She pushed over the red onion. “It’s your turn to cry. I’ll rinse the beans.”
He chuckled. “I hope you have plenty of tissues.” As he chopped the onion, he asked, “Did you speak to Dot today?”
“Yes. I also told her about the dive, which she wasn’t happy about. She told me to report anything strange to the police immediately, but wouldn’t talk about Stonefish.”
“How did she react to the name?”
She glanced at him, expression wry. “If looks could kill.”
He laughed. “Yeah, I figured she wouldn’t be impressed. The fewer people who know, the better as far as she’s concerned.”
“Are you going out to the Ridge tomorrow for the treasure hunt?”
“Wouldn’t miss it. Do you want a lift out?”
She hesitated, not for long, but he noted it. “Yes, please.”
“No problem.” He added the onion to the bowl, and she stirred in the beans and the rest of the ingredients. Then she divided the corn chips into two bowls, stacked the salsa on top and added cheese and sour cream. She handed him a bowl and a fork.
“Thanks.”
“I’m sorry I don’t have a lot of furniture yet.” She sat next to him at the bench.
“Are you shipping stuff up?”
She shook her head. “I gave most of the furniture to my ex. Figured I’d start from scratch.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You were married?”
She shook her head. “No. We lived together for a few years.” She cleared her throat. “I, ah, changed after Emelia’s accident and it didn’t work out.”
“Changed how?” He kept his question light.
“I used to be fun,” she said. “Not so strict about the rules.” She stared at her bowl and shrugged. “I obsessed about work, wanting to finish Emelia’s research for her, and Gerard grew tired of it.”
“Then it’s his loss,” Sam said.
“You make no sense to me,” Penelope said. “I suspended your licence, treated you terribly, and yet you keep coming back.”
He smiled. “It’s because you fascinate me,” he replied. “Underneath the rule-abiding surface is a woman with a killer laugh, and when you drop your guard, you’re lovely.”
She blushed. “Gerard always compared my laugh to a goose honking.”
“No, it’s much more a blazing trumpet of joy.”
She laughed, highlighting his argument. “That’s the nicest and most ridiculous comparison I’ve ever heard.”
“It’s true. You should laugh more often.” When they were finished, he collected both their empty bowls and took them to the sink to wash. “What did the police officer say to his belly button?”
She frowned at him. “I don’t know.”
“You’re under a vest.”
Her laugh burst out even as she rolled her eyes. “That wasn’t funny.”
“You laughed.” He went through the list of bad dad jokes Dobby always told. “Two guys walked into a bar. The third guy ducked.”
She chuckled. “Where did you get these from?”
