Page 9 of Bad Seed
“I was looking for you,” I say. His eyes open wide, and I flinch. Stalker much? You’re going to freak him out. Am I freaked out? He’s so big my neck’s getting a cramp just staring up at him.
A way too long of a second passes before I yelp out, “To thank you. For saving me. Which you did. And you already know because you were there. Phew. Is it hot today or what?” I flap my hand in front of my face for air before remembering there’s an eggplant in it. Jerking, I feel it slip the second I catch it and move to stuff the vegetable into Lucy’s bag.
“I’m Sadie, by the way. Sadie the grateful.”
He watches me with so much focus I triple check the eggplant is going into the bag and not about to miss. Laying a hand to his chest, he tips his chin. “Aubry.”
“Oh, you don’t hear that name very often.”
“You don’t?”
“I like it. I guess I just thought you’d be an, I don’t know, a Mac or a Rocky.”
He snickers and peers down at himself. “So I give off that washed-up boxer vibe?”
“Or a semi-truck.” I try to solve the problem of my never-ending mouth by throwing more words out. It’s not working. “Is that better?”
“Depends on the truck,” he says, crossing his arms.
Tap-dancing frogs, his hand’s so big I didn’t even realize he’s holding an eggplant. Probably because he too loves that versatile vegetable. Eats it with every meal.
Like I ever had a chance with him, anyway.
“Is that why you’re here?” I ask, pointing to the purple veggie.
His thin nose scrunches and he uncrosses his arm to hold out the eggplant.
“Lots of people come to Loomis for the festival. Only one in the country. Yep. People really love their eggplants.”
Aubry stares the eggplant down like he’s Hamlet about to launch into a soliloquy. “I can’t say that I love it right now, no.”
Really? Have I found my eggplant-hating prince at last?
“The truth is…” Aubry runs his thumb across the purple flesh.
“The thing is…” I start, closing my eyes like I’m about to drop a bomb on him.
“I won’t eat eggplant.”
“I can’t eat eggplant.”
We both stop, give a quick chuckle, point to the other’s vegetable, then laugh hard. Holy shit, is he allergic too?
“Really?” Aubry says, shocked to meet another like him.
I nod.
“Then why do you have two of them?” he asks pointing to the bag.
“I’m holding them for a friend.”
He purses his lips and gives me a beady stare.
“Uh, they’re not drugs. I mean, obviously, they’re eggplants. See. No drugs in here. How would you even get drugs in an eggplant? Be easier to hide pills in an Oreo. Just scrape off the cream, then stick a few in the middle. Ooh, mix cocaine into the cream, then smear it back in. Cocoreo.”
Damn it. I did it again. Grimacing, I try to force a smile on as I assure him, “I don’t deal drugs.”
“Obviously. If you hide cocaine in Oreos, they won’t make it out of the warehouse before someone eats a whole bag and ODs.”
