Page 38 of Monster's Baby

“That’s a relief.”

“Thanks for keeping him occupied.Did you get anything done?”

I sighed.“Not as much as I’d hoped, but it wasn’t his fault.I tried researching a new angle, and didn’t come up with anything.”

“For your thesis?”

“I should have focused on that,” I moaned.“Now I have to make up that time.”

He squeezed my shoulders.“You’ll figure it out.I have faith in you.”

“Thanks.”

“Don’t you guys have an Olympic meeting to go to?”Lilia asked.

“For dessert,” Bruce jumped in.“We’ve still got twenty minutes.”

“Ilovedessert,” Una said dreamily.“Pierre, what’s your favorite dessert?”

Startled, Pierre looked up from his food.“I’m not really one for sweet things,” he replied.“I prefer spicy food.”

“Oh man, I’m sorry,” Bruce said with a chuckle.

“Why?”

“Because you’re in the UK, mate!Our spice is limited to salt and pepper!”

Lilia nearly spat out her stew, she laughed so hard.“Where is the lie?”she spluttered, wiping her eyes.Once she got herself under control, she leaned conspiratorially across the table.Adopting a gangster-style accent, she drawled, “If you need some hot sauce,” her eyes darted left and right, “I know where to get the good stuff.”

The rest of the table cracked up, Pierre included.“I may take you up on that.”

She sat back, eyes wide with surprise.“Excellent.A fellow spice-lover.Maybe we should spike the chili.”

Pierre shook his head.“Even if we used banana peppers, these bland food enthusiasts would breathe fire.”

“We’re not dragons!”I protested.

“You know what he means,” Lilia said, waving a hand in my direction.“I think you’d faint at the sight of thyme in your food.”

“Who puts time in food?”I asked, confused.

“The fact that you don’t even know what thyme, the herb, is, is telling,” Lilia said haughtily.

“I know what thyme is,” Hazel added quietly.

“And it’s used for...”Lilia asked.

“Potions that involve time,” Hazel said sheepishly.

“My point stands.”

“You prefer spice?”Una said suddenly, getting to her feet.“All right then.”She swept away from the table, leaving us to stare after her.

I leaned forward to see past Clarissa and Bruce.“Are you okay?”I asked Pierre.

“I’m fine,” he replied.

“Then what’s wrong with Una?”

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