Page 37 of Delayed Penalty

I laugh at the disgust as Quinn watches her. “Yes, they’reinthe sandwich. Gross, isn’t it?”

“Does that mean you fibbed earlier when you said you don’t eat weird stuff?”

Flora giggles around her sandwich, shaking her head. She swallows down the huge bite of the horrid combination. “It’s not weird. It’s good.”

“Whatever you say, kid.” Quinn shrugs, reaching over her for the ketchup, then flipping open the top and squeezing a huge glob right into the big bowl of mayo on her plate. She picks up a fry, stirs the concoction up with it, and eats it.

NowI’mcompletely disgusted, and one look at how Flora’s lips are turned down and her brows are furrowed tells me I’m not alone.

“What?” Quinn asks with a shrug. “It’s not weird, it’s good, remember?” She holds a fry out to Flora. “You want to try?”

“I thought I wasn’t allowed any.”

“I mean, youdidmake faces earlier when I told you I love ketchup and mayo with my fries. However, I’m willing to make an exception…but only once. Mostly because I know you’re going to love it.”

Flora doesn’t look like she believes Quinn one bit, but she surprises me by reaching for the fry. “Fine.”

She gingerly dips just the tip of it into the mayo-and-ketchup mixture and tentatively bites into it. At first, she seems unsure, but then her eyes brighten, and I know Quinn’s just coaxed her over to the dark side.

“Do you like it?” Quinn asks, and the kid nods eagerly. She laughs. “See? I told you so.”

She takes a handful of the fries off her plate and sets them on Flora’s, putting the repulsive blend on the table between them.

A dipped fry is shoved my way. “You want to try?”

“I’d rather eat a trash-can-flavored donut with extra rotten banana slivers on it.”

Quinn looks confused, but Flora? She howls with laughter, and I love every second of it. Unfortunately, that’s how I spend the rest of my dinner—watching them enjoy their weird meals while I eat my very normal chicken sandwich and plain fries. They share looks, giggling like they have their own inside jokes already when they’ve only spent a day together, and I know one thing for sure—Flora needs Quinn. This is what she’s been missing.

“May I use the restroom?” Flora asks after we’re finished with our dinner.

“Of course.” Quinn scooches from the bench, letting her out. “We’ll be right here when you get back.”

She watches Flora the whole way to the bathroom, not sitting down until she makes it safely inside. The diner is small, and there’s an extremely slim chance anything could happen to her here, but I admire Quinn’s protectiveness.

“So,” she says as she settles back on the bench, “did I pass your test today? Am I hired?”

“Do youwantto be hired?” I toss back.

Are you sure you’re ready for this?That’s what I’m really asking her.

“I had more fun today than I’ve had in a long time, and I really like Flora. So, if you’re on board, I’m on board.”

“Even if it means living with me?”

She rolls her eyes. “I think I can manage,” she says indifferently, but I don’t miss how her hands tremble as she picks up her Diet Coke, taking a long pull.

I hold my hand out to her. “Should we shake on it?”

She sets her drink down, wiping her hand on her thigh before extending it out my way. Our palms slide together, hers still a little damp from holding her glass, mine covering hers almost completely.

“Deal?”

“Deal,” she echoes.

We shake.

And I pretend I don’t like the feel of her hand against mine.

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