Page 88 of Penny For Your Thoughts
I smothered a smile. The instant Darcy’s back was turned, I grabbed a waffle from the top of the stack—with my bare hands—folded it in half, and shoved the entire thing into my mouth.
Diem narrowed his eyes and armed the fork.
“I dare you,” I said with my mouthful.
He chuckled, snagged my chin instead, and kissed me. “Brat.”
A miserable groan erupted from behind us. “Oh my god. Front row seats. Gross. It’s bad enough I woke to your noisy fucking. So gay.”
Diem stood to his full height and skewered Darcy with a look of contempt.
Since Darcy had one hand over his eyes, he didn’t see the six-and-a-half-foot threat looming over him.
“Sit down,” Diem barked.
The kid jumped and raced to the table with a plate and a fork. He sat, eyes still covered, and clumsily poked around until he located the remaining waffle and transferred it to his plate.
“Is there syrup?” Darcy asked, still not looking.
When neither of us answered, he peeked between his fingers. Lowering his hand, he mumbled, “It’s cool that you’re gay, but I don’t wanna see it.”
“Ugh. I can’t do it.” I pushed back from the table and grabbed my coffee, heading to the bathroom. “Handle your child, Diem. He’s obnoxious. I’m going to shower, then I’m calling my mother and apologizing for all I put her through. And, Darcy?”
“Yeah?”
“God help me, there had better be waffles on my plate when I get back, or I will feed you to the snake.”
“’kay.”
“And if you ruin my Fear of God hoodie, they will never find your body. I have friends in homicide, and they will look the other way.”
“Dude,” Darcy whispered to Diem, “is he for real?”
“Yes. Now shut up and eat.”
***
By five thirty, after a busier than usual day in the records department, I had almost successfully forgotten about my morning from hell until Diem showed up—new pet and Echo in tow.
I glowered at the kid but spoke to Diem. “I thought I was meeting you at the office.”
“New plan. Do you have any change?” Diem unclipped Echo’s leash and let her wander. She wagged her tail and darted off to sniff every corner.
I eyed Darcy, whose hands were shoved in his pockets. He was back in his own ratty clothes but looked better than the previous night when we’d chased him down the street. Cleaner.
The pair reeked of cigarette smoke, which only elevated my irritation. Not that my boyfriend didn’t slide off the rails plenty on his own, but with Darcy in the picture, it gave me someone to blame.
I returned behind the counter and scrounged through a drawer where I’d seen a collection of loose coins. Echo snuffled too, likely hoping for one of Kitty’s hidden biscuits. “How much do you need?”
“Couple bucks?”
I picked out a few quarters, a loonie, and a toonie and handed them to Diem, who passed them to Darcy. “Left out the door. Another left at the junction. About thirty feet down, you’ll see a bank of elevators. The vending machine is in an alcove across the hall. Get whatever you want.”
Darcy counted the change and blew his long bangs out of his eyes. “What if a cop sees me?”
“So?”
“Won’t he, like, wonder why I’m here?”
