Page 81 of When Annika Met Thom

The emphasis on that word made Annika suspect that Mrs. Moriarty hadn’t been fooled.

“I leave Friday night.”

Mrs. Moriarty harrumphed. “Then some of us can count on getting some sleep next weekend.”

“We’ll try to keep it down,” Annika said to her back.

“Don’t bother on my account,” Mrs. Moriarty said, casting a wicked smile over her shoulder. “I’m living vicariously, dear.” She cackled again, then disappeared into her apartment, turning the deadbolt with a loud click.

Annika smiled and shook her head, then took the stairs to the ground floor. She found the alley easily, and navigated between the trash bins for the local businesses to the wider alley at the back. It ran the length of the block, providing back entrances to all the buildings. There were a number of Dumpsters and recycling bins, and she could hear the hum of restaurant fans, but the sky was clear blue overhead. There was a line of garage doors on the back side of the apartment building, most of them dented with worn paint. One was open, and Cerberus was crashed there on a blanket in a sunbeam.

“Hey,” she said when she spotted Thom, crouched down beside a vintage motorcycle inside. He glanced up, obviously surprised to see her, and she felt suddenly warm all over. “Breakfast,” she said, waving the tote bag. “Hungry?”

* * *

“Tell me about rebounds,”Annika said abruptly, after Thom had made one burrito disappear in a hurry. They were good, packed with scrambled eggs and some beans, a lot of salsa and some melted cheese. Even the tortillas were good.

“I thought you didn’t like cooking,” he said instead.

“This isn’t cooking,” she insisted. “If it takes five minutes or less to prepare, it’s not cooking. Making a sandwich isn’t cooking. Roasting a turkey and serving it with all the trimmings, that’s cooking.” She finished her burrito and fixed him with a look, as pert as the sparrows that had arrived in the hope of crumbs. “You’re avoiding the question.”

“I’m wondering why you asked it.”

“Because I don’t know the answer, obviously, and you have theories about everything.”

“Not everything.”

“Everything relationship related.”

“What specifically do you want to know?”

“How long does it take before a person can be sure that he or she isn’t on the rebound?”

There was a question that gave Thom a bad feeling. “It depends on the individual.”

“Seriously? That’s a non-answer!”

“Seriously. Some people mourn relationships for years. Others just move on immediately.” He wasn’t going to mention any names, but Annika was studying him.

“So, Leo is probably never on the rebound.”

“That would be my guess, but you know him better than I do.”

“No.” She shook her head with finality. “I thought I knew him but I was wrong.” She fell silent for a minute and Thom unwrapped the last burrito. He offered it to her, thinking there were two for each of them, but she shook his head. “I made three for you.”

“Thanks.” A guy could get fat on Annika’s non-cooking, but Thom still didn’t think it was a good thing that she’d be leaving soon. More bench-presses would be worth it.

“You see, this is all new to me, and it’s throwing my game. I don’t have enough statistical information to make informed decisions about relationships.”

Thom smiled at that.

“What?”

“Do people make informed decisions about relationships?”

“There’s nothing wrong with trying.”

“I suppose not.”

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