Mallory eyes my burger as I take the first bite."I just can't get behind eggs on a burger.It's weird.Something about the texture of the egg.I dunno."
I groan in delight—I must've burned more than a thousand calories during that practice and I'm ravenous."It's freaking delicious.Plus, extra protein."
She shakes her head."Are the hash brownsonthe burger?"
"Yes ma'am, they are."
Mal grimaces."Ew.No.Give me the classics every time."
"The hash browns absorb the yolk," I tell her."It's a culinary masterpiece of artery-clogging goodness."
"Pretty sure you have the healthiest arteries of any man over forty in all of Tomlin Falls, Noah," Morgan says.
I lift the burger."Maybe…until I eatthisbad boy."
Mal snickers."Oh god, you went full Midwest Dad."
I frown at her."Huh?"
She snickers as she squirts ketchup into a corner of the clamshell in which to dip her fries, followed by a dunk into the cheese sauce."Y'know, the classics of a stereotypical Midwestern dad.Clicking the tongs a few times before you flip a burger on the grill.Tying a knot and saying 'this bad boy ain't goin' nowhere,’” she adopts an attempt at a masculine growl, but her soft, high, feminine voice just makes it funnier than I think she intended.She eyes me."Do you have grass-stained white New Balances for mowing the lawn?"
I think about that."No?I wear an old pair of Crocs, and I have a riding mower.Why?"
"Cargo shorts?"
"Taylor threw them all away years ago.We actually got into a fight about it.I loved my cargo shorts."
Mal nods."Good score so far."She takes a bite."Do you own a bucket hat, and if so, have you ever worn it anywhere but fishing?"
"I do own a bucket hat, but it was a gag gift from Jim and it's on a shelf in my office at home.I don't understand the questions, Mallory."
Morgan answers without looking away from her burger."She's assessing your cliche dad-ness.Each time you answer yes to any of the questions, you get deducted a cool factor point."
"Oh," I say."How'm I doing so far?"
Mal tips her head to one side."Pretty good.I'll only deduct half a point for the 'bad boy' comment since it seemed to be in the vein of humor rather than uttered unironically."
"So am I still cool?"
"So far."She narrows her eyes at me."But I'll be watching, Wazowski.Allllllways waaaaaatching."the last two lines, she says in a raspy, nasally voice; a reference I don't understand, most likely.
It feels good, this domestic little scene.A quiet dinner at home around the table was a rarity when Noel was growing up, my schedule being what it is.I can tell Morgan thinks so, too—she keeps stealing glances at me, suppressing a smile.
Mal's phone dings with an incoming message; she reads it, and then turns her attention to her mother."Mom, Nicola and Gemma want to go see a movie."
"Which movie?"
"I dunno.Some rom-com that just came out."
"Are you meeting them or are they coming to get you?"
She shrugs."Dunno yet, still in the planning stages."She eyes Morgan and then me speculatively."The next showing isn't until after nine, so I wouldn't be home until after midnight, probably."
Morgan suppresses a knowing smirk."Home at one, latest.Right to someone's house after the movie."A pause."It's just you girls?"
She blushes."Grayson and a couple of his friends may be coming, too."
Morgan sighs."So what you meant to say was…?"She prompts.
