Page 109 of Stains of Desire

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I can't help it and grunt, trying to hold in my laughter. Penelope smacks my thigh under the table.

Zoe smirks at me. "What do you think?"

"It's great, Zoe," I manage to get out.

She tilts her head.

"What?" I hold my hands in the air.

"I think you were meant to be a redhead," Tinker says, completely unphased.

Penelope clears her throat. "Tinker, what color do you think Zoe's hair is?"

"Red."

"No. It's not."

"Sure it is."

"It's orange. Neon orange."

"Is it?"

"Yes."

"Huh. Maybe I am color blind like they told me in boot camp."

Zoe gapes. "Tinker, how many years ago were you in boot camp?"

"I'm forty-five. Joined when I was eighteen, so...twenty-seven years ago."

"Twenty-seven years! And you just realize they were correct now?" she shrieks.

He shrugs. "You look like a hot redhead to me."

She turns to Dirk. "You can laugh. It's okay."

He holds a strand of her hair. "I told you, you're one of the only people on earth who can pull any hair color off."

"The eighties are over."

"Retro is always in?" he offers.

"Ha. Funny."

I start laughing so hard I cry, and Penelope does as well.

"Now are you going to laugh?" Zoe asks Dirk.

"Nope." He pecks her on the lips. "Still sexy."

She rises. "Where are the contacts?"

Tinker grabs a case off the counter and hands them to her.

"I'll be back," she says.

When she returns, I swallow hard. Penelope covers her mouth.

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