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“Why do we keep coming to this place?”
“Because it’s fast, good, and cheap.”
Heidi sighed and corrected her orientation. “It is good. I’ll give you that.”
“Why were you in baby-snatching mode?”
“Hmm?”
Valerie chuckled through a mouth full of sandwich.
Heidi cut her a warning look. She didn’t actually expect that look to do anything to Valerie, and it didn’t. Still, she’d had to try, or Valerie would have accused her of losing her touch.
“You were about to elope with my second-born,” Tim said. “That body language usually means—”
“Tim, here’s your plate,” LaDonna shouted, and Tim was on his feet again.
“We’re going to get it out of you one way or another,” Valerie said. “So go ahead and get your story together.”
Tim was halfway back to the table when LaDonna said, “Here, take this, too.” Immediately, he pivoted, and fortunately, at that, because Bert had shifted his weight forward to stand.
“Maybe I just woke up feeling joyful,” Heidi said. “Did you consider that for even one second?”
“Joyful aboutwhat? You already alerted us to your bullshit when you and Tim tried to out-dom each other with your eyeballs a couple of minutes ago.”
“Apparently, I need to make friends who have less awareness of my private hobbies. They wouldn’t grill me before I’ve had my first cup of coffee.”
“Hobbies? Is that what we’re calling them now?”
“Who’s got hobbies?” Tim set Heidi’s plate in front of her. “And be careful. That rim is hot as a blowtorch.”
“Thanks for the heads-up,” Heidi said blithely. She picked up her fork and one-handedly cut the omelet into negotiable, bite-sized squares.
“Heidi has hobbies,” Valerie said. “Privatehobbies.”
“Oh.” Tim grunted and picked up a bacon slice. “And I take it the former Mrs. Dowd is being coy this morning.”
“I don’t know if she’s being mysterious or if she’s really being genuine about waking up on the right side of the bed.”
“Mysterious,” Heidi murmured around her fork. “Seems to be an en-vogue term lately.”
“Is that so?” Valerie asked. “Who else is using it?”
“Is there hot sauce for these eggs?”
Neither of the married Dowds responded. They were too busy giving Heidi coordinating squinty stares.
Heidi didn’t really need the hot sauce. She just wanted to change the subject.
“That shirt you’re wearing looks familiar for some reason,” Valerie said.
“Does it?” Heidi stabbed a few squares of egg onto her fork. “Do you like it?”
“It’s pretty basic, but I guess it suits you. Oh. I know where I’ve seen it. The darting was what made it familiar. Carine has that shirt.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” Heidi took another deep hit of baby scent to soothe her edginess.
She didn’t know why she bothered to keep her business to herself. The world was too small for her to keep anything hidden, and the two of them knew her moods too well.
