Page 76 of Secret Spark

“Joanie. Jesus, no. I was just as destructive as you. Maybe more. Remember the basement floods—plural?”

“Yeah, but?—”

“No buts.” He shook his head. “I’ve never resented you for a millisecond. You’re the reason I’m a somewhat functional adult.”

“Okay,” Joan murmured.

“My abandonment issues and inability to form attachments aren’t from you. They’re from dear old Mom and Dad.”

“You’re stuck with me, bud.”

“I know.” Mark’s blue eyes glimmered. “You’re very clingy.”

She punched his arm, then rubbed it. “I really want this food truck to get us on a better path. Right some wrongs. It’ll be easier to go legit now than when you tried culinary school.”

“I sometimes wish I’d tried harder. It just sucked having people tell me what to do. And not being able to tell them why I never once had a hot dish.”

“That’s why we have to be our own bosses,” Joan said.

“Amen.”

“A-women.”

They snort-laughed and fist-bumped.

Some of the weight she’d been carrying lessened. It was good to know Mark didn’t hold a grudge.

Perry ended his call. “You’re meeting the buyer at eight. Cash deal. What are you whining about?”

Joan shared a look with Mark. “When was the last time you put together profit and loss projections for a proposal?” she said.

“Is this about the food truck again? We have more important things on our plate.”

“On our plate, haha,” said Mark.

“Tonight is important.” Perry walked over. “I took that painting as a good faith gesture. I’m playing along.”

“Wait, what?”

“Trick might trust me enough to let me know his plan. Then we can stop him.”

Oh. Wait. “Why didn’t you tell us?” Joan said.

“Because you ran off in a huff the other night and Mark was too busy making fun of Trick’s new cape.”

“It looks fucking ridiculous!” Mark cried.

“I used it as a cover for me being sick of you two. Trick believes I’m trying to break away fromyou. That’s why I left town.”

It couldn’t be that simple. “So you didn’t want to steal a VanderHooven?” Joan said.

“I absolutely wanted to. He was the last Flemish master on my list.”

Hope fluttered in her chest. “Then you’ve taken everything you’ve ever wanted to. You can retire.”

Perry glowed the way he did after a big score. “That’s just the Flemish masters.”

Shit. They weren’t gonna change his mind unlesshewanted to make changes. Even if he cut back on his thieving ways, he’d never create an alliance with the Supers.

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