Page 24 of Fractured Fear

“Spencer isn’t all that kind when she gets hangry,” Alma pipes up.

“I’m. Not. That. Bad.” I emphasize each word as I repeat them.

Alma gives me a disbelieving look. “What about the time you just about bit Hayes' head off because he sneezed?”

“That sneeze was at a volume so loud I’m sure New Jersey could hear it. Scientists would study him if they knew.”

Hayes scoffs and adds to Alma’s argument. “There was also the time you cried because Paul dropped his teapot.”

“He worked so hard on that! I felt bad!” I don’t like the points they’re making, no matter how right everyone is.

“You know good and well it was a shit teapot,” Paul says.

“Agree to disagree.”

Paul makes a face that says he isn’t convinced. “Okay then. What about when you said you would eat anchovies?”

“We agreed we would never talk about that.” I will eat anything. Except anchovies. Who wants to eat little bits of fish from a jar? But that day, I was on the verge of starvation.

“No, you agreed,” Hayes points his finger in my direction then gestures to everyone else. “None of us did.”

Zane interrupts “embarrass Spencer time” by walking in the door with a large brown paper bag.

“Hello there, handsome,” Alma greets Zane with a flirtatious tone.

“Uh. Hi?”

Rio hops up from his front row seat where he was enjoying my embarrassment show. “Just in time, Z. Turns out our girl gets grumpy when she's hungry,” Rio unloads the bag fromZane’s hands. “Zane, this is Alma, Hayes, and Paul. Everyone, this is Zane, the friend who signed me up here.”

“Oh,” Alma smirks in my direction. “So this is the man who came the other day.”

I groan and give Hayes my best evil eye. He just shrugs a single shoulder. We both know he told everyone how I embarrassed myself and he doesn’t feel the least bit guilty.

Zane smirks my way and I swear there are literal butterflies inside my body. What two people came together and made this man who is too gorgeous to be real? “You ready for lunch, Angel?”

Glancing at Zane out of the corner of my eye, I try to look uninterested even though I really am a hungry hippo. I didn’t realize it until Hayes pointed it out, but now all I can think about is food and the lack of it in my belly. God, I’m close to tears.

“Maybe.” My nonchalance is argued with another bear roar from my stomach.

Zane gives me a mocking snort. “I brought egg rolls.”

If he’s trying to entice me, it’s working. With the temptation of egg rolls in front of me, I do my best to keep my pride intact.

“Anything else in your bag of wonders?”

My attitude is rewarded with another small curve of his lips. “Kung pao chicken, fried rice, and wonton soup.”

I feel bad about taking food he now won’t get to eat, but hunger wins out, and I know I won’t be able to come back from crying in front of everyone when I’m hungry. It will just give Hayes, Alma, and Paul another example to use against me in the future.

“You twisted my arm,” I say, knowing full well that I became this food's bitch the moment egg rolls were mentioned. Rio and I finish cleaning up our mess then the two follow me.

Walking into the gallery I immediately realize my mistake. A throat clears and I mentally kick myself in the ass. I should have thought ahead.

Iris stands there shooting a look my way that begs me to explain what’s going on. I subtly shake my head in return and send her the signal all females know.Not now.

Ignoring my cue, Iris does what she does best. Pushing me out of my comfort zone. “What’s up, Spencer? Where did you get the two pieces of eye candy?”

My face flushes as I point to each man, knowing she won’t give up until I give in. “Rio and Zane. Guys, this is my good friend, Iris. She works here at the gallery.” They each give Iris a kind smile and wave.

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