Page 39 of Secret Spark

“I know.That’s why this sucks.”

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you. Be a skeeze like your brother and hit it and quit it.”

Mark shot her a stink eye and said, “Nobody says skeeze anymore, you sad, pitiful norm who dreams of having superpowers.”

“I’d do a hell of a lot more with them than you.”

The two of them playfully ribbed each other while Joan stripped out of her Spark suit. She was completely stuck in this situation with Sadie. The actual truth couldn’t be an option. She’d be putting more than herself at risk.

Telling her she wasn’t Catch was the obvious solution, but that sucked, too. Sadie would be all,“Why did you lead me to believe you were a Superhero?”And Joan would have to be all,“Because I like you and didn’t want to correct you and also so you’d think I was good and honorable and not know I’m who Catch fights against.”

It would only open the door to more questions she couldn’t answer. Or more lies that would repel Sadie. Telling her she wasn’t a Super meant she was a liar. Another jerk in Sadie’s long line of jerks. No coming back from that.

Shit.

CHAPTER8

Mondays weren’t usually Sadie’s favorite, but this Monday was going to be all right. Joan had promised to stop by Vector City Coffee for a custom drink and chat.

She checked her reflection in the back of the glass display case, fluffing her bangs. Amit caught her and laughed. “What’s their name?” he said.

“Joan.” She didn’t bother feigning surprise at his assumption.

“And how did you meet Joan?”

“She lives across the hall.” Sadie smoothed out her apron. Straightened her happy yellow shirt with the fluttery butterfly sleeves.

Amit reclined against the counter and crossed his arms. “You’ve seen where she lives. That’s already a step above who you’re normally interested in.”

“Yep. She’s gainfully employed, too.”Defending our city from harm.

“Wow,” her boss teased. “Better put a ring on this one quick.”

Sadie laughed and pushed him toward the check-out tablets. “I found a nice one for a change. We had a date on Saturday, which was great. When I invited her in at the end, she said, ‘I want to respect you, so I’ll say goodnight now.’ Can you believe that? Someone who actually respects me enough to wait?”

“I bet you made out.” Amit waggled his thick, dark eyebrows.

“Obviously.” The way that woman did things with her tongue defied description.

Sadie fanned at the flush creeping across her face. Just thinking about kissing Joan made her hot and bothered. And herforearms. Good lord.

She cleared her throat and told Amit, “She’s really nice and open and easy to talk to. Her texts are so funny. We have a date planned for tomorrow night. She’s going to cook for me. She’s stopping by this afternoon before a work thing.”

That was what Joan had called it. What did awork thingentail as a Super? So many questions rattled around her head, but they weren’t things Sadie could ask about in a text message.

Amit gave a chin nod to a regular customer as he entered and headed for the restrooms. “I have to be your grouchy voice of reason and remind you to keep your eyes open.”

“I will,” Sadie droned.

“They always seem great at first. Then you get roped into pet-sitting three ferrets for a month. Or bailing the person out of jail.”

“She broke up a bar fight. That’s why she was arrested.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Amit said.

It’d be great to tell himJoan is Catch, Amit, but that was a secret she had to keep very quiet. Joan was counting on her to do so. She had a point—the bad guys would love to know how to get to her so they could catch her unaware. Well, not on Sadie’s watch.

Nyah returned from lunch, tying on her gray apron. “Did I miss meeting your hot neighbor?”

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