She peered at it. ‘Yeah?’
‘Courtesy of a V-notch lobster I pulled out of a trap one day.’
‘V-notch?’
‘Breeding female. We cut small V-shaped notches in their tails so others know to return them back to the ocean. Protect the sustainability of the species for the future.’
She looked outraged. ‘Does it hurt them when you cut?’
‘No idea. I haven’t asked.’
‘That’s awful.’
‘I know it sounds that way,’ I clarified. ‘But from what I’ve heard, they feel it, but it’s not painful. More like how it feels for us when we trim our toenails.’
She pushed her now empty bowl to one side and reached for a napkin from the wooden table caddy that held cutlery, salt and pepper, sauces and napkins. ‘A little nip from an annoyed lobster is not what I meant when I asked if the job was dangerous.’
‘Hey, she was a super pissed off lobster, for your information. And it hurt.’
‘I’m sure it did. But if you ask me, you deserved it.’
‘What doyoudo for a living?’ I asked.
She dabbed her mouth with the napkin. ‘My last job was as an ER nurse in a hospital in Chicago.’
I pulled a face. ‘Ah. Right. So, you’ve seen…?’
‘Much worse injuries than your lobster nip? Yeah. Just a few.’
‘I feel silly now.’
She laughed. ‘Relax. I know what some men can be like when they’re sick or injured.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘It’s actually scientifically proven.’
‘What, that men are big babies?’
‘That’s not what I said. Women actually feel pain more than men. But man fluisa thing.’
‘It is?’
‘According to one Harvard study I read.’
‘Well, what do you know,’ I said smugly. ‘We weren’t exaggerating.’
‘Steady on, it’s just one study,’ she reminded me, holding up a finger as Fiona appeared back at our table.
‘You guys ready to order that pie yet?’
I arched an eyebrow questioningly at Mae. ‘I’m keen if you are? Or are you too tired after your journey?’
‘Oh, I’m not leaving without trying the pie. Unlessyouneed to go? I don’t want to keep you from anything.’
I leaned back against the booth. The evening had started so horribly, and I’d left my parents’ house in a bad mood. But meeting Mae had changed that. ‘There’s nowhere else I need to be. Two slices of pie, please, Fiona.’
7
