Page 66 of Broken
“No,” she deadpanned.
But, it did.
Then, she smiled at the little boy. “I’m Jacqueline, but my friends call me Jack. What’s your name?”
“Efan.”
“Ethan,” Mac translated.
“Ethan, tell me about the airplane ride. Did you get something to drink?”
As he prattled away about the flight, her gaze floated to Mac. Penetrating eyes stared back. Despite being flat-out thrilled to see him, she was also raging angry that she was being forced to work with him.
The elevator doors opened and she led them to her apartment.
Once inside, she said, “I’m starving, so you can grovel while I eat.” Then, she eyed Ethan, and the resentment fizzled. “Are you hungry?”
“We had dinner while we waited for you,” Mac said.
“I ate nuggets,” Ethan offered.
“That’s all you eat,” Mac said.
“That’s because they’re yummy!” the child exclaimed.
Watching Mac interact with Ethan was adorable and entertaining, but she wasn’t interested in him or his family, no matter how damn compelling she found him.
She set the food in a porcelain bowl, warmed it in the microwave, and set out three forks. She despised him, but her parents had taught her to share.
Prescott sat across from her, putting Ethan on his thigh.
Ethan pointed. “What’s that?”
“That’s salmon and this is calamari, which is squid.” She regarded Mac. “Does he have any food allergies.”
Sadness flashed in Mac’s eyes. “None that we know of.”
“Can you call his mom or dad?” Jacqueline took a bite of salmon. It was delicious and she was famished.
“Mommy is in the hospital.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Jacqueline said.
“I can’t call her because she’s not well,” Mac explained.
“I want to try the crispy chicken,” Ethan said. “Are they nuggets?”
“No, buddy, they aren’t,” Mac replied. “It’s a squid from the ocean.”
Ethan reached over and pulled one off the plate, then took a bite. “Yummy.”
She slid the calamari onto a different plate and set it in front of him. “They’re all yours.” With a smile, she said, “Good, huh?”
“Uh-huh,” Ethan replied.
After a few bites, she pulled a bottle of stilled water from the fridge.
Mac extracted a sippy cup from a diaper bag, but she poured a little water into three glasses. “Ethan, this is my favorite water. It’s the best.”
