The Panic Pure

Chapter Six

Marshal was in the midst of filling out paperwork when he looked up to find Danny's driver standing in front of his desk. He barely kept himself from jumping in surprise--the guy was like a ghost. "Artie, right?"

The man grimaced. "Arthur," he corrected.

"Sure, sure, is there something I can help you with?" Marshal asked.

Arthur held up a black lacquered box with etched blue cranes on it--a Japanese bento box. "Mr. Worth felt like he owed you a lunch, so here I am delivering it."

There was a weird flutter in Marshal's chest. "Really?" He took the box in his hands, admiring the fancy designs. Cranes standing and flying with a background of grass here and there. The box was held shut by a red elastic band that contrasted brightly. "He didn't have to do this."

"Of course he didn't," Arthur said as though it were obvious.

Marshal glanced at the man. There was nothing in his voice or words, but he was getting a definite sense that Arthur didn't approve of him. It made him wonder what he'd done to get such a negative response from the man. "Can you tell him thank you from me?" Marshal asked. "I'm going to call him, but it'll be nice if it comes from you too. You can tell him that you saw how I appreciate it." He ran his fingers over the lid, liking the way the raised paint felt against his fingertips.

"Maybe you should open it before deciding you like it," Arthur suggested.

"Oh, yeah." Marshal slipped off the red band so he could lift the lid and couldn't help his sigh of pleasure at the escaping good smells.

The food looked beautiful, as though it had been professionally arranged in the three-segment bento box--one large compartment and two smaller. There were four pieces of vegetable sushi and two rice balls in the main compartment along with a few slices of pickled ginger, a blob of wasabi, and a small plastic bottle of soy sauce, all on a bed of rich green parsley. The second compartment had three gyoza and two pieces of tempura shrimp in what looked like a paper cupcake wrapper, and an omelet that had been rolled and cut into what looked like a flower with pieces of decorative ginger sticking out of the top. The third compartment had some stir-fried vegetables on one side and steamed green beans on the other along with another tiny bottle of sauce. There was a small shrimp fork tucked against the side of the main compartment, just the right size for him to eat with in case he couldn't find any other silverware.

"Wow, this looks amazing." Marshal smiled down at the food. No one had ever sent him a lunch like this before. He'd had a few lovers in the past that had cooked for him, but it usually ended up being in apology for something they'd done--like the bastard that had cheated on him with that skinny blond twink.

"Yes, well, Mr. Worth thought you might be hungry," Arthur said. "He felt a little bad that he was unable to enjoy the meal that you prepared, so he thought that he should make it up to you."

"He really didn't have to do that." He knew he sounded stupid, but he was just so surprised.

"He prepared everything himself," Arthur said, "though Olivia had to talk him through some of the steps."

"That makes it even better." Marshal had been fairly certain that Olivia had made the food, but to find out that Danny had with his own hands... "Thank you," he said sincerely.

Arthur looked at him for a long moment, no expression on his face but something lurking in the depths of his eyes. "If you will excuse me, I need to go deliver Mr. Worth's lunch."

"Oh, okay," Marshal said, waving at him. His fingers were almost obsessively brushing against the design on the side of the box. Idly, he wondered if he was supposed to return the empty box when he was finished with it.