Page 108 of Switch!
“Let’s do something fun,” I say, wanting to cheer her up. “What’s your idea of the perfect night?”
“Getting off my feet,” Trixie says instantly.
“Let’s go to a movie then.”
“Too expensive.”
I almost laugh. We raked in over five hundred dollars tonight, but most of that will go toward rent.
“No problem,” I say. “I’ll possess one of the employees at the theater and have him let us in through the backdoor.”
Trixie smiles. “What about Patrick? I’d have to drag his unconscious body along with me. That’ll raise a few eyebrows.”
“Hmm. Got it! I’ll have the employee let you in, and once he goes away, you can let Patrick in.”
She nods. “I’m totally up for that. Some other time. Right now all I can think about is food.”
“I could probably get us a free meal. We’ll ask to see the manager after we’re done eating. Once I possess him, Patrick will faceplant into his plate. We’ll blame the salmon. That should do the trick.”
Trixie laughs. “I was thinking of that pasta you whipped up the other day.”
“My chicken alfredo?”
“Yeah. It was so good!”
All thanks to Patrick. He used to enjoy cooking for someone, although he won’t let me see who. “Want me to make it again? We can actually put chicken in it this time instead of just pretending.”
“You spoil me,” Trixie says as we stop at a crosswalk. “I don’t care what you make as long as the portions are huge.”
I flip through Patrick’s culinary repertoire. He didn’t cook often. Only on special occasions or for the sheer joy of it. “I can make a giant pot of vegetable stew. That’ll last for days.”
“Works for me!” Trixie says. The pedestrian light changes, so we resume walking. “What do we need?”
“Potatoes and carrots. We used the last of the pepper, so that too. I think we have everything else already.”
“Let’s make it easy and shop here.” She nods at a corner store. A big grocery chain would be cheaper, but the convenience is worth the extra expense. Especially since we only need three items.
“Let’s watch a movie on our big fancy TV,” I say as we enter the store. “Make a night of it.”
“Sounds nice,” Trixie says, turning a hopeful expression on me. “The only thing that could make it better is a foot rub.”
“Fine. Dinner and a foot rub. Then I’m taking the rest of the night off too.”
“Hey,” she says, stopping to read the back of a protein bar. “That last unsuspecting donor… How come you went with the guy instead of the woman with the Hermès purse? Those things are expensive. I bet she was loaded.”
“The thought didn’t even occur to me.”
“Have you ever been a woman?”
“Nope.”
“Why? Does it threaten your masculinity?”
“Of course not,” I say. “It just seems too…”
She stares at me. “What?”
“Pervy.”
