Page 93 of The Sadist and the Brat

“You’re not staying for pie?” Jennifer asked, digging her fingers into Sadie’s arm when she tried to slip away. “I made lemon meringue.”

“I told you, I promised my friend Rebecca I’d stop by her house for dessert.” She twisted neatly out of her mother’s grip, snagging the giant container of mashed potatoes as she swung back toward the door.

“You could stay for one slice and spend some time with your brothers. You barely got to talk to them at dinner.”

Sadie hurried over to the hooks by the back door to find her coat and purse. “They were busy with the kids.”

“The kids are napping now,” Jennifer pointed out. “We could get out the Scrabble board, play a game. All of us, like we used to.”

Sadie finally unearthed her purse under six layers of coats. “We’d be screaming at each other in twenty minutes.”

“That’s true,” Jennifer muttered. “You kids never could play a civilized game.”

“And besides.” Purse in one hand, potatoes in the other, the coat draped over her arm, she turned to beam at her parents. “I have to go.”

“But what about the pie?”

She reached for the doorknob, mouth open to respond, when her brother Brian wandered in from the living room. “Hey, Ma, when’s dessert?”

Sadie opened the door. “Brian can have my piece.”

“Your piece of what?” Brian asked, staring at the ceiling.

“Lemon meringue.” Jennifer frowned at her son. “Why are you staring at the ceiling?”

“I can’t look at Sadie,” Brian said, his cheeks ruddy. “She knows why.”

“Is this about that accidental sex dial?” her mother demanded.

“Accidental what dial?” her father asked, finally looking up from his gravy-stained tie, and, choking on a laugh, Sadie made her escape.

* * * *

Half an hour later, Rebecca opened the door to the loft she shared with Nick, a welcoming smile on her face. “Hey! How was dinner with your folks?”

“Good, until my mother asked me if I have a naked friend,” Sadie said, stepping inside.

“Yourmotherasked you that?”

“And my father asked if my naked friend was weird.” Sadie closed the door behind her. “How are things going here?”

“Well, nobody’s asked about naked friends, but that’s probably because both my parents and Nick’s assume we’ve already seen each other naked.”

“You’re doing better than me.” Sadie peeled off her coat. “Where should I put this?”

“I’ll take it—we’re putting them in the bedroom.” Rebecca paused. “Why are you wearing an apron?”

“The strings are knotted, and I had to make a strategic retreat.”

“There she is,” Jack said, walking up with a drink in his hand. He wore gray slacks and a white dress shirt with the cuffs undone. His hair was loose, his beard freshly trimmed, and his eyes were crinkling with his smile.

“I’ll just go put this away,” Rebecca said, and slipped away with Sadie’s coat.

Jack drew to a halt in front of Sadie and dipped his head to kiss her. “Hi.”

“Hi, yourself.” She kissed him back, then pointed at the drink in his hand. “What’s that?”

He tilted the glass so the light bounced through the amber liquid. “Scotch, neat.”

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