Page 43 of Solanum

"Don't mind if I do." She cut herself a square and urged it onto her plate. "Thanks."

"Welcome." I broke some off with my fork for a bite. "So, Wilkinson's got you interviewing the family of the serial who decapitated those people, he said."

"Yeah." Her eyes lit up at the thought of it. "I'm actually looking forward to it. You know how I feel about psychological autopsies. They're my favorite."

"I know. Too bad the killer offed himself. I would've been interested in his mental acuity when we finally recovered him," I said, as we slid comfortably into our conversation like usual.

"Me too, honestly." She gulped down another bite of pasta, then sipped her wine. "Have you read any of James' papers she's collaborated on?"

"I haven't, no. Are they good?"

"So good. Her grasp of the psychology of Clark is uncanny. It's almost like she could see through his eyes in a way. I think she's planning to write a book or something."

"She should. I mean, not many survive what she's been through and come out on the other side of it," I said. "I've only met her in passing."

"You'd get along well." She smirked, again, leaning back in her seat and nursing her full stomach. Her fingers wrapped her wine glass while she held it close to her in between sips. "You're both mouthy bitches."

I laughed, nearly snorting out my bite of food. "Sounds like my kind of people."

"For sure," she said, setting her glass down. "Speaking of your people, has Samirah been back to visit?"

"A few times, yeah. Not too long though. She bounces."

"Pretty sure she can afford it being one of the highest paid kinds of medical professionals in the country and all," she reflected, though her line of questioning interested me then.

"Anesthesiology is pretty well known for that. What's your interest in Sami, Nor?" I set my fork down when I finished a little more than half of my dish.

She shrugged, her gaze flickering to the stem of her glass. "Just curious."

When she shied away, I reached across the table and held my hand out to her. She didn't respond at first, but she uncrossed and recrossed her legs before glancing at me. With utmost hesitation, she placed her hand in mine. I gave her an affectionate squeeze.

"Happy Birthday, Nor. Welcome to the other side of thirty."

"Thank you. It's so dark and terrible over here." She laughed then, lightness returning to her as before. "How do you stand it?"

"I find things worth looking forward to." I winked at her then reached into the pocket of my jacket. "I got you something."

"You did?" Her brow wrinkled when she leaned forward. "We don't normally…"

"I know, but I wanted to." I pulled the little brown box out and set it down in front of her. "I obviously don't wrap gifts. Like who do you think I am over here?"

She snickered and picked it up, cradling it in her palms. "Why'd you do this?"

"It reminded me of you." I shrugged and watched her pull the cover off the box.

Inside, the dainty silver bracelet with black bead settings and a handcrafted silver leaf tumbled into her palm. Her smile lifted her rosy cheeks when she inspected it, turning over the leaf to read the scrawled word on it.

"Solanum? What's that mean?"

"It's just the type of flower or leaf." I shrugged, holding on to the truth of the translation for now. "But I thought it would suit you."

"Thank you, Caroline." A full blush reddened her face, and she held out her wrist for me to slip it on her. I clipped the fastening and patted her hand when it dangled perfectly from her wrist.

"You're welcome. Fits you good."

She smiled, holding her hand to her chest while she looked at me. The way she behaved, it seemed like I dropped a pot of gold in her lap. "It does. Thank you. I really love it."

"I'm glad." I leaned back in my chair, slouching and propping my ankle on my knee. "It suits you."

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