“You can’t possibly let me down. I don’t get let down.”
“Everyone gets let down.”
“I’ve had worse things happen than a failed business venture,” he said.
More truth pressed for release, and she couldn’t hold it back. “I don’t want to fail. I want to prove everyone wrong.”
Perry leaned forward with a smile. “Revenge? That’s something I can get behind.”
“No, not revenge. Why do you look so happy?”
He was smiling a littletoomuch at the prospect. “I specialize in revenge. Excel in it, actually.”
“If you dial it back a notch and reframe it asnotrevenge, you can help me make people see I can do what I put my mind to.”
“Can I think of it as slight revenge? Gentle revenge?”
“Perry,” she sighed, though a little laugh escaped, too. “You’re weird.”
Their sizzling tapas arrived. They abandoned talking for a minute in favor of sampling the small plates of savory deliciousness.
Perry wiped his mouth with a starched cloth napkin, then said, “One other suggestion.”
“If this is about revenge…”
“Indirectly. You can alsonotbe what people imagine you to be.”
“Like how?”
“Like not being what people think you ought to be.”
“I don’t follow.”
He gestured at himself. “Is this what you pictured Breeze looked like under the mask and gear?”
“Not at all. I didn’t think he’d be a polished, classy guy.”
“Exactly.” He swirled his wineglass. “It’s about embracing who you truly are. Yes, I have those abilities. But I also enjoy the finer things. Both can be true.”
Sadie nodded slowly, letting that sink in. “People don’t expect a big-boobed redhead who dresses like a crayon box to run a successful business.”
“Uh…”
“Sorry, that’s probably an overshare. But I get what you’re saying. The best revenge is living life exactly how you want to. No regrets.”
“I’ll make you a revenge expert yet,” Perry said.
A glint twinkled in his gray eyes. Not vibrant like Joan or Mark’s, but cloudy. Kind of unremarkable until you really noticed them.
Kind of like Sadie.
A streak of navy blue landed on a tall office tower. Catch planted her hands on her hips, surveying the area below. It still made Sadie feel protected, knowing the Supers were out and about. Catch never wavered from her goal of having justice prevail. She could barely speak civilly to the former Villains, even when ordering a sandwich at Hot and Cold. Which was pretty annoying, honestly.
Of course, justice didn’t seem to translate to her wanting to pay for said sandwich. Sadie never minded taking her money.
Still, patrolling Superheroes meant Vector City was a safe place to open a business. To go after a dream. It was safer now than ever, really. Insurance rates would probably go down the longer they had no Villain activity. Maybe banks would be more receptive to loans, too.
“Okay,” Sadie said. She wrung her napkin between her hands, nervous but with growing excitement. “Tell me more about these neighborhood demographics.”
