Page 68 of Catch a Kiwi
“I’m here,” he said. “At the gate. Got something for you. I could come down and give it to you, unless you’re not allowed visitors, in which case you could come up and I could hand it to you through the bars. Should’ve brought you a metal file baked in a cake. I didn’t realize it was going to be a fortified camp.”
“Uh …” I said. “Hang on. Or—wait. I’ll call you back in one minute.” I went back into the kitchen, followed by the dog, who had come through the dog door now that the smoke alarm wasn’t shrieking and was trotting in to join the action, her tail waving like this was all Big Fun. She paused along the way to give me a sniff and an extra wag, but when she got into the kitchen, she went straight over to the big man, sat as close beside him as she could get, and leaned her head against his thigh. He was clearly used to devotion, because his hand came down to fondle her ears.
“Of course I was studying while I cooked,” the thin girl—Frankie--was saying. “Otherwise it’s just a big waste of time!”
Priya said, “I’d have helped you if you’d asked.”
The younger girl said, “I’d have—” but was drowned out.
“I didn’t know I’d burn it, obviously,” Frankie said. “I was doing fine, but I couldn’t work out this differential equations problem, and then it happened in a second. I shouldn’t be on cooking at all, because I’m rubbish. We could?—”
Daisy said, “We’ve talked about this. We all need to pull our weight, and?—”
I said, feeling horribly in the way, “Sorry to butt in, but I have a suggestion and a question.”
“Oh, right,” Daisy said. “Summer and Delilah, my husband Gray. Oh, and Priya, Frankie, and Dove.”
“Hi,” Gray said, still fondling the dog’s ear and looking oddly relaxed under the circumstances.
“Hi,” the youngest girl said, raising a hand tentatively and letting it fall again.
“My suggestion,” I said, “is that I’d be happy to make this again, if you’ve got the ingredients. I can make spag bol in my sleep. My husband’s—” I stopped, because I’d been about to say, “My husband’s favorite dish.” Way too much information, except—wait. Daisy knew, which meant the man—Gray—probably knew, too. I kept forgetting that I wasn’t hiding anymore. “Anyway,” I went on in some confusion, “I’d be happy to make it. It’d be relaxing, honestly, and you all could go do—whatever you need to do, including the differential equations.”
“It’s just that it’s a bit hard,” Frankie said. “Differential equations. I need to focus. I know Icanget it, I’m justnotgetting it. Not yet.”
“If you need help with it,” I said, “ask.”
Frankie seemed to take me in for the first time. I wasn’tsure her astonishment was much of a compliment. “You? I thought you were?—”
“A refugee?” I asked, knowing that my tone was dry. “A maid? A server? Or is it something else?”
“Well,” Frankie said, “yes. Because you’re here. In the caravan. And the way you look?—”
“If you’re trying to break free of gender stereotypes,” Daisy said, “that may have been a fail.”
“I have degrees in math and computer science,” I said, trying to keep it from sounding stiff. Trying to channel Roman, or possibly Daisy. You know. Confident people.
“She’s basically a genius,” Delilah said.
“You are?” Frankie asked. “Then why?—”
“I’m not a genius,” I said. “But I do know how to solve differential equations. And cook spaghetti Bolognese.”
“I think we have everything to make it again,” Priya said. “Daisy believes in a full pantry and freezer. Of course. Efficiency is all.”
“No more Turkish bread,” Frankie murmured, crunching a carrot and looking at her textbook, then at me. Dubiously.
“We don’t need bread,” I said. “I’ve got this.”
“She can’t help it,” Delilah informed Frankie and Priya. “Hyper competent. It’s like a disease, and there’s no cure.”
“We know all about that,” Frankie said. “So annoying.” Which was rich, if she wanted my help, but then—teenagers.
“Totally,” Delilah said. “I mean, shortcuts exist. That’s whysomepeople buy frozen dinners.”
“Frozen dinners are awful,” I said. “Let me help. Please.” Because Daisy was looking distinctly harassed. “Oh,” I remembered. “Uh … Roman’s at the gate.”
“What, now?” Daisy asked.
