Page 46 of Duality

Kenny barked out a laugh. “Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?”

Diane swatted his arm. “Evelyn is an angel.”

“Yes, she is,” I murmured my agreement, and Diane’s grin practically split her face.

“Oh, you two are the cutest. Come, come, sit, sit. I’ll get your usuals.” She guided us to the back corner booth that I usually satin and settled us into the seats with promises to bring our drinks out soon.

“Is there anyone in the city you don’t know?” I asked after Diane left to get our drinks.

Evelyn grinned. “Not really. But how do you know them?”

“I found this place on a drive one day and kept coming in. I’ve brought the others here occasionally, but I’ve tried to keep it to myself as my special spot.”

Diane set our drinks out in front of us and patted my shoulder. “Your food should be out in a jiffy.”

We thanked her, and she hurried over to the front door to seat a group of people who had just come in.

“So what’s your favorite color?” I asked.

Evelyn’s eyebrows shot up, and she took a sip of her coffee as she thought about it.

“Mmmm… I don’t know if I have a favorite. I like dark colors, like dark green or dark purple.”

I nodded. “Mine’s green,” I said. The same color as the pale flecks of green in her hazel eyes, specifically, but I was trying not to scare her away. “Favorite food?”

“What is this, Twenty Questions?” she asked, but she was smiling.

I shrugged and grinned at her. “Maybe it is. I feel like I know so much about you and also nothing at all.”

And that was true. I knew the big things. I knew what she did with her time. I knew how big her heart was and how much she cared. I knew that she bit her lip when she was thinking hard about something, and she drank coffee like she needed it to survive. But there was so much more about her I wanted to know.

Her eyes darkened for a moment before she shook her head. “Lasagna,” she said.

I grinned. “Does that mean Alexander’s the favorite after the other night?”

Her cheeks darkened, and she looked away but didn’t say anything. I was dying to know what happened between her and Alexander last night, but I could be patient.

“Isn’t it my turn for a question?” she asked, looking at me pointedly.

I waved my hand in front of me, like a king gesturing to his subjects, “Proceed,” I said loftily, grinning when she giggled.

“Favorite animal?”

We went back and forth asking each other silly trivial questions, even when Diane set our food in front of us. After Diane cleared the table and refilled our drinks, Evelyn hesitated, cupping her hands around her coffee mug. She cradled the mug against her chest, eyes skimming the table’s edge twice before they dared settle on me.

“Alexander kissed me last night,” she blurted out after a few moments.

My eyebrows shot up, but I couldn’t keep the grin off my face. I knew it!

She studied me carefully, her expression blank. “Does that bother you?”

“No,” I said simply. It didn’t bother me as long as I got to kiss her, too.

“Why?”

“Ah, ah.” I leaned forward, resting my forearms on the table. “It’s my turn to ask a question.”

She bit her lip but nodded.