Page 101 of Seeds of Malice

He studies me another minute and asks, "Do you want the truth?"

"Yeah, of course I want the truth."

He shakes his head. "You're not going to fit in, but don't let it bug you."

My gut dives. I blink hard and look away.

He pinches my chin between his thumb and forefinger and turns my face toward his so I can't avoid him. "You're better than everyone else, Ivy. You're not fake. You're real. So when you ask if you'll fit in, the answer is no. And I meant that as a compliment, so don't even worry about it. Why are you concerned about what everyone else thinks anyway?"

I shouldn't be, and I wish I could say I'm not worried, but I am. I want to be accepted by my classmates.

Isn't that normal?

I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.

Dax adds, "You're giving them too much credit. Besides, I'm the only one whose opinion you should worry about, gorgeous." He gives me his boyish grin.

I don't get to see it very often, but when I do, it lights up my soul. So I agree. "You're right."

Thomas returns and sets a bowl of chopped salad in front of us. He takes two large forks and dishes a heap onto each of our plates, then refills our wine glasses.

"Thank you," I say.

"No problem, ma'am."

He leaves, and I take a bite. It's just as good as the wine. "Mmm. This is divine."

Amusement fills Dax's expression.

"What?" I question.

He gives me a chaste kiss. "You're adorable."

Happiness floods every cell within me.

We both take several mouthfuls of salad and wash it down with more wine.

Dax reveals, "I'm really glad you're not like the other girls. It's a nightmare taking them on a date."

He's caught my attention once again. "Oh? Why's that?"

"Because they wouldn't even be eating the chopped salad. Do you know how annoying it is to go to dinner with someone who won't eat?"

I glance down. It's all vegetables and a tad of olive oil dressing mixed with something else. I'm not sure what, but it can't be that many calories. So I question, "Are you serious?"

"Yep."

I cautiously ask, "Is everyone as skinny as your sister, Marcey, and Cindy?"

He rolls his eyes. "Yeah. They all have fake boobs, starve themselves, and take a lot of drugs and alcohol. See why I'm saying you don't have to fit in around here?"

I can't help but smile. Somehow, he's eased my worries about fitting in. Plus, he's right. I've never been fake, so why should I start to pretend to be someone I'm not?

We eat a couple more bites of salad and then Thomas brings out a tomahawk, the almond-encrusted walleye, and a bubbling dish covered in toasted breadcrumbs.

It all smells delicious.

He leaves, and Dax puts a heaping spoonful of gouda mac and cheese onto my plate.

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