It's Just Food

Harper's shoulders were almost touching her ears and her spine was ramrod straight when Wyck glanced in her direction. If she gets any closer to that door, she'll fall out into the street, he thought.

"I'd forgotten how cold it gets here." Wyck wanted to bang his head on the steering wheel hearing his own lame attempt at conversation. He'd been reduced to weather.

"Mmmmhmm," Harper replied, not turning her head to face him.

The diner was only a couple of blocks away and Wyck was happy to see it still in business. He'd noticed so many of the business fronts were dark or boarded up. It gave him an unexpected pang in his chest to see the town so forlorn. While never a prosperous place, the town had always had a sense of pride and community about it when he was growing up. Now it looked like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie set. He was surprised at the feelings the decline was stirring in him.

Refocusing on Harper, Wyck began to question the wisdom of having a public conversati