Page 99 of Hard Evidence
“Too long.”
“Hurry up.”He cleared his throat, reached past me, and retrieved a spatula from a drawer.“Here you go.”
The comments went wild.They were scrolling up the screen so fast they were a blur.What was moussaka?All I could think of was Justin’s eggplant.
“Babe?Something’s smoking.”
Yes, my freaking libido.Justin had torched it.I hastily flipped the potato slices and turned down the heat.Focus, Jessie.Brown the potatoes, don’t burn them.
“Uh, you did say there’s a sprinkler system in this place, right?”
“More of a water mist system, but yup.”
“Shit.”I clapped a hand over my mouth.“Uh, I mean, that’s a relief.”
Instead of bitching about my language, Justin chuckled.“Anything I can do to help?Or do you want me to read out the comments?”
“Only the nice ones.”
“That’s a given.”He scrolled again.“Can you bake the potatoes in the same dish you’ll bake the moussaka in?”
“Absolutely!That saves time cleaning up.”
“If you don’t like eggplant, can you substitute something else?”
“Yes, you could try mushrooms, or zucchini, or your ex’s tiny useless dick.Crap!Bleep that last bit out.”
Justin was trying not to laugh.“How do you feel about stifado?That came from Saylor, and I’m not sure whether it’s a genuine question or a euphemism.”
Saylor!I had two options: play along or die of embarrassment.And today, I chose violence.
“Ilovestifado.You can’t beat nice, tender meat.”I kept my face straight for about three seconds, then collapsed into giggles.“Does that make me sound like a cannibal?”
“You can eat me any day, babe.”
“Stick a fork in me, I’m done,” I muttered.
“Not yet.Don’t you have to make a sauce?”
This was going to be the world’s quickest moussaka.“Pass me the can of tomatoes.And the can opener.And a pitcher of ice water.”
“What’s the water for?”
“To pour over my head.”
I leaned in to check my phone.There were eight thousand people watching me lust after Justin Norquist, and the number was climbing steadily every second.Then suddenly, it jumped.And I saw a new notification.
Violet Miller is sharing your live-stream.
Violet Miller: Save some for me!
Violet Miller: The moussaka.I meant the freaking moussaka.
I might have lost my old life, but I had a whole new one, and my heart felt so full.
Fuck Ridge.Fuck the police.Fuck Levi Sykes and his mind games.
“Violet!Once the podcasters have gone home, I’ll definitely make you dinner.”
