“I’ll admit that’s a very good bribe, but I think we should be adults.”
“Fine.” I was sulky as I trailed Eliot to the booth. I wanted him to be the one trapped on our side of the booth but he nudged me so I had no choice but to be the first one in.
“Hey?” Jake looked surprised, but he flashed what looked to be a genuine smile. “I expected you to be out chasing your story all day. What are you doing here?”
“Oh, I’ve already been chasing.” I shrugged out of my coat and wedged it in the corner of the booth. “I’m way ahead of you now.”
“Oh?” Jake’s lips quirked. “What do you have?”
“I’m not telling you until you start spilling to me. This is a symbiotic relationship. We both have to give.”
Rather than reply, or offer up the information, Jake burst out laughing. “I take it this is your influence.” He pinned Eliot with an amused look. “You’ve been quite the influence on her.”
“I don’t want to take credit for the things she does right,” Eliot intoned. “At a certain point, if I start preening like a peacock, I’ll have to take credit for the things she does wrong as well. She’s her own woman.”
Jake made a face. “You’re only saying that because she doesn’t like it when you get all Neanderthal. She’s apparently taught you a few things too.”
“She’s a wise woman,” Eliot agreed, lifting the specials menu. “Ooh. They have that skillet thing you like, Avery.”
I snagged the menu and grinned. “Who doesn’t love eggs for lunch?”
Before anybody could answer, a shrill shriek emanated from the corner of the restaurant where the bathrooms were located. I looked over my shoulder, expecting to find a loud group of teenagers, but instead I discovered Sabrina barreling in my direction.
“Oh, no.”
Jake snorted. “Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you ... your intern refused to leave. She spent two hours eavesdropping on my deputies in the lobby. She uncovered one affair, one faked mustard allergy and an underground gambling ring that consists of weekly basketball picks, something she’s threatening to report to the state.”
Well, crap. “I’ll fix it,” I promised automatically.
“You’d better. You’re the reason I got stuck with her in the first place.”
I did my best to hold it together as Sabrina scurried to a stop next to the booth.
“Where have you been?” Her tone was accusatory.
In situations like this, it’s better to go on the offensive. “Where have you been? I waited for you outside the sheriff’s department, but you never showed up. You kept me waiting more than thirty minutes.”
Sabrina’s mouth dropped open. “But ... I was in the lobby.” Her tone was whiny, beyond grating. “You said to listen to what the deputies said while you were in with the sheriff.”
“I did.” I was solemn. “I also told you to wait thirty minutes and then head outside. That way it wouldn’t look obvious.”
“But ... I didn’t hear you say that.”
“It’s standard operating procedure when conducting business at the sheriff’s department,” I countered. “Everybody knows that.”
“Oh.” Sabrina looked momentarily lost and I smelled victory ... right up until Eliot shot me a quelling look.
“It’s all fine now,” Eliot offered, sliding his arm around my shoulders and gracing Sabrina with his friendliest smile. “It sounds like a case of miscommunication. There’s no reason to get worked up. We’re all good now, right?”
Sabrina hesitated for a moment. I thought she might call me on my actions, which I would’ve respected. Instead she blew out a sigh and slid into the open spot next to Jake, who didn’t look at all happy to have her crowding him. “I guess it was some sort of weird mistake.”
“Of course it was.” Eliot’s tone was soothing. “Avery would never try to purposely dump you. I mean ... that’s embarrassing and immature. Who would do something like that?”
I shot him a dirty look. “Nobody I know.”
He rubbed my shoulder and gave Sabrina a long once-over. “So, Avery says you’re new to The Monitor.”
Sabrina nodded as she scanned the specials menu, her nose wrinkling. “It’s my dream job.”
“You need to get out more,” I muttered, cringing when Eliot lightly stomped on my foot. He had enough information to make me look bad with Sabrina, something he would gladly share to teach me a lesson, so I adapted my approach. “Journalism isn’t what it used to be. Are you sure you want to put in long hours for almost no pay?”
“I want to be a steward of truth and justice.” Sabrina wrinkled her nose. “Do they have anything Keto-friendly here?”
Yup. I definitely wanted to hurt her. “Probably not.”
“Well, I guess I can get a salad without cheese or dressing.”
“That sounds ... delicious.”
“Healthy eating is a state of mind,” she explained. “Food isn’t supposed to taste good. It’s supposed to nourish us and nothing more.”
What a load of crap. Thankfully, the waitress picked that moment to take our orders. “I’ll have the skillet with extra sausage gravy.”
Sabrina’s eyes went wide. “That doesn’t sound very healthy.”
“I’ll have a large tomato juice, too,” I added.
“That’s only slightly better.”
I opened my mouth to say something hateful but Eliot squeezed my knee under the table. “I’ll have the blueberry pancakes with sides of sausage and bacon.”
Jake nodded in agreement. “That sounds good. I’ll have the same.”
Sabrina’s eyes jumped from face to face. “Wow. You guys are brave. I’m scared to die young because of clogged arteries. I’ll have the Caesar salad without dressing. No cheese or croutons and only half the chicken.”
The waitress looked confused. “So ... you want lettuce and a little chicken?”
Sabrina nodded. “You can add tomatoes. They’re a super food.”
“Sure.” The waitress rolled her eyes and collected the menus. “I’ll be back in a few with your drinks.”
Eliot’s hoped for a reconciliation lunch became an uncomfortable get-to-know-you session. Sabrina’s enthusiasm for me had apparently spilled over to the two of them as she became a nonstop
