Holy fuck.
Bad luck for me – the thing must've contained a whole jalapeno, because my mouth was flaming. I choked it down anyway, trying to chew as little as possible.
In the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when it came out the other end.
Nothing good, that's for damn sure.
With a look that was all sweetness, Anna said, "Oh hey, did Sammy hit your other eye, too?"
"No. Why?"
"Because it's all red and swollen."
"Feels fine to me," I lied.
"Are you sure?" she said. "It's all watery."
I gave her a look. "Are you sure you can see it?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean your own eyes aren't looking so good either." I smiled. "Don't tell meyouand Sammy got into it, too?"
"Hardly," she scoffed. "Unlike likesomepeople, I don't settle disputes with my fists."
"Oh yeah? Wanna know what I think?"
"What?"
"I think you're stalling."
Her chin lifted. "Maybe I'm just digesting what I already ate."
"Sounds like stalling to me." I leaned back in my chair. "But hey, if you're done–"
"I never said that."
I gave her a dubious look. "Uh-huh."
Slowly, she turned watery eyes toward the waffle. After a long moment, she speared the piece directly next to the one I'd taken – a center piece, no less. When she popped it into her mouth and started to chew, her eyes widened, and her skin flushed a deeper shade of red. And yet, somehow, she managed to croak, "It's delicious."
Delicious, my ass.
After lots of chewing, she swallowed and glanced toward the sink.
I flashed her a knowing smile. "Water?"
She shook her head. "Nope. I'm good."
I studied her face. Suddenly, I wasn't so sure. The sudden flush had faded too fast, and her skin was looking just a little green. I heard myself say, "You all right?"
She nodded. "Yup."
I knew a lie when I saw it.But what did I care?It wasn'tmyproblem if she wouldn't give up. And hey, this was Anna Fucking Burke. Whatever she might be feeling, it wasn't up tometo make it right.
I lifted my fork and speared the next nearest piece. I popped it into my mouth and worked like hell to swallow it whole.
By the time I finished, Anna was looking a little wobbly in her seat.
