“People on the estate are talking,” she admits, picking at her napkin. “They’re saying he was bad.”
“Bad?”
She nods, sadness filling her eyes. “Yeah. That Isaac was dealing drugs.”
Her words raise my heart rate. “People make things up when they can’t make sense of things.”
Her eyes finally find mine again. “He did have a mysterious new job.”
I half smile. “What made it mysterious?”
“He didn’t tell anyone about it. Not really. But he swore to me it was legit.”
“Then it wasn’t a mystery at all.”
She scoffs. “My dad used to say the same thing. I believed him until he ended up inside.”
“And what did he do?” I ask, keeping my tone casual.
The waiter arrives with our food, and I sigh in relief. The tension was getting too much, and I’m glad of the distraction.
I pick up my cutlery, glancing up when she doesn’t do the same. “Leoni, eat something. Please.” She carefully picks up her fork, and I set about cutting into my steak.
“I don’t like this,” she whispers.
I pause with the steak almost to my mouth. “You ordered steak before. I assumed you liked it.”
“Not the food,” she adds. “Us. This. Getting along.”
I laugh. “You prefer us to argue?”
She nods. “Yes. It’s what we do. It’s normal. And when everything else feels so… not normal, I need you to hate me again.”
I sigh, placing my fork down. “Leoni, I don’t hate you.”
“You said I was useless,” she says, a small smile tugging at her mouth.
“You’re getting better,” I lie.
“Besides, we only have another four weeks before I’m free, right?”
Her notice. I’d forgotten about that. “Did you give me your letter of resignation?”
Her brow furrows. “Well, no, but I told you—”
I shake my head, popping the juicy piece of steak into my mouth. “That doesn’t count.”
She glares at me. “But I told you! I said I was giving you notice.”
“Again, doesn’t count.” I take a sip of water. “Now eat something.”
“But that means I still have eight weeks.”
“Correct.” That pleases me way more than it should. “Until I get a dated letter, you’re stuck working for me.”
“Fine, I’ll draft it the second we get back,” she snaps.
I grin. “Not in work time.”
