to understand I was scared for you, I wanted to protect you.”

Mina shook her head, but Brody continued. “You’re right, I don’t know what’s going on, but I want to help you, I want to be there for you.”

“I can’t talk about it. I’m not ready to talk about it. I’m still trying to figure things out. But when I know more, when I’m ready, I’ll tell you.” It was the most she could promise.

They headed down the hill to the river walk and bought some bread from a vendor to feed the geese in the river. Mina couldn’t help but glare at the geese angrily and refused to throw them bread. Brody noticed.

“Got a grudge against geese?”

“You bet I do. Stupid birds,” Mina snorted. She was boycotting all geese for leading her into danger. She had liked them before the other night, now she could care less. Even though Mina wasn’t the one throwing the bread or holding it all of the geese waddled out of the river and started pecking their way toward her. Mina jumped back and kept walking backward but it was as if they heard her call them stupid, they kept following her until Mina stumbled and landed on her butt in the grass.

Screaming, Mina held up her hands as the swarm of geese started to crawl over her.

“Get out of here. Scram!” Brody yelled kicking and pushing the flock away from Mina. Reaching down he grabbed her arm, pulled her up, and out of the reach of the geese. The geese turned direction and kept following Mina. Laughing, Brody physically lifted Mina up out of their reach and over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Mina’s feet swung in the air, her hair hanging over her face upside down. Brody moved away from the river and away from the attacking flock.

Brody turned around to look at the geese and burst out laughing, the whole gaggle diligently followed them, or more importantly Mina, in a V formation. “I think you underestimate these geese. They are definitely not stupid,” Brody laughed.

“They are too. Put me down!” Mina cried out, hitting Brody’s back playfully.

“No way, not until you are out of danger. I won’t abandon you again.” He held on tighter, walking faster.

Mina rolled her eyes at the geese, which never actually bit her, they just startled her. Mina tried making shooing motions to no avail. Finally she whispered between clenched teeth. “If you don’t get lost now, there won’t be a happy ending to this story. I happen to be friends with a couple who run a restaurant and they would love some fresh goose.”

The geese immediately turned and headed back to the river. Brody realizing that the threat was over put Mina down. “That was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Not for me.”

“Are there a lot of strange things that happen around you?”

“Haven’t you noticed, I’m cursed?” Mina meant the words as a joke but as soon as they left her mouth, she felt a tingle of apprehension through her bones. The words were too close to the truth.